Another newbie.... with lots of questions - High & Low Blood Pressure Message Board

jasydbennett · 03-30-2007, 03:01 PM

Hi there... I have been reading through some of your posts and i am still really new to this... i found that a lot of people were really good with answering questions after giving a little background info. so here is mine:

I am 31 years old, white and female. I have 2 children and I first had high blood pressure when i was pregnant with my son. My highest reading was 161/102 and i was in the hospital for 2 days because of it... (i think only because i was pregnant at the time). It subsided after i gave birth and i never worried about it for a year or so when i went to the dr. and it was around 140/95 he asked me to lose weight and after about 3 weeks and 10 lbs it was ok again..... which brings me to now.... 2 years later... no more babies no nothing and now i have spiked to 164/111 and dont know why or what this even means.

my dr. gave me HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE (water pill? thats what he told me) and told me to take 1 asprin a day and come see him again in 4 days.

What is this drug and is my BP really high?? should i be really concerned??

I am only 31 isn't high bp supposed to be something to worry about when you are older?? help please

ms58 · 03-30-2007, 03:14 PM

Well first of all you should get a home blood pressure monitor and keep checking your bp for a few weeks to see what it stays at (164/111 is very high and not to be ignored). However, a high reading once in a long while is not big deal, if it's high every day, then bp meds are in order. Remember to check the bp monitor at the docs office for accuracy when you begin.

If it's high all the time, you are not too young to get it down. If you are heavy, lose weight, it helps a lot when you are young.

HCTZ is a diuretic which gets salt and water out of your body and brings your bp down. I use it, just drink lots of water to keep your body hydrated. But it takes about 1 to 3 weeks to be fully effective, so 4 days sounds too quick, but what can I say.

Good luck and keep checking your own reading regardless of what you do, it's always good to do it.

bethsheba · 03-31-2007, 07:35 AM

Ditto ms's comments about monitoring your pressure and diet and exercise. Diet and exercise are the best first course of treatment for high blood pressure--especially for numbers like yours. Ask your doctor if you can try the DASH diet and exercise before starting a drug program. Prevention should be your goal, not a lifetime of "treatments".

FYI blood pressure meds are drugs with some very nasty side effects--muscle, bone, joint pain, exhaustion, muddled thinking for starters---I've taken 5 different bp meds (only 1 med at a time) and I think hct was one of the worst for me.

Be aware of any changes in your thinking, your moods, your sleep, your activity levels, and your body in general.

And finally, try to identify the cause of your high blood pressure (diet and weight, sleep apnea, renal, etc.) and treat or eliiminate the cause. Doctors like to treat (vs prevent) because it's easier and more lucrative to do so (I've read that half of their business revolves around the treatment of bp)---if you're dependent on meds, you'll be seeing your doctor on a regular, and I mean REGULAR basis.

Bethsheba

thyme2b · 03-31-2007, 06:02 PM

I was just diagnosed with sleep apnea. I was quite surprised, actually, since I don't fit the profile. I don't snore, I'm not overweight, and I'm a woman. I didn't even want to go because I have so many health problems and this just seemed like a waste of time and more appointments. But the doctor insisted. The main reason my doctor recommended the sleep study was because of my high bp. I've had high bp for a while now and another doctor was thinking of changing my medication.

I agree about trying to find the source of the high bp. Very few doctors want to do this, though. I've had a number of doctors prescribe without finding the cause. The doc that did this works with integrative medicine, meaning he tries to find the cause.

In this case, I'm hoping he did and I won't have it any more. I hear that some people's cholesterol improves with getting the sleep apnea handled. That would be nice, too.

bethsheba · 04-01-2007, 06:43 AM

Thyme,

Hang on to that doctor--s/he's one in a billion and s/he's a keeper!!! How very lucky you are to have a doctor who is proactive!!!!

I am a woman who was diagnosed with and treated for sleep apnea. I can say with certainty, that if you haven't already discovered by now, treatment will change your life, your health, and your sense of well being. Oh, and do let us know how many points your bp drops with treatment!

Thyme, do keep spreading the word. I know some of the readers think I'm crazy when I write about "sleep and breathing problems" causing high blood pressure, but when more people speak out about their experiences maybe people will be more assertive with their docs who don't id the symptoms.

Bethsheba