10sboi

Back in January, my BP was like 140/90 to 160/100. It has averaged 140/90 for awhile.

I was given Toporal XL 100mg as a secondary medication to my regular Norvasc 10mg. I have to admit the side effects of Toporal made me miserable. I even split it in half to 50mg to make it tolerable, but my blood pressure did not drop until I took the 100mg. So I just had to deal with it until I finally decided to do something!!

My weight was at 256. My cholesterol from my blood test last year was a total 257. I decided to go on a low cal (1600 calorie target) diet based along DASH principles, lower my sodium, increase my potassium. I also started exercising more.

As of Monday (March 3), I'm now at 232lbs, my cholesterol is at 183 and my BP is at 120/80. I feel great, getting in clothes that used to be tight and having people compliment me. I still have a ways to go and my BP still needs to be lower.

Also, my doctor has recommended that I take 25mg of Toporol every other day. Let me state this, I was at 100mg, then to 50mg, then to 25mg. I did not drop it at once, the doctor made sure there was ample time between each drop.

Of all the heart health/blood pressure books that I've read, they've all emphasized the same thing, healthy eating and exercise. The positive effects may not happen overnight but instead they're gradual. Meaning that I feel better than the week before, etc. So don't get discouraged if you exercise for two days in a row and your BP is still the same. It takes time.

Last thing, my wife has also told me that I seem to be more relaxed and less irritable and I definitely agree with her. I use to have alot of anxiety about going to a store or doing extra things for fear that I would have a heart attack or stroke because of my HPB (it seems so silly now that I think of it). But not anymore. I feel great