I've known for a while that I have hypertension but started last June taking steps to correct it: I cleaned up my diet and started exercising on a regular basis which is about 5 times a week with both aerobic and anaerobic intense workouts. I also do NOT smoke or drink. Today I went to the doc because I have a sore left shoulder, nothing too problematic. They take my bp and it is OUTRAGEOUS like 200/110! It actually has gotten WORSE even though I have lost weight around my midsection, have been exercising consistently and have changed my eating habits (although honestly they aren't great, I do avoid excess calories, red meat, etc.). WHAT THE HECK GIVES??!!!!! I am so frustrated and I came home depressed. Needless to say I am now taking Bystolic (2.5 mg/day) to start. As far as I know hypertension doesn't run in my family. People who see me see someone who looks muscular and fit yet I have an absolutely ATROCIOUS bp! I guess this is more of a vent than any actual questions but I guess are some of you in a similar position such as myself. I know I'm not a spring chicken BUT I am changing my lifestyle and my bp is getting worse, NOT better. Maybe I should go out for huge portions of Chinese food like before? GRRRR.....
Silver lining maybe: I do take a creatine supplement and my doc knows that it CAN definitely raise bp. I guess there is a connection between the kidneys and high blood pressure. I last took some Saturday night and it takes a week to work out of your system so with the meds kicking in I hope to LOWER my bp soon. I am also committed to dropping more weight.
Just from you being in pain from a sore shoulder could boost your BP up man. That , PLUS being anxious when getting it taken. Even still, i NEVER hit that high on systolic, but diastolic i hit about 120 max. ALL due to anxiety, after many tests. Best thing for you would be go to a hospital. If one was high and the other wasn't, i would say get a BP home monitor and give it a day or two, but since both are up high i wouldn't take any chances, it could be an underlying issue that you need to get fixed.
Also man, not to make you feel bad, and i ignored this when my docs told me it. But if your BP is that high constantly you really should QUIT exercising and working out until they make sure everything is ok. Reason i didn't listen is cause i knew it was from anxiety, and it would just spikes up, but if you have it that high then work out ojn it that high even a few more points can raise it to the point when damage could occur. NOT saying it can, cause everyone is different, but make sure you take it slow and be safe.
he is correct, you could stroke out or have a heart attack. I had lower numbers after I had my baby and I wanted to swim and my doctors told me no way, not uintil my BP was under control.
Last edited by mod-anon; 03-31-2009 at 09:23 PM.
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1. Cut out the intense workouts. Walk for 15-30 min at a moderate pace.
2. Drink 8 (8oz) glasses of some kind of fluid throughout the day. Don't try to drink 16oz of fluid at one time as it will raise your b/p 20 points for two hrs.
3. Take one baby or whole aspirin if okay with the DR. to prevent
clots.
4. Research the DASH diet for high blood pressure.
5. Cut out STRESS. Tell your family & friends to avoid involving you in more stress.
6. Keeping telling yourself that you will overcome this & you may well be able to stop b/p meds eventually.
7. Those intense workouts may have contributed to your high b/p.
Moral to the story: Don't take supplements without thoroughly researching it & asking one's Dr. about the potential dangers.
Thank goodness you went to the DR. with your pain & found out about your b/p. Fam
The doc said that I could keep working out and maybe the word "intense" was a little too strong. I am consistent though: I work out for about an hour or an hour and a half, do about 18-20 sets, rest between sets, etc. I do treadmill for 30 minutes max. I think the thing is to NOT stop being active though, maybe tone things down. Also, I get VERY VERY nervous around docs, especially around BP readings. I don't want to give you some long story but I had a bad episode/vertigo a fews year back and was diagnosed with high bp then. I guess I associate the two so whenever they come at me with those cuffs I really do get extremely anxious. I will cut out the supplementation, that may be the root cause of my problem. I am starting to take Bystolic now and will continue to do so, no nasty side effects so far. I appreciate the feedback and concern though.
Also, my daughter has been sick lately and I have been worrying about her pretty much non stop. I am anxious by nature so I was sure as hell not very relaxed when they took my bp reading yesterday.
Anyhow, I just got some blood work done and at present feel calm and relaxed.
Yea thats what happens to me, i actually used to have full blown panic attacks at the site of the nurse bringing the cuff over. lol as soon as they put it on i feel the stress/anxiety flow through my blood and keep saying to myself " i'm going to be off the charts" I tried to get myself used to it and not care by taking my readings at home.. but that turned into me taking it like 20 times a day. it got to the point where i had bruises on my arm from taking it so much.
You'd actually be surpised at how high some weight lifters/powerlifters BP goes.. i read something when they did a study some of their BP hit like 300/200 or something along those lines. cause they hold their breathe usually when lifting something really heavy. I've even seen vids of some lifters eyes start to bleed from them breaking vessels.
I DO consider myself a weightlifter, not a powerlifter. I actually HATED any cardio whatsoever but really decided to change all that last June. Now I incorporate cardio into my routine 2 or 3 times a week for about 25-30 minutes each time. I know that cardio helps control bp but hasn't seemed to dent mine too much. Also, I never had anything bad happen to me while working out, no blood vessels bursting, bloody nose, etc. I lift but I don't overdo it and I remember that BREATHING is very important!
It's funny, I felt GREAT going to the doc yesterday (as I've felt great since really altering my lifestyle last year). I thought I just had a pesky left shoulder that wasn't feeling top notch. A day later and I'm questioning some major things about my overall health. I'm now on medication and trying to cut out some bad food choices. I'm a little nervous about my blood results.
I really DO think my high bp is related to: 1) my anxiety level while taking it,
2) the creatine that my kidneys are still trying to breakdown from my body which can really jump up bp, 3) weight I still need to lose, and 4) poor diet.
I'm really committed this time, I just have to wrangle in some bad eating habits and realize that I need to start taking high blood pressure meds, maybe for life. I finally want to beat this once and for all.
lol i hear that, i HATE cardio.I Forced myself to add it in too, been doing so for the past year, hasn't done anything for my anxiety induced BP spikes though. The meds help though. I do tabata intervals for my cardio now, it's much more enjoyable for me then 30 minutes of running around in circles
Also, didn't you notice your heart racing with your BP that high? Since your also an anxious person? I always am aware of mine when it races, but the beta blocker helps keep it under control.
I've read to stay away from weights if BP is an issue. The strain of lifting is not good. Ultimately, do what your doc says. I'm a cardio freak though, and everything I read seems to say all the benefits of exercise lie in cardio, not weight training.
A few years back I had a severe vertigo attack at my daughter's soccer game and had to be taken off by ambulance. I couldn't walk, it was that bad. A check up later revealed that I have high bp and although I don't think the two of them are related, I haven't had vertigo since but the entire episode sent me into a panic attack/anxiety spiral. It got so bad I had to be put on medication. I had a constant fear of being dizzy, death, and dying. Fun, huh? Anyhow, I eventually got back to my normal self although I am still extremely anxious around docs and especially around the subject of bp.
I have had no symptoms of high bp, no headaches, chest pains, heart raciness, etc. I felt FINE up until yesterday when I went back to the doc's office. It's almost like it is a place of doom and gloom now and I dread going there. I put off the bad shoulder for months because of it and finally had to do something about it. So my shoulder hasn't been fixed (I'm being referred to an orthopedist) but my bp is! Funny how that worked out.
p22pqq2 probably feels the same way as me as far as lifting weights is concerned. I'm NEVER giving up weight lifting , thats like all i have left that balances me out and keeps me from being a raging alcoholic. it makes me eat healthy, and keeps me somewhat sane. I'd take the bad of weight lifting on high BP over the bad of what i would be if i didn't lift weights at all. I couldn't become just a cardio guy No offense to the people who are strictly only doing cardio.
The doc really scared me the other day enough that I will take high bp meds. I also have been very good about my diet since then, lots of fruits, grains, etc. I am determined to do this. My goal is to lose about 20 lbs. BUT, like some of you, I am NOT giving up weightlifting. I don't think that makes a lot of sense to simply give up lifting and become more sedentary. Also increased muscle mass burns more fat. In fact, I just got back from my chest exercise routine and even with less calories and carbs and the introduction of bp meds I felt absolutely fine with no feelings of dizziness, fatigue, etc. And my chest routine is pretty difficult than some of my other routines: I do flat bench, inclines, declines, and flies. Went without a hitch today but I am still only taking about 1/2 the normal dose (my doc wants to be cautious) which will go up next week. I can't let this high bp control my fear! I can make adjustments to help lower it but can't let it consume my every thought. I gotta keep going with the flow, so to speak.
We all make our informed choices. Good luck with yours. I've seen the top b/p Doc of a well known medical school plus a b/p specialist to say nothing of the endless articles I've read. I love to exercise so I can see where you are coming from. You could still be active without doing the more intense exercise until you get your b/p down.
I still don't have good b/p control after 6 yr so I can't do intense exercises. It would be defeating the purpose of my huge dose of medication & could result in a stroke or heart attack.
On the other hand I choose not to take cholesterol meds etc as they would just add to my side effects. So we all make our choices in light of what we will risk & what we will give up. Fam
Well I called my doc's office since it has been two days since taking my blood. Their protocol is to ONLY call me IF something was wrong with the results and needed to talk to me. Apparently, in my case, there isn't anything too bad about the sample. I will get the results mailed to my home next week. This is a HUGE relief for me: I still have high bp but this doc was going on and on about stroke, renal failure, etc. Oh boy!
I'm also on my 4th day of the bp meds with no adverse effects yet. I've gone to the gym two days in a row with no loss in strength or stamina. Did the treadmill today for 25 minutes, running the last five minutes or so.
I am definitely not out of the woods yet but I think I can control this but it will take some time and effort (like resisting sweets, salty foods, etc.).
New update:
Took my bp at Safeway tonight, four days after starting meds. NOT good, 190/110. My pulse rate was FAST about 120 beats/minute and although I tried to relax I didn't do a very good job of it. I KNOW I have had high bp for a long time and that I've only started treating it four days ago. Still pretty disconcerting to see those numbers pop up.
Last edited by p22pqq2; 04-04-2009 at 07:40 PM.
Reason: new info
No offense to the people who are strictly only doing cardio.
