High Blood Pressure

chopsticks24 · 05-26-2005, 03:05 PM

I went for a physical to renew my visa (stamp in passport not the credit card LOL) and my blood pressure was 150/90.

I remember when I first came (about 2 yrs ago) my doc in the States was worried because my blood pressure was "pre-hypertension" every time I saw her. I also remember that every doc I go to mentions that my blood pressure seems to be "a little high."

And . . . I have lost nearly 50 pounds. I exercise several times a week. And now I actually do have high blood pressure.

When I asked my OBGYN about it, he told me I needed to speak with a doc in the Cardio section of the Outpatient Clinic at the hospital.

So . . . what do i do next? Should I get a blood pressure monitor and track it and take that data with me to the Cardio doc? Do I just need to go see the Cardio doc first?

Clueless,
amanda

tomsqtee123 · 05-26-2005, 04:30 PM

Amanda,
I hope that your blood pressure will go down. I went to my doctors appt abot 3 weeks ago and my doc also told me my blood pressure was high. I think it was 140/80 or 90 so he wants to see back to monitor it in 3 months. I just think that is weird since you and I both exercise and eating right. Pls let me know what you find out.

Amy

berta · 05-28-2005, 02:34 PM

I have had high BP for about a year and a half now. I lost about 25 lbs right away, and thought that would help it go down. But, in my case it did not bring it down. I still have alot of weight to lose though. I take Methldopa (Aldomet) 2x/day because I am TTC and they said it's ok for babies.

Certainly talk with the cardio Dr. I see a Cardiologist for mine. I didn't feel that this was something I wanted my clueless PCP to treat. Exercise (even walking), cutting out table salt and fodds containing alot of sodium (like soy sauce, frozen foods, soups, chips) is supposed to help also.

My cardio Dr. said that maybe if I lose another 20lbs it might come down, but he also said it may be due to family history and I may be stuck with it. My grandmother and Dad have high BP. My Dad got his in his late 20's I guess.

I monitor my BP at home with a monitor that I bought from Walgreen's, although I'm not sure if it's accurate or not.

Good Luck to you!

Pugzilla · 05-28-2005, 11:51 PM

High blood pressure is also associated with insulin resistance...have you been tested for that? BCPs can also cause a rise in blood pressure. HTH

berta · 05-29-2005, 01:07 AM

That's a good point about the IR and high BP. Unfortunately for me, my BP didn't come down with Met. I thought that would help too. I do have IR, but it is in the normal range now from Met, so... I'm thinking for me, it is probably my weight or family history contributing too.

Yes, original poster you may want to be checked for IR if you haven't already. It may help if you get that under control.

chopsticks24 · 05-29-2005, 07:25 AM

Thanks so much for the input.

Question though . . . I am already on Met without being tested for IR. My OBGYN put me on Met. He is mostly concerned with my cycles and my FSH and LH levels.

So . . . do I need to find out if I am truly IR?? Should I go to see and Endocronoligst (sp??)?

If I did find out I was IR . . . I am not sure much of what I do would change. I already am on Met; I follow IR diet priciples, and I exercise at least 4-5 times a week.

Also . . . I did buy a monitor this weekend and have taken my blood pressure a few times. It has not been as high as it was at the doc's office, but it has not been "normal" either.

thanks again!
amanda

berta · 05-29-2005, 07:21 PM

It sounds like your gyne. is on top of things..some don't know anything about IR or PCOS.

For me, I like going to the Reproductive Endocrinologist because I feel like they know the most about IR and PCOS. My Dr.is really nice and knowledgeable.

I think it's helpful knowing that when I was Diagnosed, my Insulin level was at around 27 with normal being around 12. The last time I had bloodwork, my Insulin was at 11, Normal!

I think it would be important to be diagnosed properly, just so you know that you are treating things the right way. Just my opinion. It definitely sounds like you are doing all of the right things.

Good Luck!

chopsticks24 · 05-29-2005, 11:04 PM

Quote:

I think it's helpful knowing that when I was Diagnosed, my Insulin level was at around 27 with normal being around 12. The last time I had bloodwork, my Insulin was at 11, Normal!

I think it would be important to be diagnosed properly, just so you know that you are treating things the right way.

I agree. I would love to know my numbers before Met and to know "for sure" and be able to compare before and after. But, wouldn't I have to go off Met to take the tests? I don't really wanna do that. I have been on it now (again) for several months.

thanks again for your answers and suggestions!!
amanda

berta · 05-30-2005, 03:54 AM

I'm not sure what to do since you're already on Met. You definitely wouldn't want to stop and have to start again just for the purpose of Insulin testing. Maybe talk it over with your Dr. It's nice that you have a Gyne. who is iformed about PCOS.

Cozumel · 05-31-2005, 07:00 PM

Amanda, I've been wondering this same things for months now!!! My BP was always 116/60! Now it's crept up to 135/70...which is still ok, I know, but it is prehypertension. I keep expecting it to go DOWN with all the exercise I have been doing! But it is routinely exactly the same. And my pulse is always in the 90's! That blows my mind! I kept thinking, well the weight is coming off slowly, but at least I know all this exercise is good for my heart. Well is it? Because the BP isn't showing it! Frustrating, isn't it?

I agree with you...there's nothing more that you can do naturally. Perhaps our bodies are just slow to figure out what we're doing? I don't know!

pilotswife · 06-02-2005, 12:26 PM

One of the things that led me to my diagnosis of PCOS was high blood pressure. I've always had very low blood pressure. Even when I was pregnant with my son (13 years ago), my ob/gyn used to joke around about how low it was. So when I started having consistently high blood pressure, I started doing LOTS of research. I need to lose weight, but I was fat for years and didn't have high blood pressure. PCOS and the insulin issues were part of the problem. Thanks to Metformin, it dropped a little bit. But what REALLY took it down to well within the normal range was going off of the BCPs. My body just does not like them. Who would have thought? It took me about 3 years to get to this point, but keep asking questions of your doctors. I would not allow them to put me on blood pressure medicine. I was determined to bring it down in other ways. At times, my blood pressure was as high as 193 / 115. Very scary. Now at least I don't have to look forward to a lifetime of blood pressure medicine, because I was 34 yrs old when this started.