Blood Pressure

Do you mean 137/73? Because 37/73 seems a hair low... ;)

It does fluctuate, all over the place. Mine was way high when I went to a new doctor and was worried about something - I was told to check it over the next week, whenever I was at the grocery or the drugstore, where ever there was a BP machine. If it stayed high, then I was to come back in. It dropped back down over the course of the week - mine's generally 90/60. Since Mr. Jaq and I are old now, we have a cool digital one at the house so we can check it whenever and stage BP competitions.

137/73, yep sorry, then an hour later (five mins after having started this thread in fact) I had it done by my local nurse and it was 135/82. She told me this is still in the normal range, but it's so different to what I've had since I was 20 (I'm not 36)..

Ha, I'm glad it's not 37/73; I think that systolic pressure would indicate you were on your way to death...

Here's the wikipedia article on blood pressure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_pressure

My physiology book from last semester was going on about how even a systolic of 120 was prehypertensive. That was depressing.

Mine is usually 110/something - but in normal range (I'm 35).

I imagine that I will learn more about this in nursing school, but until then, this is all I can contribute!

I have low bp. Can't recall how low, but enough for the doctor to prescribe me meds. I refuse as I feel it doesn't really bother me. I do *swim* from time to time, but I never sink.

I have very high blood pressure. It's not as high as my dad's; when he's off his meds, he operates at something approaching stroke level. We are both on medication for it. I hate the medication. I should stop being such a fatass. And get new genes.

What is "very high"? Do the drugs keep it down, and do you monitor you bp at home?

What is "very high"? Do the drugs keep it down, and do you monitor your bp at home?

anything over 140/90 is considered hypertensive, systolic can fluctuate loads especially under stress, 137/73 isn't anything to be concerned by.

Mine's normal when I'm on the drugs, and, in fact, as I moderate my diet and exercise more, it's sometimes even low when I'm on them, which can be a problem. When I'm not on them, it's about 160/100

Mine, for the past year, has always been like 75/55. I think I am secretly dead.

no you just have hypothyroidism. Next!

(seriously, that's really low. how are you still conscious?)

i need to get it checked. i eat WAY too much salt :(

My thyroid is clean! I have suggested my only hypothesis.

Get a machine and check it pretty regularly and average the results. A single BP reading provides but a mere snapshot...

Do those ones at the pharmacy/grocery store do a good job? I test mine every time I go in (~weekly).

It's better than nuthin, I suppose.

pretty regularly = few times a day.

Oh-HO. I think I am too dumb to use a sphygnomanometer.

It's easier than it looks:

Get one that fits. Apply to upper arm, lining up the line that say "artery" with the middle of your inner elbow.

Pump it up. To about 200, let's say.

Place stethoscope on inner elbow.

Slowly release the valve while listening through stethoscope. The first heartbeat you hear is the top number of your BP. The last beat is the bottom number.

Actually, you probably should get someone else to do that. Might not be able to read the number upside down, while releasing valve and holding stethoscope. Might also get tangled in the tubing.

Get an digital one.

Do those ones at the pharmacy/grocery store do a good job?

I've heard no, they're supposed to be calibrated and they are usually not

If they've been calibrated, there should be a sticker on it somewhere

I also get this level at the doctor's office though. I'm like, "I'm dead!" and they pretend to laugh.

Abbott's proto-death BP == side effect of meds??

lol abbott

Need to get this down over the next couple of weeks after I had a medical at work last week and they told me it was too high - they didn't say exactly what but it was over 140.

So I've been measuring at home at getting roughly 125/75 which was encouraging. But today when I went to my doctor to get it read it was back up to over 140.

I'm cutting out salt, alcohol, fat and exercising more. Any tips for passing the test when I have a doctor taking the reading and a lot riding on the results?

there is apparently evidence that people display higher blood pressures in the doctor's than they do at home. Your pressure spikes when you are stressed, and many find having it measured in a medical environment stressful. On the other hand, some home measurement devices are a bit rubbish.

If you want to pass the test in the doctors in the same kind of way you want to pass a drogs test, try running around a lot before you go in to be measured (though this will show a suspiciously high heartrate).

Abbott, what happened with your blood pressure? Did you find out why it was so low?

mine has inched ever higher. But I do admit taht every time that thing is clamped on my arm I feel pretty stressed at that moment. I am secretly hopeing the doctor prescribes beta-blockers, I've heard they make you fell NIIIIICE.
I don't have time to exercise though she claims that will help.

Exercise is the magic pill.

It does help. For me it was a combination of that, a change in diet and, in the end, a low-impact prescription.

I feel that if I am taking pills for my blood pressure, I don't need to bother with any of that exercise shite. I mean, the pills cost money - might as well get some value from them.

I will trying walking at lunch time - a half hour a day

140/104 at the doc's today. yikes. fortunately bought myself a portable tester thing and haven't been anwyhere near that since.

normally I'm 110/70 - think this has proved to me I'm a wee bit stressed.

Checked mine at the grocery store yesterday and it was 124/80. It's not usually quite that high. Hrmph.

sometimes I wonder about those machines. at least with the one I bought I can determine the last time it was calibrated

also love how the Centra Care basically thought the best thing to do with a guy with nasty anxiety was give him a paper based on one blood pressure reading that was all like OMG UR GONNA DIE IF THIS BLOOD PRESSURE DONT GO DOWN

I thought it was a myth that blood pressure was correlated with stress

Maybe I read that on conservativepedia or something

What I mean is, you can have elevated blood pressure and not be stressed out

Maybe

well, they say that LONG-TERM blood pressure isn't generally caused by things like stress/anxiety, but in the short term it can cause temporary spikes and if you happen to get a reading during an elevated period, boom, false positive. this morning I knew my reading was gonna be crap cos I was almost shaking from nerves.

I'm not naive enough to think that this is in no way related to my erm....terrible diet and lack of exercise too, but....I've had perfect blood pressure at the docs during every visit for three straight years with the same garbage diet.

yeah i was just shitposting, sorry.

it was on topic, don't be!

last month I was at the dentist and was informed my BP was high. I mean it always is at the dentist, it makes me nervous to be there so I expect it to be. but this time she said "no it's really high, you probably need to be on meds"

as usual my dumb ass just made a mental note and continued on, until yesterday when I was out buying toothpaste for the kids and saw a blood pressure machine and gave it a try. lo and behold I had 157 as the top number which is apparently Stage 2 hypertension. looked it up at home and apparently that is really bad! we have a home monitor (though I'm not sure how good it is, there are words mispelled in the instructions after all) and it was even worse - 167. so that is apparently very close to "you actually need to go to the hospital". suffice to say not much sleep last night.

so this morning I decide to go to the doctor. go for a run beforehand cuz why not, that can only help right? measure it at home and...it's 114/61. what the hell? 126/77 at the doctor's office. a bit high but I do eat a lot of sodium so I guess i would expect it to be. I mean how do you cut out salt?? there's too much of it in everything!

now I'm just confused. do I need to make major lifestyle changes or not??

I wouldn't panic yet. You need to establish what your typical daily blood pressure is as a first step. As for that home monitor, I wouldn't much trust it without taking it to a place where you can compare its readings directly to a reliable monitor, like taking multiple readings from each one, at short intervals.

I just returned from the dentist moments ago, and I don't think I've ever had a dentist check my blood pressure! Maybe mine is just a slacker

I switched a few years ago and thought it was weird when she did, idk why they do it but hey I'm glad she did because I don't get it checked otherwise.

I did drink like 3 beers + shots for Packers touchdowns + ate a dozen wings and a few slices of pizza, whereas today I have drank 3 cups of tea and eaten only a salad, some nuts, and a PB&J on whole grain bread. dunno if that explains a 40 point swing but that's where we are now

well if that pharmacy has a decent free machine (I love those things), maybe stop in and check a couple times a week? Just to see if there's anything alarming

I've never had more than a shrug from a technician, I'm always normal... knock on wood

idk why they do it but hey I'm glad she did

I think there's been some studies/finding that connect dental health with cardiovascular health? or I heard something about that a few years ago...

Plaque is plaque
I want my baby back

do I need to make major lifestyle changes or not??

― frogbs, Monday, September 25, 2023 3:25 PM (twenty-five minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Well hold on, despite the rhetorical function of the question here on ilx, did you also not literally ask your doctor this?

One thing to know is that the reading changes substantially depending on your posture, whether your arm is relaxed, how high it is, whether your feet are on the ground, etc. It has to be done consistently to be meaningful info.

right, at home I was sitting pretty high up, when I held my arm up to heart level the reading was a lot lower. but I also got a pretty high score at the Walmart machine

Well hold on, despite the rhetorical function of the question here on ilx, did you also not literally ask your doctor this?

I had a good reading at the doctor so he didn't seem too concerned. just basic stuff like "keep running, eat less salt, don't take up smoking". ultimately I don't know how much they really read into the "well I had a bad reading at home" thing, mostly likely he thinks I fucked it up, and who knows maybe I did!

drinking will definitely elevate it, even the day after in my experience

take a reading each day for a week or two
like in the morning before bfast to get a resting heart rate

see what that looks like

go back to yr doc if it still seems high

I had my blood pressure tested by accident the other day, it wasn't supposed to be being measured but the nurse said while you're here you may as well... and it was high! Anyway I contacted my GP and now I'm having to do a 24 hour test, which means my arm getting automatically crushed every half an hour, day and night, starting in about... 3 minutes from now. I'm not looking forward to it!

Funny I also did a check-up earlier this year (first time I went for one in ten years) and my blood pressure was really high so I one of those contraptions fitted onto my arm for 18 hours.

It came back normal so lol, but I still have a slight scar from it on my arm.

The worst thing about it is that I couldn't shower and it was summer.

I was really eye rolling as every half hour or so it would measure and I'd see normal numbers.

One thing that really annoyed me was that some years ago, a nurse asked me something just as she started taking my blood pressure (with an electronic device). I can't remember the question, but it was tied to my visit, not just idle chitchat, and I actually had to scramble for an answer. I think it caused a moment of anxiety because when she got a reading, she said something like "142...THAT'S HIGH!" with a double take and it fucking scared the shit out of me. She didn't bother to retake it so I just assumed that was legit, and I hadn't gone to the doctor in a couple of years so I thought it was reasonable that I let things get out of hand. The doctor even referred to me a cardiologist on the basis of that reading. So for a few weeks, I was like a hypochondriac and ate like a crazy diet and exercised far more than I usually do, but then I got a reading of like 125 at the cardiologist. Still "a little high" for my age and I did end up leaving a lot of sodium out of my diet (and doing a little more cardio on top of my usual routine), but he said the previous reading was probably just way off.

i fucking hate that

once right before they took my BP they told me they were giving me a surprise injection after and my brain was like NONONONONO
so then they take my bp and theyre like whoa thats high and i was so mad i’m like um yeah you sprung a fucking needle on me & i hate needles what did you think would happen jfc

I wouldn't worry too much about a reading of 125 systolic, that's pretty much in the normal range. You need to take the diastolic into account as well though

xp

125? I wish!