I went to OB-GYN for my annual checkup and my bp was 140/90! :eek: I’m only thirty-four but there’s a history of hbp in my family. My OB wants me to come in again in two weeks or go see a GP.
In the meantime I’m worried as hell. I don’t want a stroke or heart problems or kidney failure.
Fellow dopers what would you do? Have you ever gone through this?
First of all, that is high but not that high. Those are the exact numbers that begin the high range. I had blood pressure much higher than that at one time. I am 31.
You are probably going to need to go see you GP. He/She will probably just tell you to monitor it for a while (possibly like a year). You can buy a cheap electronic monitor at most drug stores. Blood pressure fluccuates all the time and it is very normal for a person with generally normal BP to get a high reading in a stressful situation like a doctors office. You just have to take a whole lot of readings to figure out what your average blood pressure is. You report the results to your doctor and take it from there.
If it really is high, then your doctor will probably recommend regular exercise and possibly medication. The medication I am on doesn’t have any noticable side effects and I just take a tinnie pill twice a day.
High blood pressure is serious but it is not “help me I’m dying right now” serious for someone your age. Just see your doctor and you can work out a longterm plan. You may not have it at all.
I was a pretty steady 120/80 until about age 36-37. Then I began getting very high readings from time to time.
I suppose I could blather on about myself, but I’ll suffice to say that I’m fairly slim, active and don’t generally fit the model of those prone to hypertension. But, enough of those high readings finally got my doc to put me on a daily dose of Inderal.
So, I do that and still, when he or my dentist’s assistant take my blood pressure, I turn in big numbers, usually (not always).
I’ve taken some measures, as in cutting Sodium intake, but I still wondered if I was about to burst. So I recently bought a sphygmomameter, in order to monitor my blood pressure.
I think I must experience white coat syndrome, as my medical visits turn up bp readings well above what I see. I check it in the morning when I get to work, and then again shortly after lunch. In the morning, it’s usually low (this AM I got 115/62), and then it’s a little high towards evening (typically, say, 129/87). Nothing like the 160/110 I turn in at the doctor’s office, though.
Don’t be worried as hell, lavenderlemon, just be cognizant. It’s, in my limited experience, a very manageable health situation. You can take measures to lower your blood pressure, and live a long, happy life. Besides the diet and exercise advice you’ll find plenty of, I’ll add that you might invest in a sphygmomameter, to monitor it yourself. It might not be as bad as you think.
Anyway, good luck with it.
I am studying medical transcription right now, and am currently working on the cardiac section.
From what I understand, high blood pressure isn’t something to take casually, but it isn’t necessarily “the sky is falling!” time either. Sometimes (from what I’ve read so far in my studies) it requires lifestyle change, watching salt intake, etc. Other times it requres medication. And in preview, everyone else is explaining it much better.
As a side note, I just transcribed this doctor’s dictation for a report on a middle-aged, overweight guy with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, narrowing in the carotid arteries, and chest pain. This guy sounded pretty bad off, but the doctor seemed quite optimisitic that his prognosis was good–as long as he started taking medication and altering his lifestyle. It was just one isolated report, but it certainly put some things in perspective for me.
In September, I had a blood pressure of 140/90.
I’m 22.
I panicked a bit.
Then I cut out all the sugar and processed food from my diet. Today, I went in to have unrelated work done and they took my blood pressure again. It’s down to 121/84.
To say I’m relieved is an understatement. I’m hoping as I continue to lose weight, it’ll get down to a steady 120/80.
Thanks everyone. I’m starting to feel a bit better. My plan right now is to increase my excercise to at least four days a week and get rid of all salty snacks.
Good for you pepperlandgirl. I have a bit of a sweet tooth so I don’t know if I can get rid of all sugar like you did. The processed food’s a lot easier to bid goodbye.
I don’t know if it matters here, but when I was pregnant, for about the last two months, my BP was 140/110. No gestational diabetes, either.
Another anecdote - my dad’s family has a history of high blood pressure, and his has gone up and down over the years. Dad will be 76 in June, and he’s in good health for his age. No strokes, kidney disease or other bad effects of uncontrolled high blood pressure.
So yes, if you manage the problem you can live a good, long, healthy life.
Be glad this was caught early - better to start BP control in your 30’s than to wait until something really goes wrong in your 40’s or 50’s.