High Blood Pressure

C

Carl1978

Member
Just a heads up for the men over 40 that you might want to take up the NHS offer of a free blood pressure check at your local pharmacy.

I consider myself a pretty fit 45 year old (played 5 a side last night, will do an 8 mile run tomorrow) but I've checked mine and it was a very high 162 over 101 😥.

So I will need a doctors appointment and medication.

Good job I checked and I can now try to get it down.
 
I have a home blood pressure monitor, as during one of my offshore medicals my blood pressure was higher than expected. My last medical was also high, but when I take it myself it’s usually a good 120 over 80.
 
My mate was in a similar boat, and is now on meds.

I checked mine about a year ago, they said it was 'a bit high but nothing to worry about' and told me to cut down on salt.

Since then I've become vegan and its down to a totally normal level.
 
With HBP its important to remember a lot of people have slightly raised readings when its taken in a hospital / doctors etc. Whenever I need mine read at the GP he takes a reading when I go in then another after 5 mins and its invariably fallen a a bit.

That said I agree with the OP; as someone who has had HBP since my early 40s its important to keep it in check as long term can be very dangerous.
 
Carl1978 said:
Just a heads up for the men over 40 that you might want to take up the NHS offer of a free blood pressure check at your local pharmacy.

I consider myself a pretty fit 45 year old (played 5 a side last night, will do an 8 mile run tomorrow) but I've checked mine and it was a very high 162 over 101 😥.

So I will need a doctors appointment and medication.

Good job I checked and I can now try to get it down.
Click to expand...
Similar experience here. Came from nowhere and I'm glad I got spotted.

Looking back now I realise how short-tempered I'd become in the couple of years leading up to being diagnosed. I just thought it was the pressure of work, but actually, it was a medical condition, all along.
 
I am an ancient 68, and 10yrs+ on Ramipril, so under control. Not sure how true this is, but at my last GP surgery check up a few weeks ago, the nurse told me that readings taken with cuff monitors (like most of us buy from Boots) tend to be higher and a bit more unreliable. She recommended that I buy an upper arm monitor.

Sure enough, my home readings had me in the 'high' range, the ones she took from me in the surgery all within 'normal', apart from the initial one which was a bit high.
 
Hap said:
Similar experience here. Came from nowhere and I'm glad I got spotted.

Looking back now I realise how short-tempered I'd become in the couple of years leading up to being diagnosed. I just thought it was the pressure of work, but actually, it was a medical condition, all along.
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Thanks for the responses guys.
I think if anything, stress will be my problem as I run my own small business. Unless its a genetic thing, or just "one of those things".
My weight is OK slightly high, I don't smoke, eat ok, drink a bit too much sometimes and I do loads of exercise.

Interested in your post Hap - were you short tempered because you had high blood pressure? Or did the stress at work cause the high blood pressure and did the work stress cause being short-tempered?
I also can be short tempered but I thought I was just becoming old and grumpy 😀
 
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masquesmog said:
I am an ancient 68, and 10yrs+ on Ramipril, so under control. Not sure how true this is, but at my last GP surgery check up a few weeks ago, the nurse told me that readings taken with cuff monitors (like most of us buy from Boots) tend to be higher and a bit more unreliable. She recommended that I buy an upper arm monitor.

Sure enough, my home readings had me in the 'high' range, the ones she took from me in the surgery all within 'normal', apart from the initial one which was a bit high.
Click to expand...
Ditto. I had a bunch of high blood pressure readings at home. Went to the doctor's and he said it was normal.
 
Carl1978 said:
Thanks for the responses guys.
I think if anything, stress will be my problem as I run my own small business. Unless its a genetic thing, or just "one of those things".
My weight is OK slightly high, I don't smoke, eat ok, drink a bit too much sometimes and I do loads of exercise.

Interested in your post Hap - were you short tempered because you had high blood pressure? Or did the stress at work cause the high blood pressure and did the work stress cause being short-tempered?
I also can be short tempered but I thought I was just becoming old and grumpy 😀
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I believe my short temper was a symptom of the underlying high blood pressure. Looking back I seem to have been in a sort of excited frame of mind, all of the time. Feeling super busy non-stop, and constantly snappy.

I also run my own business, don't smoke, drink a little bit more than I should, and I do loads of exercise too. That's very similar...
 
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Carl1978 said:
Just a heads up for the men over 40 that you might want to take up the NHS offer of a free blood pressure check at your local pharmacy.

I consider myself a pretty fit 45 year old (played 5 a side last night, will do an 8 mile run tomorrow) but I've checked mine and it was a very high 162 over 101 😥.

So I will need a doctors appointment and medication.

Good job I checked and I can now try to get it down.
Click to expand...

Hopefully its not as bad as you think

The doctor is likely to give you a 24 hour monitor which measures your BP consistently.
If they don't - request one.

Once they see the results they will know if you have a problem or not.

It basically tests your pressure at regular intervals.... even whilst sleeping.

Sleep in the spare room if you have a partner and value your life..................
 
For anyone monitoring their BP at home you need to take readings morning and evening for 7 days and average them. Also when you take your readings take 2 or 3 and ignore the first reading then average the others.

The doctor explained this to me and it's for a few reasons. Firstly our BP is naturally lower on a morning. The first reading tends to be high because you have just say down to do the readings and may be a bit stressed from that. Taking additional readings negates this stress a bit.
 
Hap said:
I believe my short temper was a symptom of the underlying high blood pressure. Looking back I seem to have been in a sort of excited frame of mind, all of the time. Feeling super busy non-stop, and constantly snappy.

I also run my own business, don't smoke, drink a little bit more than I should, and I do loads of exercise too. That's very similar...
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Yes, very similar indeed.
Well that could be a positive then if the medication I will be prescribed could improve my mood. If the medication gets my blood pressure to an OK level I could feel much better for it?

My Dad died three years ago aged 68. He had high blood pressure but drank every day, smoked and did no exercise whatsoever.
I've told my brother he needs to get his BP checked too. He is two years younger but I'm definitely fitter and have a better diet than him. Hopefully his will be OK, but if he has high BP too then its possibly a genetic thing. If my brother's BP is normal then mine is probably stress related I would think.
 
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My last one was 128 / 84 mmHg, this was after a particularly bad period (Sept 2023) in my life. So stress and Vodka had a huge part in it.

I am fit as I hike but not a gym person, but yoga and meditation. I eat well, veggie and all that. I think blood pressure is a funny one to judge a life on. Just one indicator. Just keep check on your body and mind. I've said before - GET YOUR PROSTATE CHECKED!! My Uncle died within 2 days of finding out he had it!
 
sadgit said:
My last one was 128 / 84 mmHg, this was after a particularly bad period (Sept 2023) in my life. So stress and Vodka had a huge part in it.

I am fit as I hike but not a gym person, but yoga and meditation. I eat well, veggie and all that. I think blood pressure is a funny one to judge a life on. Just one indicator. Just keep check on your body and mind. I've said before - GET YOUR PROSTATE CHECKED!! My Uncle died within 2 days of finding out he had it!
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128/84 is totally normal isn't it?
 
I had have high blood pressure, but only discovered that 6 years ago. Since then I have been learning about it.

Normal will depend on age, as we get older, it rises. If our arteries narrow the pressure will rise and if our weight increases.

120/80 is often quoted a normal for say a healthy 30 year old, but there is a range with BP - its not like temperature where most people have a temp almost the same. With BP it can vary more. It can also quickly rise and fall say if you feel anxious, unlike temperature.

Because I am not 30 the GP practice said mine should be around 135/85. Its usually higher than that even with medication. However when I wore a 24 hour monitor it was 117/80 i.e too low. This monitor is on you all the time and does a recording say every 20 minutes, so reducing anxiety factors, because you don't know when it will record.

No one sem to look at pulse neither - my pulse is around 50 - nomal is around 70 - when I ask medical staff is there a connection between pulse and BP I just get blank looks.
 
Carl1978 said:
Yes, very similar indeed.
Well that could be a positive then if the medication I will be prescribed could improve my mood. If the medication gets my blood pressure to an OK level I could feel much better for it?

My Dad died three years ago aged 68. He had high blood pressure but drank every day, smoked and did no exercise whatsoever.
I've told my brother he needs to get his BP checked too. He is two years younger but I'm definitely fitter and have a better diet than him. Hopefully his will be OK, but if he has high BP too then its possibly a genetic thing. If my brother's BP is normal then mine is probably stress related I would think.
Click to expand...
The meds definitely improved my mood and calmed my stress levels. The only negative is I feel slightly forgetful, compared to before. That’s not a side affect apparently, so maybe it’s just symptomatic of feeling a little less driven. Not focusing as much?
 
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