high blood pressure

[q5q]

anyone got it? after testing high for at least a couple of years, i finally got a prescription for lisinopril, 10 mg.

seems effective...maybe too effective. one pill took me from 160/110 (highest reading) to 111/67 (lowest), though most results were in between those.

[snowgirl]

I have low blood pressure. I am chill.

[northern_goddess]

I have low blood pressure as well. Sometimes I even faint because of it.

hth

PS. sorry to hear about your high blood pressure.

[NorthernLight]

You're vegetarian, how can you have high blood pressure? I thought you veggies were supposed to be insured against such mundane health issues?

[Ian_in_DC]

Stay off the booze, exercise, and lose weight. But I'm sure you've been told that a hundred times....so why am I overstating the obvious?

[leelee]

my sis takes high bp meds

[justinian]

I just went to a funeral for a 35 year old man, 6 ft 6, 235 pounds. Very athletic, built like a ball player - generally really healthy. He was pre-disposed to high blood pressure, which went untreated for periods of time. The pressure got out of control, his organs shut down. The rest is his story.

Get yours in order.

[snowgirl]

I have low blood pressure as well. Sometimes I even faint because of it.

hth

PS. sorry to hear about your high blood pressure.

I've never fainted but I get the whole out-of-body light-headed thing when I stand up too fast. It's so cool.

Oh, yeah, I'm sorry about the whole hbp thing, too, q.

[cowtown]

no hard on pills for Q


* That dull roar is the collective sigh of relief from the internet

[Geeceling]

Hypertension, along with high cholesterol, both run in my family. Found out with my physical last year (first in over ten years) that the gene missed me. Both levels are low for me, and I started to eat eggs again.

(Sorry to let you down, wonton.)

[Logg]

I'm starting to think about heart issues myself.

is there a test to tell if you have hardened arteries, or are there indicators?

BP and cholesterol tests seem imperfect, much in the same way that nutritional guidelines that focus on grams of fat, carbs, protein, and total calories seem flawed (as per Michael Pollan).

[cowtown]

Hypertension, along with high cholesterol, both run in my family. Found out with my physical last year (first in over ten years) that the gene missed me. Both levels are low for me, and I started to eat eggs again.

(Sorry to let you down, wonton.)

You’ll die eventually, that’s for sure

[Geeceling]

Hypertension, along with high cholesterol, both run in my family. Found out with my physical last year (first in over ten years) that the gene missed me. Both levels are low for me, and I started to eat eggs again.

(Sorry to let you down, wonton.)

You’ll die eventually, that’s for sure

As a smoker with almost a decade on me, you'll be long gone by that point.

[cowtown]

The line to grave shit you would be at least 2 weeks deep and they’d have to build a special platform high above the grave to accommodate the ensuing mound….and knowing you, you’d kick in the middle of February and have the funeral in BumFuck Dakota


No thanks


Just knowing you’ll die is enough for me

[Geeceling]

The line to grave shit you would be at least 2 weeks deep and they’d have to build a special platform high above the grave to accommodate the ensuing mound….and knowing you, you’d kick in the middle of February and have the funeral in BumFuck Dakota


No thanks


Just knowing you’ll die is enough for me

I love you too, wonton. Someday we'll share a can of Krylon in Chicago, okay?

[cowtown]

you bet

we'll do it up right and get the fancy 18k gold

http://www.castlewholesalers.com/KRYLON-1000-18KT-Gold-MetallicColored-Spray-Paint-8oz.html

[Geeceling]

You should Google the name "Martina Greywind". The two of you might get along.

[judik]

is there a test to tell if you have hardened arteries, or are there indicators?

If there are indicators then it's almost too late
There are invasive and non invasive tests but the most accurate is an angiogram which is very invasive
An EKG is worthless unless you are having a heart attack,good to have a baseline on file with your doc though
Many pts come into the hospital with chest pain and their EKG is normal,but an angio shows extensive disease
An exercise stress test can be helpful,but again there can be false negatives
A stress echocardiogram is more accurate and specific

q- Stay on the pills don't get cocky.A BP of 111/67 is not too low
Exercise and a low sodium diet can bring it down,but not always

[Logg]

is there a test to tell if you have hardened arteries, or are there indicators?

If there are indicators then it's almost too late
There are invasive and non invasive tests but the most accurate is an angiogram which is very invasive
An EKG is worthless unless you are having a heart attack,good to have a baseline on file with your doc though
Many pts come into the hospital with chest pain and their EKG is normal,but an angio shows extensive disease
An exercise stress test can be helpful,but again there can be false negatives
A stress echocardiogram is more accurate and specific

q- Stay on the pills don't get cocky.A BP of 111/67 is not too low
Exercise and a low sodium diet can bring it down,but not always

Thanks, judi. So having normal blood pressure and heart rate isn't really all that good of an indicator for arterial health? When acupuncturists check your pulse, they use three fingers to theoretically check three different 'organ systems' or whatever. I wonder if one of those can indicate hard arteries.
I'm not a fervent disciple, but there does seem to be some folk wisdom that they have garnered over the millenia that BP tests and stethescopes might not be up to yet.

As for q, I recall you eating egg whites to get protein. Maybe replacing it with chicken or high Omega 3 fish might help? Or is it beyond all that at this point?
IMO, if you're eating eggs you're already contributing to the animal murder industry; egg laying hens probably have it the worst of all livestock, so you're not lowering your karma rating by switching eggs for meat.

[Scott_Baio]

I have absolutely no physical ailments. My blood pressure is greaqt, my cholestorol is in order, and I doubt I will ever get sick. Nothing ever happens to me physically.

Crazy.

[joeyramone]

I have absolutely no physical ailments. My blood pressure is greaqt, my cholestorol is in order, and I doubt I will ever get sick. Nothing ever happens to me physically.

Crazy.

who would love to see an EKG attached to Scotty when he reads a Polardude post?

[Scott_Baio]

And it almost makes me sick thinking about all you people who, smoke, drink and don't excercise....and why I have to pay for your goddamn medical treatments.

Fucking bullshit.

[judik]

Thanks, judi. So having normal blood pressure and heart rate isn't really all that good of an indicator for arterial health?

It is and isn't.Smoking can cause damage to the arteries even in the presence of a normal BP
And there are other forces at work not well understood
What's really important is keeping your triglycerides and LDL in check in addition to controlling your BP
There is some data coming out that statins(anti cholesterol drugs)play a part in preventing Alzheimers
They also have anti inflammatory properties .There is a high index of suspicion that Alz. is caused by inflammation of the vascular system of the brain
Some docs go even further and state that everyone should be on them starting in their mid 40's as a preventative thing.The could be shills for drug companies though but the fact that they take them too makes me not totally accept that
They are cheap,and well tolerated for the most part

[janieblack]

BP is always about diet/exercise, from my understanding. Some people are just predisposed.
I have a young, fit, slim friend who has crazily high BP. He's a stress head, granted, but he comes from a family of people with really high BP. He's been on meds since his late 20s.

Despite all the crap I have done to myself (including being a salt addict and an ex smoker), I have low BP. It was normal when I smoked and dropped when I quit. The one worry is my good cholesterol level is too low. The bad cholesterol is ok as is overall cholesterol an the rest. But no matter how much I try to eat salmon and stuff, I can't seem to bounce the good cholesterol up a few notches.

[Logg]

for sure genetics is a huge factor. I know a couple of people on high blood pressure meds in their thirties who are former athletes, and who still jog 20 miles/week.

As for smoking, I always wonder how much of the harm comes specifically from cigarettes and how much comes from inhaling smoke. In other words, how much of a factor is pot smoking in various illnesses? There's a lot of grey area out there on the subject.

Also, just to confirm, hardened arteries are irreversible, just like heart damage, and unlike liver damage. Correct?

[judik]

Also, just to confirm, hardened arteries are irreversible, just like heart damage, and unlike liver damage. Correct?

Yes and No again Logg
There has been some data that if you can adopt a severe low fat diet and exercise like you are trying out for the ironman triathalon that you can actually undo the damage in your arteries
That's beyond most humans
However with the advent of stents and angioplasty at least you can fix the damage
The liver is pretty forgiving.You can abuse it and abuse it with drugs and alcohol and as it becomes calcified and dead other parts pick up the slack
Until the point of no return
Then you need a transplant

[Redsales]

i finally got a prescription for lisinopril, 10 mg.

I take it, too. Same dose. I inherited it from me mum. The stuff works well, but apparently it can cause incontinence after a few years.

[divrdoc]

hmm...some crazy comments.

lisinopril is not known to cause incontinence, and you can still use viagra and such while on it.

stu, you can do something called a "calcium score". supposedly fairly accurate at predicting risk. genetics are the biggest factor for "hardening of the arteries" as you say. that and smoking. smoking does things in many ways as you surmised. just the smoke going in is the main factor that causes COPD and emphysema(which about 99% of smokers WILL get). the chemicals are what causes the cancers(which less then 5% of smokers will get). marijuana does damage deeper in the lungs then tobacco, as people tend to inhale deeper and hold it in. it also causes mainly head and neck cancers( some studys put the link at extremely high!) .

as for statins? lipitor, zocor, etc. i have used them for years whether i need them or not. not only do they lower cholesterol, they prevent "aging" of the endothelial lining of the vasculature. give them a few more years and a few more good studys and they will put the stuff in the water like fluoride.

by the way, HDL(good cholesterol) is by far the hardest to improve. exercise, fish oil, niacin(super high doses of those last two), as well as the prescription meds, and most people dont get much of a change. but any change is good.

[divrdoc]

oh, and Q, sorry to hear. do as the doctor orders. remember, they call HTN the "silent killer".

[equus]

With all the exercise I've been doing, I'll be mighty peeved if I have anything other than perfect BP. Must get that checked out sometime soonn.

[q5q]

You're vegetarian, how can you have high blood pressure? I thought you veggies were supposed to be insured against such mundane health issues?

we bodhisattvas have declined nirvana to share your pain.

stu, i'm almost off eggs. they're hard to beat for adding muscle mass when working out, though. my daily omelets have given way to yogurt and oatmeal lately....*sigh*...

judi, yesterday, after my 2nd pill, my bp after running inside thru the rain was 123/80something; 2minutes later it was 105/63. just to test the efficacy of the pills i intentionally had a big salty lunch, waited a couple of hours, then retested; results were still under 110/70.

guess the pills work.

thanks, doc, others. i figgered the resident medicos here wouldn't let me down; thought maybe any contraindications you were aware of regarding me and ace inhibitors, etc., might be mentioned. the only thing the pharmacist said was to beware a persistent dry cough.

[ZAffer]

Not my problem! (HBP) I have had some pretty bad chest pains over the last coupla years, but they're NOT heart related! (apparently.) Had the ECG...all's normal. (Fuck, but they can make you sweat on that treadmill!) It is/was, quite simply, stress related. Beer and some dope (when I don't have beer) takes care of that. What DID surprise me a coupla years back was being warned that my cholestral was a bit high. Bigger surprise was who told me: my optician. She's got this cool gadget that takes a photo of your retina...and she said that the veins/whatever indicated that I had a cholestral problem.Kinda wierd, because I weigh the same as I did 30 years ago....and I don't have a high-C diet. Stress, again. (all that adrenalin getting dumped into the bloodstream, I guess.)

I USED to have RSL. (restless leg syndrome) That I fixed myself, by the simple expiedient of INCREASING my salt intake!

Physician, heal thyself!

[q5q]

back when i ran miles every day in my teens i had bad night leg cramps, the kind that tear muscle and make you unable to walk sometimes. hurt like hell.

yeah, retina scans seem to be diagnostically useful for a number of things these days. i'm guessing mine's ok, as i recently had an eye exam for new glasses, and the doc said everything looked ok in there; didn't specifically mention cholesterol, though.

to weigh what i weighed 30 years ago i'd have to lose a hell of a lot of weight, being as i'm only 29 years old.

[Logg]

Well, Q, as long as you're getting your protein from somewhere. Eggs are the highest source of protein per unit of food. I'm not sure how that equation changes when you factor out the yolk though. Raw nuts are probably a good source as well. Personally, I choose to get my nutrients from whole foods rather than supplements, but that's just me.

Doc, thanks for all that info. Interesting stuff. I had no idea that less than 5% of smokers will get cancer from the tobacco chemicals (you're talking about tobacco, right?). That means the primary culprit really is the inhaling of smoke and not the stuff the evil tobacco companies put in their product.
BTW, the new thing among potheads are vaporizers. These allow you to heat the bud and inhale the THC as vapor rather than as smoke. The vapor does feel much less harsh going down, and you are spared the toxins associated with combustion (like carbon monoxide). You're basically inhaling heated resin, which is better than smoke, but which probably leaves a nice sticky coat on the surfaces of your organs once it cools down inside your system.

[cowtown]

BTW, the new thing among potheads are vaporizers. These allow you to heat the bud and inhale the THC as vapor rather than as smoke. The vapor does feel much less harsh going down, and you are spared the toxins associated with combustion (like carbon monoxide). You're basically inhaling heated resin, which is better than smoke, but which probably leaves a nice sticky coat on the surfaces of your organs once it cools down inside your system.

I looked at a few and they started at $400 buck plus you had to fill a bag, balloon like thing and then suck down that which seemed like a pain in the ass. And I’m betting you’re right about them still gunking up the lungs. Have you ever tried one? I haven’t and I wonder about the buzz or their efficiency

Seems the best options is to cook and eat it but I find it almost impossible to control portions or intake and usually end up way too stoned for way too long

I still may buy a vaporizer as I find it almost impossible to stop smoking cigarettes while still smoking pot – and I have little interest in stopping my pot intake, more so if I’m trying to kick butts

Dr Evil swore by them and recommended the Volcano as the best by far but $400 seems like a ton to ‘try’ something (and that was their low end model) - plus I would not order that on the internet but did see one for sale locally

[Geeceling]

Plus, a vaporizer seems like an expensive piece to have someone bowl-gank, or to get confiscated.

[q5q]

stu, i've read that egg whites are the purest protein out there.

mostly i get it from beans, i reckon. like god intended.

[Oracle_Jones]

You're vegetarian, how can you have high blood pressure? I thought you veggies were supposed to be insured against such mundane health issues?

He's an alcoholic. Go figure.

[q5q]

You're vegetarian, how can you have high blood pressure? I thought you veggies were supposed to be insured against such mundane health issues?

He's an alcoholic. Go figure.

oh, look! a deformed stalker...or is it a deformed apparition?

i needs me a drink...

[Logg]

I can recommend the Volcano. If you're gonna go the vaporizer route, you might as well do it right. You have to amortize the $400 dollar cost (btw, more like $600 in my neck) over several years of use--if you use it a hundred times a year, it's probably worth it. If you use it four times a year, probably not. If you live in a communal party house, its probably gonna get damaged quickly. But these things are solid and built to last, which is one reason it's worth the money. If you smoke out occasionally your lungs and throat probably aren't damaged enough to warrant the need for a vaporizer. But if you're a hard core stoner of a certain age, it makes sense.
Also, you can save money by vaporizing schwaggier weed or harvest trimmings aka shake.

[divrdoc]

all those fancy things just make it easier for you to get a full lung exposure. all the way down to the last alveoli.

yea, stu, lung cancer isnt as common as you would think. COPD is ubiquitious. I had a guy describe it to me as this:

"I am like clint in "hang em high". sitting on the horse, noose around the neck. waiting for the guy to slap the horses ass and make him run out from under me. but the slap never comes. so i just sit there. day after day. the horse ages. it gets sway backed. the noose gets tighter. tighter and tighter every day." he said "Lung cancer patients are lucky...they are mildly ill for 2 months, then sick for a month, then they die. but i get worse and suffer, day after day, year after year, anxiety levels going through the roof from day to day, wishing i would just die".

[divrdoc]

by the way Q, with lisinopril, you can get raised potassium levels, so dont eat too many bananas or oranges. dont take potassium supplements unless you are getting levels checked regularly.

besides the dry cough, another side effect(admittedly rare) is angioedema. a fancy word meaning your mouth and tongue swell shut.

[equus]

a fancy word meaning your mouth and tongue swell shut.

He'd still be able to type though, right?

[janieblack]

a fancy word meaning your mouth and tongue swell shut.

He'd still be able to type though, right?

That made me laugh VERY hard...

[q5q]

by the way Q, with lisinopril, you can get raised potassium levels, so dont eat too many bananas or oranges. dont take potassium supplements unless you are getting levels checked regularly.

besides the dry cough, another side effect(admittedly rare) is angioedema. a fancy word meaning your mouth and tongue swell shut.

thanks for that; for some reason (raw) bananas have been giving me heartburn the last couple of years. i used to eat a lot of them.

i'd been considering getting a potassium salt substitute to cut down on sodium. guess not.

it does seem that flatulence might be a side effect of lisinopril; else i'm hard put to explain my late degassings.

[Logg]

all those fancy things just make it easier for you to get a full lung exposure. all the way down to the last alveoli.

yea, stu, lung cancer isnt as common as you would think. COPD is ubiquitious. I had a guy describe it to me as this:

"I am like clint in "hang em high". sitting on the horse, noose around the neck. waiting for the guy to slap the horses ass and make him run out from under me. but the slap never comes. so i just sit there. day after day. the horse ages. it gets sway backed. the noose gets tighter. tighter and tighter every day." he said "Lung cancer patients are lucky...they are mildly ill for 2 months, then sick for a month, then they die. but i get worse and suffer, day after day, year after year, anxiety levels going through the roof from day to day, wishing i would just die".

That is very sobering. I never even heard of COPD until you mentioned it here a few months ago, and never realized how chronic and ubiquitous it was until this thread. All of a sudden I notice a tightness in my upper respiratory system. It's a little disappointing that lungs are such wimpy things. It seems like organs of their stature should be able to regenerate. Alveoli should be as ubiquitous as sperm cells, not be permanently destroyed by occasional exposure to smoke and vapor. I want a refund.

[judik]

Logg-I would say that a majority of pts admitted to my ICU have some degree of COPD.Some are just on a slew of inhalers,some on home O2
It's a miserable existence and it puts you at risk for pneumonia+flu necessitating some aggressive life support
Smoking also causes damage to the lining of the vasculature so cardiac disease,stroke and poor circulation of the lower extremities is common

[q5q]

hmmmm....today, having done nothing differently, and being consistent with the lisinopril, i'm back up in the 145-150 range.

not farting much, though.

[LuZbelito]

Science nor alchemy have been able to explain my low blood pressure. I eat more salt than anyone i know.

[Geeceling]

Science nor alchemy have been able to explain my low blood pressure. I eat more salt than anyone i know.

You and me both. Japanese is the biggest influence in what I cook at home, and Japanese food is enormously salty.