Another new member - who has really high BP

[RCLSB]

I was diagnosed with high blood pressure twelve years ago and have taken Enalapril in increasing doses. This July, as a mid-sixties overweight male, I had a mild heart attack which resulted in double bypass surgery. No problems with that (Hooray for the Freeman Hospital!). This week was my third visit to Cardiac Rehab and they refused to let me exercise because my blood pressure was far too high! I checked it at home (going against all advice not to do that) and it was even worse (over 200/100!!). Since being discharged from Hospital at the end of July, I have completely changed my diet - eating by numbers I call it (all under R.I. and no red traffic lights) - and this, together with a brisk walking regime, has resulted in a ten percent weight loss (10kg). I have my five portions of fruit & veg, even eat two lots of fish a week, don't drink and gave up smoking 17 years ago. So, why is my blood pressure astronomic? Anyone else been there, done that and got the tee shirt (which is too big now like most of my wardrobe)?

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

Hello and welcome to the forum! I had to sit one rehab session out because if low blood sugar. Once stabilised they had moved on to a talk about diet!

What other medications are you on? With stubborn blood pressure increasing the medication has a decreasing effect. This is common with many drugs. My Atorvastatin was quadrupled post bypass but my cholesterol only went down about 10%. Usually with this level of BP a combined therapy is more effective, e.g. adding a CCI (calcium channel inhibitor) or a beta-blocker to the mix.

[RCLSB in reply to MichaelJH]

My GP put me on Amlodipine a couple of years ago but took me off again once my lower calves were too swollen! However, I think a CCI would be a good idea - conventional wisdom has it that it will take more than one type of medicine to sort stubborn BP out. My other meds are Bisoprolol, Aspirin and Atorvastatin.

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to RCLSB]

Amlodipine gave me odema but another CCI, Diltiazem, did not. No CCI since bypass as put on Bisoprolol to as it also lowers pulse which like cholesterol was never high! If you have been on Enalapril for a while you may be becoming slightly resistant. A more modern ACE inhibitor or an ARB may give better results.

[seasider18]

Ask to be referred to the 'hypertension referral centre' it will be in their kidney unit. As the one I see at my regional hospital says.. cardiologists are very clever people and do things that I cannot do but they don't understand blood pressure like I do.