Hi all. I went to the doctors yesterday as I was getting these pains in my arms and legs. Thought it was bad anxiety but it was high blood

[Scottg76]

Pressure. It was 175/110 which is high. Now I do smoke and drink but I know this now needs to go. Can anybody offer me any other other advise as my anxiety is through the roof thinking about it.

[SpiritoftheFloyd]

Hello Scottg76

Certainly smoking and drinking alcohol will adversely affect your blood pressure. Good diet also helps, a lot of us in this forum adopt a Mediterranean Diet, Maintaining a good BMI and getting a reasonable level of exercise is also beneficial

There is a separate support forum for blood pressure which may be helpful, the link is below:-

healthunlocked.com/blood-pr...

[Scottg76 in reply to SpiritoftheFloyd]

Thank you SpiritoftheFloyd

[84green]

Hi Scottg76

That’s sound advice from SotF. There’s a lot you can do to reduce your BP without medication but, if you need them in the short or long term, then take them. The main thing is to control it.

I’d also add the importance of minimising your stress level and maximising your relaxation time. I know that’s difficult when you’re anxious but stress doesn’t help blood pressure.

Try not to worry, you will be able to manage this.

Good luck

[Scottg76 in reply to 84green]

Thank you 84green

[lettingoffsteam]

I can vouch for the blood pressure group.Mine was truly frightening in March 2019 but medication and a lot of weight loss has helped bring it right down.I eat a mainly plant based diet now with a bit of fish and low fat dairy.Exercise is also a very good idea and also finding a way to relax.I joined a meditation class to help with my anxiety and got some CBT from the NHS as well.Try to keep calm if you can...easier said than done but really vital.See you over at the bp group.😃

[Scottg76 in reply to lettingoffsteam]

Thanks lettingoffsteam.

[seasider18]

Anxiety very often is the cause of high blood pressure as is having it taken in surgeries or hospitals where you are not relaxed or at ease. You should get a BP monitor and check it three times at set times during the day. Once you get used to doing it it will probably come down.

[Scottg76 in reply to seasider18]

Thank you seasider18

[MountainGoat52]

I agree with all that has been said. Be aware that taking your blood pressure can cause stress in itself and lead to higher readings. Try to relax and don't just take the first reading as you will probably be tense. I suffer from clinical hypertension (white coat syndrome) so I use a distraction method by reading something interesting or looking at pleasing pictures to counteract the tension caused.

I recently heard from my brother of the protocol for taking blood pressure suggested by his GP surgery:

- prepare for taking a reading by putting the cuff on, but sit and relax for 5 minutes

- take and note first reading

- wait another minute and take and note a second reading

- average the two readings and keep this as your record.

(Note, I am not advocating this, but just offer it for what it is

Above all, take time to relax and de-stress. I hope things improve for you soon.

[Scottg76 in reply to MountainGoat52]

Thanks GWP1952.

[Henry20]

For me, with really stubbornly high BP, only medication has had any significant effect. (I'm under-weight, so dieting isn't an option). I have a blood pressure machine to measure it, but be careful, as taking readings can become obsessive. My blood pressure was highly variable, so I had to plan to take a reading, or three. Get it out on a table where I could sit as per the instructions, and then rest (at least 10 mins); sit quietly, reading a book, of the innocuous type. (Even using a tablet, I found, could affect the reading, particularly if it was an article showing the total stupidity of our politicians.) Then I would take 3 readings about 4 minutes apart. Usually the readings declined. (Oh, and don't do this just after or just before a meal). I also didn't have a fixed time of day to take readings

Quite a palaver! I tried to relate these readings to what I had been doing and thinking - sort of identifying if I could determine a cause - effect link. For me, things seemed to get better a bit, perhaps, with exercise, so I keep up my cardiac exercise class (isn't Zoom great for this). Also, it showed that, for me, my mind really does affect the body. So now, I don't get obsessed with the readings I see.

You may well be very different, in fact I'm sure you are. I fully agree with the diet comments, the message really is to try things, keep a record of readings and just a few notes on what you've been doing; then look at them every so often and see if there is an emerging pattern. One doctor who saw my data, about a month long then, commented that it showed a pattern and gave a far better idea of what was going on, far better than the reading he had just taken and my medical notes he'd stared at. Now, I take a reading far less frequently, it seems to be at an acceptable level, but I still record it.

Good luck, keep calm and carry on .... you need to control your blood pressure, yes, but don't let it control you.

Henry

[Sunnie2day in reply to Henry20]

My cardiologist likes my spreadsheet log so much he has me email it to him once a month (or if I see a three-day spike, he says that indicates a problem). I take my readings twice a day (temp, BP, ox-sats) and also log GTN need-use and a few other items including weight once a week (monitoring fluid retention).

[Henry20 in reply to Sunnie2day]

Yup, we've trodden the same path!

[Scottg76]

Thank You Henry.

[Scottg76]

Hi Allan. Weight 15stone 7 pounds. Aged 44. I have been told to go back to docs on the 3rd of August. No cuff supplied either. Yeah the fags will be difficult to kick but I have to do it. Thanks for replying to my question. Appreciate it.

[Scottg76]

Shall do. Thanks once again Allan

[Billypil]

A lot of us have done this and if anxiety is a problem I could not help.

What you must do is decide if you want to die soon or start living for a future. Sometimes a special occasion mat help sometimes if you have loved ones you would still wish to spend heaps of time with. Think of what you or your friends ,& family will lose if you don't stop because you can be sure about it killing you. I was told toward the end of 1980 that smoking made things worse so on New Y Eve I had a smoke and just said that's it no more. You can do it just as easily once you stop thinking about stopping. I have never smoked since and now hate the smell. If you have a life worth living you can do it. Make sure you have that life.

Bill

[Scottg76 in reply to Billypil]

Very good point Billypil. I will need to get some NRT and just do it. Family are Far more important than a cigarette ever will be. Thank you for the message

[Billypil in reply to Scottg76]

Great my friend. You can take control. Just keep thinking of those you care about and even more who care about you. There must be many good memories to build your resolve. Just think of smokes as taking all that away from you and get your brain away from concentrating on the bit of discomfort getting rid of smokes will cause either the knowledge that the discomfort will fade. If you must, talk to those you care about and explain that you have a short tough fight but you care enough for them to really quit before you lose one another. You can really do it. Keep thinking ahead. Do something better for you all.

Let me know in a few weeks that you have won an extension of life with them all.

Bill.

[Scottg76 in reply to Billypil]

Shall do Bill. Thanks again

[Billypil in reply to Scottg76]

I am only an old man now, but what may strengthen your resolve or the fact that I have lost a son and a daughter & this is totally true and almost lost my second son who had a stroke and is still getting over it after quite a few years. Fight to stay together. Drop me a line even sooner if you wish. You don't want your family to feel the sorrow I have felt too soon.

Wish I could help more but will not bother you again unless you speak first.

BP.

[Scottg76]

Good morning all. I went to the supermarket this morning and filled a basket with a few things but my upper left arm began to get sore and painful. Is this BP related?