HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Discovered I might have high blood pressure. Oh great.

Support Forums
>
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 9/10/2010 11:16 AM (GMT 0)
Wish me luck. Most of you know how much I struggle managing my IBSlike symptoms. I really hope I don't have to go on BP medication because any new med usually gives me D.

Had an appt. with my internist yesterday and my second # was high he said, 100. Forget what my first one was. I'm to check it myself 4 times, various times of the day at my local pharmacy, call him Tuesday for the blood test he ordered reveals. We'll go from there.

It shook me up! He told me to exercise, reduce salt, reduce or eliminate caffeine, eat healthy foods.

Keeping a food dairy again but for BP readings and whatknot, exercise, weight recordings (only 125 though, I'm 5' 3"). My stomach isn't flat. And I usually attribute that to the ongoing IBS issues, bloating somedays, some days normal stool. Read online that women need to keep their waistlines down and well mine isn't right now.

Wish me luck with all of this - it did shake me up! I'm 55 now and he said if I ignore this, I could be facing a stroke or heart attack! I have an in-law who had a stroke, I could not get him out of my mind as I drove home.

Just like 11 years ago, I will learn all I can about managing high BP and change my habits (my only vice is caffeine though! I don't drink (rarely) and never smoked).

Just wanted to share. Anyone here struggle with high BP? Just curious. I don't even know what meds they order to lower it.
Posted 9/10/2010 5:49 PM (GMT 0)
Marsky, This year I just went through all this and have some ideas.

I got a new doctor about a year ago. Was working with him on IBS and just to have a doctor. I liked him alot, but he moved back to a hospital.

Anyway we talked about blunting my nervous system for IBS so you don't react to stress as fast. So he put me on a low dose of a BP med. Later my BP went up to about 90-100 and so it was helping both. The first two months of the bp med I didn't have any IBS symptoms. However they have returned somewaht, but the bp med even helps the IBS.

At first I was nervous about taking a heart pill for my IBS, but then later with the higer BP I just started taking it. I don't really get any side effects from it. I started at a pretty low dose and am adding another in the next day or so.

propranolol

http://www.drugs.com/propranolol.html

I talked to one of my experts friends in the gi world and he had a friend that took one when he gave speeches because that made him somewhat nervous. I explain a little more soon.

 

Posted 9/11/2010 3:06 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks so much Shawn for the feedback. Maybe I shouldn't be so worried about the medication my doctor will put me on. I've already hit the treadmill two days in a row and cut back on caffeine, consumed more water. My readings seem to be in the 148/82 or 84 range. The 100 I hit in his office, I haven't read each time I've taken my BP. Some of my friends at work said maybe I was nervous at the appt. But considering ALL that I've had done to me in the past, I quickly said no, I'm sure I wasn't that nervous. Maybe I was bracing myself for a lecture about how absent I had been in his office but he didn't even give me that lecture. Anyway, I'll know more next Tuesday.

It's odd though, I haven't felt "right" for a while now. I tend to get what I used to think was a headache, and if I had to give it a term, I'd call it a fuzzy headache. My forehead and eyes just feel - different. Someone at work said they felt that way before they went on BP meds. They had elevated numbers too.
Posted 9/11/2010 9:15 PM (GMT 0)
Marsky, I am having some issues with the internet today.

However, 80 is normal so you actually pretty normal there and yes sometimes it can go up like that at an appointment or for other reasons even.

around the 90 point is stage one hypertension.

I will post some more soon on it all.

 

Posted 9/14/2010 7:54 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Shawn. I will definitely keep that in mind.

Well, my doctor called, my blood test results were "absolutely" normal he said, kidneys, thyroid, red/white blood cells, fine. I'm not anemic, my electrolytes were fine. He said it was a perfect blood test. I also mentioned I forgot to tell him I had taken a Claritin D that morning but not since then. He said that could have explained my higher readings in his office but since then, they should have come down. My average readings revealed 148/82.

He wants me to call back in 1 month with more readings but in the meantime, I must:

1. Eliminate salt completely from my diet.

2. Ideally eliminate caffeine completely from my diet.

3. Exercise daily (already doing that but I'm hoping to increase it)

4. Lose weight (I'm 125 lbs so my target is under 10 lbs).

I've always joked my one and only vice is Pepsi. It seems as if my wacky body craves it. So wish me luck with all of this! I have cut back on caffeine since my appt. with him last week. But now he's scared me. Because I don't want to be on meds!

So he challenged me to do all of the above, it's possible I can bring my numbers down but he did say he suspects I'll still need BP meds when I call him in 1 month.

So that's the update. I will admit to being a little apprehensive, once you've survived cancer, there's always that nagging voice in your head that asks - what if you have cancer......it's just a natural question but I usually shove it the back of my mind. So I was worried he'd say this or that reading indicates possible the dreaded C word.

Thank God it's not that! Could always be worse....

Thanks again Shawn.
Posted 9/14/2010 8:00 PM (GMT 0)
I am glad its not anything worse and I can certainly understand the apprehension.

That sounds good. My told me even with changes you might still need to take it. Like I said its been okay and really helped my IBS at first as well.

The "Pepsi" you shouldn't be drinking anyway. Soda is bad for the gut with everyone, especially people with gut issues. I understand the cravings though. ;)

Glad the blood test was normal and don't worry to much here, it can raise your blood pressure. ;)

So all in all Marksky not to bad an outcome really.
Posted 9/14/2010 9:23 PM (GMT 0)
Shawn - don't I know it. Yes I know Pepsi hasn't been good for me.....lol No it's not a bad outcome, thanks once again.
Posted 9/17/2010 10:50 AM (GMT 0)
Shawn - I've drastically changed my diet, no snacks, no candy, most of all when I ran out of sunflower seeds in the shell (with salt although I preferred them rinsed well in a colander, sounds odd I know but I always thought I had removed most of the salt anyway), I haven't bought anymore (preferred Walgreen's brand, less salt, better than named brand sunflower seeds). I got into the habit of munching on them at the computer and well, you get addicted to them. Folks over on the UC board claim that these seeds are helpful to them so I thought why not see if they help me, I do like the taste.

Okay so they're gone from our house. Now I have one cup of coffee in the morning and one glass of iced tea, mid-afternoon. Next week I'm dropping the tea and eventually dropping the coffee (that will be the worst).

I bought decaf tea so in the evening I might enjoy that but mostly I am eating unprocessed foods (the other night, grilled salmon, brown rice, steamed broccoli).

I hope all of this helps.

And like you said, the high caffeine intake and soda probably wasn't good for my gut. Haven't had the dumping in days (I used to think well I'm going to go a lot anyway, why not time it so it hits when I'm home and I can clear all the gunk out).

Long story short, maybe having had high BP readings will be a blessing in disguise.
Posted 9/17/2010 10:19 PM (GMT 0)
I personally can't do tea. Although there is one called sleepy time, I did the best with and had that at night before bed, it can help you sleep.

Coffee I do drink in moderation. Sometimes it even helps, sometimes if I over do it it doesn't, but I am an alternator anyway. Mainly I have to watch it doesn't cause me any pain. I gave it up for quite a while then when back to about a cup, maybe two, depending on the day.

"high caffeine intake and soda probably wasn't good for my gut"

Probably not. The soda can also increased bloating. Everyone with IBS should cut out the soda. Maybe an occasional ginger ale. Ginger can help nausea and sometimes calm the gut, but I don't recommend a lot for sure. Its mainly the carbonation and massive sugar.

 broccoli is really good for you, but it can cause gas. Only eat a little at a time.

"Long story short, maybe having had high BP readings will be a blessing in disguise."

I know what you mean there. Time for some changes. Salt can also increase bloating and water retension. Most of the things for high blood pressure can be benefical for IBS as well as hopefully preventing a heart attack. ;)

I know I have some work cut out for me on this as well. I smoke, so that has got to go.

Let me know how you feeling as you progress.

 

Posted 9/18/2010 1:44 AM (GMT 0)
Shawn, are you aware if the connection between blood pressure issues and IBS has been studied in any depth, since they both involve the autonomic nervous system? I know high blood pressure is very common anyway, so a lot of people are going to have both, but I have a very healthy diet and lifestyle and started to have some problems with prehypertension/mild hypertension depending on the day only after I got IBS, which, as you know, was quite sudden. My MD does not think it needs to be medicated yet, but may in the future. Just wondering if there's any significant science in this area and if so, if the results show any connection to the various dysfunctions involved in IBS.
Posted 9/18/2010 2:17 PM (GMT 0)
I wasn't aware of this connection stepjrn, thank you for your comment.

I'll do some research on it.
Posted 9/18/2010 6:20 PM (GMT 0)
"Shawn, are you aware if the connection between blood pressure issues and IBS has been studied in any depth,"

Not that I am aware of really.

I think its more you can have both issues. Lots of people with IBS don't have high blood pressure and vice versa.

However, pain and irritability can raise your blood pressure.

When I went into the new doctor I saw about a year or so ago, we both talked about IBS and I mentioned the connection to my autonomic nervous system and my IBS. So before I found out I had high blood pressure we talked about something that would calm my autonomic nervous system and blunt the stress response and he suggested the propranolol. Then when I found out I had high blood pressure there was another reason to take it.

I think the two can effect each other if you have both.
Posted 11/4/2010 8:07 PM (GMT 0)
Shawn - After taking my BP readings for 5 weeks, my doctor has prescribed Lisinopril, 5 mg. I begin taking it tomorrow. I couldn't get the first number consistently in the 130's, it hovered around 141ish, but the second number has always been approx. at 80. Even lower at times.

A little freaked out to begin this medication. Wish me luck on it!
Posted 11/6/2010 3:03 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the list of other ingredients to watch for. When I saw Lithium, I thought of Nervana's song and had an image of Kurt in my mind. lol

The bottle sits on my counter, I plan on taking each evening at dinner. That's almost an exact time each day - 6 pm. And if I experience dizziness from it, at least I will home and not at work. I will start taking it tonight.
Posted 11/7/2010 2:40 PM (GMT 0)
I have high blood pressure too and refused to take diuretics because of my constant craving for liquids (before asthma, before ibs, etc., alway a very good score on diabetis). I would be peeing all night but it is the cheapest one out there. The ace inhibitor gave me reflux so I take a calcium blocker (narvese) and an ARM. What a ARM is beats me but the stuff is call diovan. I wanted to take more calcium blocker but the doctor does not believe in that. He never explained that sufficiently. Just going on trust since I am not dead yet!
Posted 11/7/2010 6:04 PM (GMT 0)
I guess I'll find out soon if my thirst has greatly increased. Began taking it last night at 6.

So far so good, knock on wood.

Sorry you've struggled so much in managing your high blood pressure Joan.
Posted 11/7/2010 6:51 PM (GMT 0)
my thirst was present from about 20 years old or so. nobody bothered me about it. came down with asthma/allergies at 38, high blood pressure at 50.

high blood pressure is the least of my problems...but wishing you luck, marsky and that you don't have any ibs stuff with the new med.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply