High BP

Thanks for the information. When I last spoke with my doctor, we discussed trying meds to get it down quickly, since it is fairly high, but that as my diet and overall health improved, we could see about reducing or eliminating the meds and see if it does indeed remain lower.

I put on quite a bit of weight a few years ago. I was also diagnosed with barrett's esophagus which really did a number on me because up until that point I had been perfectly healthy, with nothing worse than the stomach flu every few years, and some mild allergies. The diagnosis brought on my anxiety disorder, though ironically it seems that now I am anxious about everything except my barrett's. (It's very mild; no displagia, and it's a tiny spot that gets scoped every 24 months. My reflux responds well to meds, so there's not as much of a present threat there; it's a matter of remaining vigilant, though.)

Over the summer, I cut out a lot more than just salty foods. I cut out fast food entirely, eliminated all grease, all caffeine, etc. from what I eat. The Nurse Practitioner whom I saw there often firmly believed the BP jump resulted from the weight gain and the onset of the anxiety, since prior to all of that, my BP had been perfectly fine. (Yes, I know, I should not have let myself go back on all the foods I cut out, but my willpower at the time was lacking, and it was a very gradual return and thus more difficult to notice.) So medically, the approach, as I mentioned, is meds while diet improves, then we'll see if I can get off of them and see what the implications and effects would be.

My weight is an issue and it needs to come down whether it directly impacts my blood pressure or not. But since that is a long-term solution (and a lifelong commitment as well), I was looking for some short-term methods of making sure the ol' BP doesn't get too high. I certainly realize there are implications to extended medication regimens. I will be on reflux medication for the rest of my life due to my barrett's, so discussing the long-term implications is definitely going to happen. From my perspective, it seems like a comprehensive approach would include weight loss, meds if necessary (for short term and potentially long term), as well as stress management and anxiety management. I am doing the latter already, via counseling and a really good anxiety program from Lucinda Bassett (I definitely recommend it to anyone facing anxiety issues, it has helped immeasureably). With 5 kids, there is only so much one can do to relieve stress.

Again, thanks for the link, I'll be checking that out posthaste.

EDIT: I've read the article, and I like what I see.  I've never tried a diet because I've seen how easily so many other, better people than I have failed miserably.  But a plan like what is outlined there echoes with potential in my mind.  I may just pick up a copy of this book and give it a read.  Thanks for sharing.

So I was looking at some of the foods that I continued eating when I cut out the fast food and all that. Amazingly, I found that there was still a substantial amount of sodium. So maybe it wasn't the absence of salt that lowered my BP...? I dunno. I was surprised. I mean, I "knew" that there was salt in a lot of the foods we eat, but wow.

Obviously, cutting it out is a good choice no matter what, but I'm curious what was absent from diet that made it drop like that. It certainly wasn't a lack of stress, I was in full-on panic mode back then.

My kids have chronic GERD and have had it literally from birth. We went through an ordeal with the doctors and trying different formulas. Two of my kids were hospitalized because of blood in stool and spit-up. PH probe tests revealed pretty bad reflux. It has improved somewhat in recent years. And even though our kids do share many of our dietary habits, we are far more rigorous in making sure they get some healthier foods. They eat a lot of stuff I don't or can't, like apples, bananas, veggies, etc. (For some reason I physically can't swallow apples; everytime I try to swallow, it comes right back, immediately; applesauce, too... no clue why...)

They're all young. My four biological kids are 6, 4, 4, and 3 (about to turn 7, 5, 5, and 4). My oldest (7, about to turn 8) is adopted and does not have reflux. (He was abused though, so he tends to eat in "survival mode" and scarf everything down in ten seconds, which leads to upset tummy and indigestion; he is working on that!) The reflux is the only issue they have at present; their weights are normal for their age, and they get plenty of exercise; they are very active. We are continually monitoring their reflux and their dosages are changed as needed.

Having said that, getting them into better habits now will insure they will not have to deal with the issues I am (at least, not due to poor eating habits).

My visit went well today. She said that since I've had some success with dietary changes bringing the BP down in the past, I should work on that. She did say the meds would probably be a life-long thing and that I needed to consider that carefully. This is nothing to mess around with, so when I see my PCP in a few weeks, my plan is basically going to be this: give me six months to make the necessary changes and see the impact those changes have. If they are not drastic enough, or if it is not working, then I will willingly go on the meds as they recommend. I may adjust that time frame according to what my doc says, but I think that is the best route to take. I'm already on Prevacid for life, I don't want to be on anything else if I can help it. (Then again, I won't spurn potentially life-saving medication just because I'm stubborn.)

So... the food plan is the next step. Should be an interesting journey given my picky palette.