Blood Pressure

[jeff9366]

yes im working on it all, salt-using much less now,

To reach stroke prevention goals you need to cease adding salt to food at the table. You need to eliminate salty snacks. You need to buy LOW SALT alternative ingredients and canned goods labeled LOW SALT, NO SALT OR HEART HEALTHY in the grocery store. Even with this, you will have plenty of salt in your diet, if not to your taste, initially.

Yellow rice is OUT. Pizza is OUT. Ham, Spam, sausage of all types and lunch meats are OUT. Most pickles are OUT. Almost all frozen entrees are OUT. Tough changes, but a matter of life and death.

Fortunately, smoked meats without salt are OK. My wife seasons with no salt smoked Turkey legs and wings, and no salt smoked ham hocks.

"Using much less salt" is a relative term. For most, perhaps all, high blood pressure patients using 'less' salt leaves them way, way OVER stroke-prevention dietary recommendations. Discuss with your doctor.

Ten years ago there were few no salt ingredients. Now, most categories have at least one no salt alternative.

 

[flusher]

Been on Lisinopril for 20 years. BP has always been on the high side.
When I owned my ranch (2004-2015), most of the work there was upper body exercise. Not much lower body work. Not much cardio.
Sold the ranch in Jan 2015, moved to the city. Started walking in the park- 3.5 miles every other day. BP is now 124/63. Will be 75 in Nov.
Need to lose 15 lb. Back to the salads, beans and seafood for a while.

Good luck

 

[kcflhrc]

10 years ago I had to go on Lisinopril for blood pressure.

Shortly after getting the prescription for a year I had to go from Wisconsin to Florida for a 10 month school. A few weeks later I got a cold and started to cough so I got cough drops/ That took care of my sore throat as long as I kept taking cough drops. That nagging sore throat continued for 10 months. I had to suck on them constantly to keep the pain and cough down.

As soon as the next yearly physical came I told the doc I must have asbestosis from my handling of asbestos 30 years ago. I had a chest ex ray and some other things to verify if I did or didn't.

Come to find out, Lisinopril, was noted for that side effect. Shortly after that I personally know 3-4 friends that had the same reaction to the drug.

I am sure it doesn't happen to everybody, but take note if a cough begins..

I had the same exact thing happen. Didn't start until I got a cold. Doc knew exactly what it was when I told him. He changed my medication to Amlodipine and all is good.

 

[turnkey4099]

Exercise, healthy diet and good health is no insurance against stroke. Last Saturday night I wound up in the ER with what looked like a stroke. 3 days later after many tests they could find nothing that needs attention.

I am 81, BP runs around 130 resting, get 4 hours of heavy exercise (cutting/splitting firewood) several times a week, etc.

Symptoms had disipated by the time I was in the ER and after all the tests they settled on 'it was a TIA" and gave me a prescription for a statin.

 

[TheMan419]

I am 46 and fighting high bp. On Lisinprol and some other med that I cannot remember for the life of me right now.

I am fighting salt as much as I can. I find that if I do indulge and have Pizza or something that the BP shoots up and it takes a day of being very good.

When I get exercise BP goes down. For me stress does a little to make it go up, but not as much as poor diet and lack of exercise. I also find doing something that keeps me in the moment rather than thinking about EVERYTHING does a good bit to help.

I am obsessive about checking my BP. I can go back about 3 months and tell you what it was at least 2x per day, if not 4 or 5 times per day.

It is something you will have to deal with for the rest of your life. However I have found the low fat and low salt diet agree with me. I have more energy and clarity of thought.

 

[/pine]

I had to go on BP meds (Metoprolol, Enalapril) early this year...
Worst side effects are lack of energy and Tinnitus...

 

[zzvyb6]

Well, if you have no self control, here are some options:

Have the stroke and get the benefit of a feeding tube as you will be bed ridden.
Get your pie hole tye-wrapped so you can only ingest small amounts of food at a time. Break a tooth off so you can get that McDonalds shake or Speedway Super Gulp onboard.
Get into a straight jacket to minimize your food intake capability.
Buy smaller plates and bowls. This is a mind game for all those "clean your plate" prisoners.
Go on a trip to North Korea and steal a flag or some other political momento. The 10-20 years of prison will do wonders for your waistline.
Tie yourself to a tree and invite the neighbors to serve you dog food and a pan aof water like a 'favorite' pet.
Get the Old Lady to help you by planning meals together that will probably help BOTH of you.

These suggestions will produce results, unlike the Food-a-holics meetings, ice cream socials, beer and wine tasting cheese events and other feel good distractions.

And NEVER shop for food wnen you are hungry.

Finally, take a look at pictures of your kids, are there enough of them to haul your fat azz to down the aisle to the hearse ? :thumbsup:

 

[MarkF48]

Watch the intake of diet soda. My BP is generally pretty good (120/65) and am taking Amlodipine, but if I have a couple glasses of diet soda the BP gets jacked up. I've taken to drinking a flavored seltzer water as an alternative.

 

[jeff9366]

I also take my blood pressure and pulse four times per day and record the numbers in an Excel spreadsheet.

If find this helps me focus on my weight and NOT eating between meals. Readings reveal what food ingredients make the blood pressure jump; i.e. SALT.

 

[JRobyn]

I am trying SO hard to get over myself at the annoyance that up until a couple of years ago, I could eat all the salty stuff and added salt I wanted and never have systolic BP much over 120 or 130. Then I had a bout of sepsis that shut down my kidneys totally (and liver, and everything else). Spent 10 days in intensive care with the docs telling my wife that it was unlikely that I'd make it. And then got to experience dialysis for several months.

So the nephrologist now says "NO SALT". I cheat, and it goes up to 150/160 even with Lopressor. So now they've ALSO added Metoprol. Old, lifelong habits die hard, but I keep telling myself that it's better than ME dying hard!