Uncontrolled hypertension

Talking about avoiding salt because of high BP, I’ve followed a low salt diet most of my adult life, only to be told recently to increase it because my blood tests showed low sodium!

Sorry, Sally, I didn't intend my last line to aound so abrupt!

Thanks for coming back, Sally. Let us know how you get on.
I'm off for my park walk with my sisters soon! ??‍♂️?

Easier said than done but try not to worry. I've been on BP meds for nearly 30 years. When I first went on them, my BP was 208/110. As you can imagine, I panicked. My GP was unconcerned. She gave me a week off work to rest. Rest? I was terrified. I said to her 'I could have a stroke'. She said 'Yes you could but it won't be due to your BP'.
A couple of years ago it was véry high again due to terrible anxiety. A different GP told me to go home and forget about it as it was high due to stress.
Just to add, two members of my family have had strokes, one a very severe one. They have never had high BP.

Thanks everyone. As for the diet advice I have not had much salt for years and do try to follow a healthy diet. I have now banned cake and biscuits from the house! I am speaking to my GP on the phone soon. I think in my case it is from damage to the kidneys from a condition I was born with. Probably too much information to explain, but it made growing up difficult, with lots of bullying (incontinence). This was eventually fixed by an operation, but I think my HBP is secondary to that. But who knows! X

I have had hypertension for thirty years, despite being on an array of drugs.
Comorbidities and genetic factors play a part.
Having low chlorestoral, clear arteries, not smoking, no alcohol and a healthy diet have had little effect on lowering my BP.
An angiogram a few years ago showed damage to the micro blood vessels and high pressure withing my heart, there is little to be done. I also have cataracts, caused by the high BP.
For some of us, that is how it is,

However, I will keeping doing what I do. My cardiologist said to me the other day, It is so unfair, when you are doing all the right things to stay well! He is right, but no point getting mad about it.

Sallywally, I think you know what you must do to get it down. Good luck!

You may need different medication if your current ones are not effective. There's lots to choose from. Get your own monitor if you don't already have one. You could try walking in a regular basis if you want some extra exercise.

I was on three HBP meds but struggled to keep it under control and had annual medication reviews with my GP to tweak things. I then had a TIA ( mini stroke) in September which has left me with some loss of vision, I was so lucky that the optician spotted the vision loss as I had no idea that I’d had the TIA. I am now also taking an anti coagulant and statins and one of my BP meds has been increased in strength - my BP is currently below average! Hopefully it will stay that way! I have no idea which drug has had the magic effect but I suspect it was a combination of them. It is worth asking your GP to look at your meds and change one or more of them for a different type.

Hello, Sally, I understand that you are scared, it is very worrying when your blood pressure is difficult to control. Like you, my dear Dad, also a smoker, died of a stroke at 63. I hope you get to see your GP soon and get your BP under control.

I was diagnosed with HBP recently, a routine check with the practice nurse found it was 220 over 120, and I've been on a few different tablets since then.
Blossoming, your BP was incredibly high, I'm so glad to hear that it is more manageable now.
I'm now on 10 Amlodipine and 2.5 Indapamide. I was starting to feel a bit better after weeks of dizziness and waking early with palpitations and 'flashing lights', but it happened again this morning so I'm a bit concerned.

I'm fortunate to have had a few face to face appointments with my GP over Christmas and New Year, and I see the practice nurse again on Monday. I just miss feeling normal. I walk most days with my sisters, and eat lots of vegetables, but I need to lose the lockdown stone!

Sally, I hope you get a good treatment plan and feel better soon. Take good care of yourself. ???

It may well be very different for you but I need to take a high dosage of steroids for an ongoing health issue, probably for several years.

The steroids could cause high blood pressure but with lots of advice from my consultant I have it completely under control (at about 110) by eating virtually no salt, including hidden salt in bread etc, exercising daily and walking a lot as well as swimming from time to time. I also don't drink any alcohol and really limit my sugar intake. People say it must be miserable but I'm used to it and the alternative is far worse.

I hope you find a workable solution Sally.

I started taking dandelion drops to reduce water retention. Soon l found l was very weak and felt awful. My blood pressure had dropped significantly and is usually normal. Thus l realised that dandelion drops since they act as a diuretic can reduce blood pressure
Worth a try...but not medical advice.

My undiagnosed malignant hypertension came very close to killing me SallyWally1 and it has damaged my vision. I eventually ended up on a mix of 6 meds, not all on the highest dose and taken at different times of day. It’s the combination that matters and different mixes work for different people. Some people are on more meds than me.

My blood pressure can never be controlled without drugs, it’s a hereditary condition and it sounds like yours may be too. There are things you can do to help, such as reducing salt and saturated fats, caffeine and sugar. Eat a healthy balanced diet with lots of veg, oily fish, porridge and so on. Get enough exercise. These things will probably not be enough on their own, so do push for more appointments until it settles at a safe level. It took almost a year to get mine right, it now hovers around 120/70 after reaching a height of 280/180 when I collapsed on the verge of organ failure. You are in a better position as yours is now diagnosed, please don’t feel scared, there is treatment available.

The Blood Pressure UK website has a lot of excellent advice.

www.bloodpressureuk.org/

Hope your appointment goes well, please let us know how you’re doing.

Gosh, I hope no-one would even think of lecturing you - lots of people have high blood pressure.

My partner was, some years ago now, on a trio of medications to control his very high BP which did not 'do the trick' and the doctor changed all three.

It will depend on the cause(s) of your high BP which medications are prescribed - and they usually include a beta-blocker (your Atenolol). Your GP might not change that one, but possibly one or both of the others. People react differently to the same medication and it's not that unusual for such medications to be insufficiently effective, and there are others that might work better for you.

Your doctor might want to do a blood test to look at your blood-clotting 'numbers' - it's possible an anti-coagulant might help to keep the blood thin enough to prevent the likelihood of a stroke.

As for the weight - no criticism from me, I was once also over-weight. And on two BP meds. I had a blood-clot on the wall of my heart. I duly lost the weight, all of it, and now my blood pressure has returned to normal and my doctor has taken me off the drugs completely. I'm not saying this will be the same for you, sometimes blood pressure needs controlling for life and - as I said - it depends on the causes of your high BP, but losing the weight will most definitely really, really help to lower it. So, apart from the appointment, I'd start with that - like yesterday. You'll be giving yourself more than a fighting chance!

Good luck with your appointment, and please try not to worry Which of course is always easier said than done!

I’ve had highBP most of my adult life and it took a lot of trying to get the right combination. I’m on three different tablets too which seem to keep the numbers reasonable. Perhaps if you have been on the same medication for a long time they might less effective and need to try a different combination. Have you been seen by a consultant at all? The cocktail I take now was prescribed by a cardiologist.

I have found that eating more greens has helped. I ate greens before but not so dedicatedly! At least once a day and often twice, raw or cooked. I don't know for sure but I got the idea when one of the prescribed meds (which I no longer need) was described as a diuretic. Things like celery, cabbage and lettuce can apparently have a diuretic effect too. In my case they seemed t work better than pills.

Cut down on salt. That can affect blood pressure.

You've given up chocolate Sallywally. Well done. I too have Hypertension, not dangerously high, but high enough. I love butter, so am trying to cut down on that. I use just a slither now instead of lashings of it. I used to go for daily walks but lockdown and the weather has put paid to that. I will get back to that soon. I take Amlodipine 5mg daily Go easy on yourself.
Take care x