High blood pressure - what’s it mean

Yep it’s high, didnt they explain it all to you?

It’s probably a 24 hour monitor, but as you are tablets already they probably won’t find any surprises.

I started on tablets last week after they called me back after I’d had an doctors app - turned out it was with a healthcare worker not a doctor and I got a call on my way home to say I needed more blood tests and a prescription
What’s an extra 4 miles

Hopefully the medication will bring it down as it is high. I’m amazed your practitioner didn’t explain what it means with advise on what you should be doing such as diet changes etc. Maybe they are waiting till your monitor results are in.

My son (39) had a 24 hour BP monitor fitted only just this morning after suffering a few funny “episodes” recently . His lower reading is very high .

Was this the top number or the bottom one Pumpkinpie ?

It's certainly very high, but the pills should make a difference. You'll need more than one reading, of course, to see what your average readings are now. For example, lots of people have a very high reading when they have their pressure taken in a surgery or a hospital. This can be attributed to White Coat Syndrome....not always an actual fear of things medical, but sometimes just us getting into a state because we are facing things which unsettle us! Later readings from a machine at home, or in a clinic setting will hopefully show a marked difference. But you will probably need regular monitoring now, by your GP. Don't risk your health by making excuses to avoid appointments and do ask loads of questions - it would be a shame to worry unnecessarily and risk feeling worse. Good luck with the new treatment!

I always have a high reading due to White Coat syndrome, but with a monitor it’s just a bit on the high side, when I had to go for a Colonoscopy last year it was 195 (over something also high,that I don’t remember) I had to wait for over an hour for it to come down before they would do anything.

I have had consistently high blood pressure for years, despite a lot of medication.
I've recently bought a new monitor to replace my old one, as the old one was worn out, just like me!

Here is the link to BP UK
www.bloodpressureuk.org/BloodPressureandyou/Thebasics/Bloodpressurechart?gclid=Cj0KCQjw0pfzBRCOARIsANi0g0tGlrO_LScqZ2sbt3mfgezONe4Hc9alZI0KdJs_0Oneq2xi-JEB8a0aAuUWEALw_wcB

Lots of tips on how to get it down.

It's the lower number which is the most important. You must take your pills, and t r y losing some weight if you need to and exercise.

The ideal BP is 120/80, but can vary throughout the day dependent on how active you are. The bottom reading is the important one which gives an indication if the heart is labouring during circulation through the arteries and if the reading is high and remains that way then medication, usually after an ECG, is given to help the arteries to deal with the high blood-pressure.

gillybob Do hope that this is just a "blip" or the result of a stressful time. We worry about ourselves, we worry about our children, we worry about our parents, it's a wonder that we're not all in the funny farm! Hope you're making some time for yourself and really believing that your problems are going to resolve very very very soon. Extra special good luck with it all and hope your Son is fine and that Mr Gb is feeling a bit better. [coffee]

My doctor said that half the population over 50 is prescribed blood pressure pills. (then he muttered "whether they take them or not is another matter")

I have been taking them for years. Lost weight, gave up smoking, still taking the tablets.

Thank you for your kind comments GrandmaFrench . My son was rushed to hospital a few weeks ago when a member of the public thought he was having a heart attack and dialled 999 . He tried to explain that he was having a panic attack but paramedics said his BP etc was a cause for concern . There is a history of heart attack and stroke on his ( natural) fathers side so I’m glad it was taken seriously .

Yes you’re right . We all have so much to worry about these days , more than ever it seems . Oh the joys of being part of the “Sandwich generation”

The really important reading is the second one eg: 170/ 90
Although 120/80 OK if the second reading is over 100 it is fairly serious.

There are a wide variety of treatments depending on your age and condition, many older people take BP tablets, some not so old, just take what your doctor prescribes a s exercise as much as you can, however gently.

Ir is a good idea to take your own BP readings - remember not for a couple of hours after a meal. I have been on tablets for many years, unfortunately the first ones given by GP caused me to have a very debilitating cough. Once these were changed things were better. When I went for my first eye cataract operation, my readings were frightening high! Fortunately the senior nurse monitoring me just let me rest for a good time and did not prevent the operation. But I did go back to the GP and since then have been on a combination of two different BP meds and this seems to have worked well.
It is always called the 'hidden' illness, as people can have high bp for a long time without any other symptons and only find out when they suffer serious illness (stroke, etc,). BP Meds are pretty good these days although it can take some time to find out the right ones for an individual.
Low BP readings can often cause more serious problems for the patient than high ones.

As a matter of interest I've just taken mine since before Christmas and it was 126/78, that'll do me. I take 5mg Bisoprolol for AF but no BP tablets as such.