Despite All My Efforts This Past Year....

[TinaT]

..... I found out through having my annual teeth cleaning/check up that I have dangerously high blood pressure. Went in Tues to the dentist and it was 180/101 and over the following 2 days, have found my BP to stay high, even in the early mornings.

We're talking 185/98 at 6am. yeah... so he started me on meds today and will do a follow up next week. I feel a bit defeated after having such a good year with losing weight/inches and eating better. Yes, my family has a history of HBP and that's one of the reasons I needed to get my health and fitness in order.

He has asked me to take a break from cardio workouts for a while. Normally it would be good for someone with HBP but not this high. No working out until Monday and then what I do needs to be light to moderate.

I guess part of my 4 weeks goals, will be to get my BP to a better number.

[desderata]

I'm sorry, that must be a terrible let down to have this after making so much progress. BUT - you still made progress. You still lost the weight and inches and are still eating better. I hope things look better on Monday and you can do some light exercise which will help your mood and then increase as you and your doctor get your BP under control. You are not defeated - just a setback. You will find a way to work through this.

[Karen Beckwith]

Use it as an excuse to do some things that you always thought were too easy! I do hope you get the HPB down to a lower number soon.

[Cybersparkle]

Hang in there!
I think you made great gains and just need to tweak a little.

There are so many benefits (emotional mood lift and sense of accomplishment) besides physical. Honestly, I would lose my mind if I couldn't work out!

I have learned to be flexible and open to discovering new methods dealing with long term health issues.
A few years back, relapse & change in meds led me to do barre and callenetics because I couldn't do cardio. I was able to keep tone & strength til I could do more breathless cardio.
Of course, do check with your doctor. I would show him/her a sample of the exercises on your phone to make sure they would be ok.
I don't know if yoga or tai chi would suffice either or slow walking maybe?

I also found online groups that specifically addressed my disorder. Like a High Blood Pressure discussion board on the national site or something similar. Or a Facebook group. Others may have dealt with the same thing.

Best of luck!

[TinaT]

Thanks ladies. I'm glad we found it out. It explains a lot. It's contributed to why I'm so tired, anxious, and headaches. My Doc put me on Melatonin for better sleep. I've been putting it all on menopause, never thinking it could be my BP. I slept better than I have in the last 1.5 years.

ETA: I know stress has been a major factor with my daughter's wedding in 5 weeks. Plus my mom's health. She had an MRI on Wed and the results are showing Alzheimer. She lives with us so it's a 24/7 season of life for me. I need to create better coping skills. I thought I was handling all so this so well, but I guess my body says different.

[ebianco]

Hey Tina you're still doing great! Don't let this deflate your motivation.

I had high blood pressure at the doctors office, not as high, but not ideal at 150/80 and they were pushing me to take blood pressure medicine. I didn't want to and so the doctor told me to get a blood pressure machine for home, so I invested in an Omron on Amazon, in the $60 range. My heart rate is DEFINTIELY lower at home, about 120/60 consistently. I guess I don't like being at the doctor

So definitely take your doctor's recommendations, but you might consider monitoring at home to see if your BP is lower than at the office, and to monitor trends. I also hope the medicine works for you. Best of luck!!!

[Vintage VFer]

Thankfully, the BP issue was found in time to take measures to control it.

A lot of us have learned that working out is great for health, but one will still have issues arise. Look at Tony Horton, who has worked out like crazy, imbibed gallons of Shakeology and still got a severe form of shingles. He attributed the illness to stress.

Stress is everywhere. Maybe look into your lifestyle and find ways to lower stress. Meditation is good. It doesn't have to be an hour a day. Just a few moments of centering and deep breathing. Here is a thread with links to free meditations. (Some of the links are out of date.):

http://forum.videofitness.com/showthread.php?t=193291


There is also a free app called Insight Timer that has all kinds of meditations and inspirational talks.


One of my favorite inspirational talks is "Share Your Gifts" by Ana Barreto:

https://ana-barreto.com/downloads/

[bee]

Oh bummer, but yes, great that it was caught (they take your blood pressure at the dentist? Not mine -- interesting) and as someone else said, try to focus on all of the positives you've done for yourself over the last year.

Another great free meditation app is Oak. It's customizeable (male/female voice, length, subtle background noise). It also has some breathing exercises. There's one other main menu option but right now I can't remember what it is.

[TinaT]

I do have the Omron BP machine. That's how we figured out it wasn't just "white coat" stress from being in the docs office.

It is becoming common practice for dentists to take BP. They have found that infections of the mouth can effect a persons heart and do damage. BP can be an indicator.

I take time to pray and do my devotional readings in the mornings, but need to be more consistent with it.

Thanks for all the recommendations!

[Rhonda]

Originally Posted by bee

Oh bummer, but yes, great that it was caught (they take your blood pressure at the dentist? Not mine -- interesting) and as someone else said, try to focus on all of the positives you've done for yourself over the last year.

Another great free meditation app is Oak. It's customizeable (male/female voice, length, subtle background noise). It also has some breathing exercises. There's one other main menu option but right now I can't remember what it is.

My dentist has also started taking blood pressure.

Tina- so glad it was caught, you have done great this past year. Hope the meds help and you can get back on track.