Managing high blood pressure

Welcome @revvirr.
Great questions. There are quite a few Connect members who could weigh in on this. Let me introduce you to a few. Please meet @teatime @lynnkay1956 @cindi819 @gonefishinmt @kathyjohnson who are all dealing with high blood pressure and hypertension.

You may also want to see these discussions:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/my-doctor-place-me-on-metropropyl-for-high-blood-pressure-along-with/
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/i-have-read-online-that-drinking-beet-juice-can-lower-your-blood/
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hi-everyone-i-am-glad-to-be-a-part-of-this-community/

Revvirr, what explanation did your doctor give for the sudden rise in blood pressure?

Apart from my Dr’s explanation of the basic working of the heart…he really didn’t give me an explanation (i.e. the “why" it was happening) at least an explanation that satisfied me. As a result, I have assumed that it is a normal part of my age group and something I simply have to learn to live with. Thank you for these threads I will certainly follow through with them.

Hi @revvirr
I am 45 and quite active and I have always tried to eat healthily. My BP has gone up slowly in the past few years and I recently had an unpleasant reaction to taking a beta blocker for hypertension after a few spikes in numbers recently (see my other post). Now that I am off the medication, my cardiologist has given me the green light to try to manage this with a sincere commitment to diet and lifestyle changes (as long as my numbers don't go up). My issue seems to be heredity, but I am sure stress does not help my situation (we happen to be a family living abroad for my husband´s work, and I have always been an "on the go" person, or as my father says, always in 5th gear). I don't really understand the "why" myself. I am also seeing a chiropractor, too. I figured the adjustments could help, and she is saying the tension in my jaw might add to my physical stress. As I can see, there is not one explanation, but I would like to try to get through the rest of my 40s naturally. I love the Mayo Clinic website for its practical and non-alarmist advice. The diet ideas are great. There are some good DASH diet blogs out there, too. If I find anything good I´ll update my post. Good luck

One of your points after another are familiar to me for similar reasons, teatime. My BP also has gone up in the last couple of years, after 25 years of treatment with a diverse arsenal of medications, among them a group of calcium channel blockers that eventually swelled my ankles and feet -- not painfully, but threatening in other ways. My issue IS heredity; I inherited a syndrome under which my kidneys fail to reclaim potassium, and hypokalemia was the crux of my problems for a couple of decades. Fortunately, my HMO bypasses cardiologists and sends hypertensive patients to its nephrologists. I was treated by a brilliant kidney doctor three years ago; she diagnosed my syndrome and prescribed a potassium-sparing diuretic, supported by Lisinopril, and that stabilized my BP -- until last year, when my Internist discovered that I have a-fib and referred me to a cardiologist who put me on Coumadin therapy to avoid clotting around my heart valves. Since then, diet and exercise regimens have not stopped my rising BP, and even though I'm on maximum doses of my two main medications, my common daily BP averages around 150/90. Next week, I have an appointment to renew relations with my nephrologist, hoping she can repeat the effective treatment of three years ago. My bet is that she will tell me to double my physical exercise -- and keep an eye on my potassium level and my heart rate.

Dealing with spiking blood pressure, cold hands when it's high, in good health with excercerise and nutrition. Taking lisiniprol... 20 mg. Not working when stressed. Argh! Any ideas on what to do?

Welcome @rastratman. We've got several members in the Heart Health group that know what it is like to live with high blood pressure and managing stress. Paging @teatime @predictable @contender1 @joem @beck @iluvkatz @murryone @vdouglas - do you have any thoughts to offer?

@rastratman, you may also be interested in reading these discussion threads where you'll meet others too.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hi-there-i-just-now-joined-your-group-and-after-reading-a/
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/after-a-quadruple-bypass/
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hi-everyone-i-am-glad-to-be-a-part-of-this-community/

@rastratman, my first and enduring advice is to get a thorough examination by a nephrologist. A good one will use an endocrinologist to check crucial hormones and a cardiologist to check whether your heart is misbehaving. Lisinopril 20mg daily is only half the maximum for this kidney-favoring medication. There are half-dozen other classes of medications that might help; your nephrologist will probably recommend one of them. Finally, get a copy of the hypertension book issued by Mayo Clinic, "5 Steps to Controlling High Blood Pressure." It does a good job of covering all of the major factors involved, except for a few genetic mutations of the kidney (one of which I have). My nephrologist discovered my mutation; she is my hero.

Hi @rastratman, I am still trying to manage my highish BP naturally. I haven't had the best week stress-wise (and my numbers crept up) so I haven't been posting so much. I am mostly controlling it with diet and exercise and a few stress release techniques (like breathing exercises). I am still determined to do this! There is so much information online about this topic, and my advice is to keep it as simple as possible. I like the non-alarmist tips from Mayo :http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/in-depth/high-blood-pressure/art-20046974

Great challenge, @teatime. Best wishes for success. I’m trying to follow your example, but I need something more, because my kidneys slough off potassium and don’t reclaim it, and I need a diuretic to relieve peripheral resistance to blood flow into my organ tissues. Now that I have contracted atrial fibrillation, my health care team is working to nail down 1) its cause and 2) its treatment. A third medication is likely, and the choice of which one will be difficult to figure out. Also at my advanced age (80), we are allowing BP to run a little higher, treating and medicating it down to 140/90. Health professionals, including some physicians, still regard that as too high.<br>

Looking for suggestions about how to use lifestyle changes to lower high blood pressure. I am now taking Atenolol and Lisinoprol (1/2 each one a day) and am in the 130-140 systolic range.