I’ve been on top of BP for some time. It took some work (”givin’ up the booze and the one night stands”) but at my last checkup it was 116/61. Not bad for an old fart.
Excellent!
I’ve had high BP since high school, genetics suck. I went many years with perfect weight, no salt, no smoker, no drinker ever, exercise etc... still the BP was always high. My doctor through my 20’s wanted BP in 130/85-90 range and he was a $ hound wanting test after test after test. Told me he would do whatever he wanted to me as my dr. I told him really, that’s hard to do when you are fired.
Next dr wanted BP down and changed my meds and got me for a good solid 20 year run of readings in the 120/74 range. I took Lisinopril and half a fluid pill in that time frame with the only side effects being a dry cough for a few minutes when I went to bed each night and more trips to the bathroom. I had very little feet and leg swelling.
I hit my late 50’s and last February I woke up from a dead sleep in a cold sweat and didn’t feel right about 2:45am. Felt like very mild indigestion, no pain, just annoyance. I went to the bathroom and then sat in the rocker in my bedroom for 15 mins and then saw a pulse ox on the nightstand and clipped it on my finger and I was popping at 179 beats a minute sitting still so I went to the ER and they got the pulse slowed to the 70’s.
After multiple tests, and cath, no blockages but they found my heart was damaged from apparently racing off and on for years. I never could tell it, thought it was acid reflux which I do have. I had no other symptoms, shortness of breath ect... From the heart event which they won’t call a heart attack (afib flutter and congestive heart failure) to the cath, about a 4 week period my heart repaired itself significantly they found during the cath. But they changed my BP meds to a smaller dose of Lisinopril and a higher dosage of fluid pill and the BP’s staying the same but added a heart medication and blood thinner. Since then I have noted swelling in my legs more which has me puzzled considering the increase in the fluid pill dosage and MANY more trips to the potty and the blood thinner makes it easy to bruise. But the meds appear to be working as I have had no further issues with the heart since.