Forums: April 2011 Kickstart Forum: good news blood pressure
Created on: 05/20/11 01:18 PM Views: 2262 Replies: 12
marge Joined: 09/08/10 Location: Seattle Posts: 211	good news blood pressure Posted Friday, May 20, 2011 at 1:18 PM wow for the first time in 5 months I had a normal bp reading 126/84. (unfortunately it's with meds) I'm still going to try my hardest to get off the meds. I was just so relieved!
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Susan Levin Joined: 12/26/09 Posts: 1189	RE: good news blood pressure Posted Friday, May 20, 2011 at 1:45 PM Excellent! Susan Levin, MS, RD PCRM Director of Nutrition Education
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catbear Joined: 01/04/11 Posts: 76	RE: good news blood pressure Posted Friday, May 20, 2011 at 1:59 PM That's great! Being vegan has kept mine under control without meds!!!
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Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2068	RE: good news blood pressure Posted Friday, May 20, 2011 at 3:38 PM That's great! Was that at the doctor's office or at home? Hubby always registers higher at the doctor's office so he checks weekly (generally speaking) and at home it's usually really good (he's wanting to get off meds too). Prior to vegetarian and then vegan, it was high at home as well but it's been improvign steadily over the last few years as the pounds come off, his apnea is treated (C-PAP), and there's less fat and salt in what he's eating. --Deb R
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marge Joined: 09/08/10 Location: Seattle Posts: 211	RE: good news blood pressure Posted Friday, May 20, 2011 at 3:39 PM it was at the dr's office
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Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2068	RE: good news blood pressure Posted Friday, May 20, 2011 at 3:45 PM marge wrote: it was at the dr's office You might consider getting a home monitor (if you don't already have one) so you can check on a regular basis instead of having to wait for dr's appointments to see how you're doing. 126/84 seems not quite in the "normal" range - 120/80 is the "typical" number that is used for "healthy" and 115/70 is considered better these days. But, if it's been way higher than that until now, that's really Good! --Deb R
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marge Joined: 09/08/10 Location: Seattle Posts: 211	RE: good news blood pressure Posted Friday, May 20, 2011 at 3:45 PM catbear wrote: That's great! Being vegan has kept mine under control without meds!!! catbear I'm happy for you, but I was a vegetarian with really get bp, became a vegan in 3/2010, bp even better, then mysteriously in October, my bp when sky high.Since then I've spent a $$$ working with my dr.s, adjusting, meds, getting barrages of tests to rule out possible causes. I'm a petite women who's hwp and an avid cyclist.
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marge Joined: 09/08/10 Location: Seattle Posts: 211	RE: good news blood pressure Posted Friday, May 20, 2011 at 3:54 PM Deb I have a home monitor. My bp was so ludcriously high, that my dr. thought I might have a blockage in my renal artery. She ruled that out. I know the numbers aren't stellar but I'm very happy that they're even close to normal. Apparently it's not uncommon for menopausal women to develop high bp.If you're already small and active it can be hard to treat. Oddly enough sometimes it goes away on it's own.
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marge Joined: 09/08/10 Location: Seattle Posts: 211	RE: good news blood pressure Posted Friday, May 20, 2011 at 3:55 PM Susan Levin wrote: Excellent! thanks Susan, I've been scared to death these past months.
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Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2068	RE: good news blood pressure Posted Friday, May 20, 2011 at 4:01 PM marge wrote: I know the numbers aren't stellar but I'm very happy that they're even close to normal. Closer to normal is GREAT! Quote: Apparently it's not uncommon for menopausal women to develop high bp.If you're already small and active it can be hard to treat. Oddly enough sometimes it goes away on it's own. Might want to check out the DASH information for tips on what things can help lower BP - potassium balance is a biggie, for example (like 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 potassium to sodium ratio). Even if you've cut sodium way back, often the potassium level isn't adjusted. One thing we've found helpful is potassium based baking powder rather than the usual sodium based kind. There are a couple brands that I've seen over the last couple of years so it may be getting more common. Little bits like that, the things you don't so much think about - the way the salt shaker on the table is pretty in-your-face but the other little bits and pieces aren't as visible. Keep on truckin' --Deb R
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marge Joined: 09/08/10 Location: Seattle Posts: 211	RE: good news blood pressure Posted Friday, May 20, 2011 at 4:10 PM yeah that's why I was asking you why they were so big on low fat dairy. I have totally upped my potassium. I have really stopped eating out. It's crazy how much sodium in in American food.
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Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2068	RE: good news blood pressure Posted Friday, May 20, 2011 at 4:19 PM marge wrote: yeah that's why I was asking you why they were so big on low fat dairy. I have totally upped my potassium. I have really stopped eating out. It's crazy how much sodium in in American food. Yeah, totally crazy! I grew up on low sodium cuz my mom is a long-time heart patient so I'd have a really hard time going out to most places because things were so heavily salted. Hubby's family had tons of salt so he was used to it. But, over time, since he's the head cook at our house, he learned to cut the salt so I could eat what he cooked. Then he realized that when he ate "like normal" either at restaurants or his folks' house that it tasted really salty and made him uncomfortable (chapped lips, headache possibly, seriously thirsty, etc). We do eat out on special occasions but tend to load up on fresh or steamed veggies and go easy on any "seasoned" items. Many places we go to regularly (that is, if we're going out for some reason, the places we patronize) are the ones that are able and willing to make "naked" food and leave off the seasonings. Another thing that helps in some restaurants is to order "kid menu" items if possible (often the servers will let you order it even if you're obviously older than 12, as long as there's other stuff on the order, so we order an app or dessert or something too) - kid menu foods are often very lightly seasoned (including low salt). I'll even tell the server that I need little or no salt in my meal, and ask for their suggestions as to what options are or can be prepared low sodium style. If they've got the ingredients, I'll just order things the way I want them and they make it that way or we just don't go back there (and I just get a small tossed salad with vinegar dressing that day - they usually bring the little shakers of vinegar and oil, I just use the oil). 'Oh okay, so nothing can be made low sodium. Guess I'll just have the small tossed salad with red wine vinegar please' They get the message in a hurry. --Deb R
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kiwi Joined: 01/03/11 Location: New Zealand Posts: 405	RE: good news blood pressure Posted Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 5:19 AM Re chapped lips from salt. I used to love potato chips prior to the kickstart programme. On occasion I craved salty foods - and when I started to eat them I could not stop until the packet was gone. Now things are different. I tried some potato chips after the last kickstart and just couldnt eat them. Too much salt and those alful chapped lips. I got to thinking that as salt is used to cure and pickle some meats such as ham, maybe my lips were being 'cured' or pickled while I was still alive. Kind of puts me off even more. Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food - Hippocrates.
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