May 6, 2006

I have given a vareity of reasons why I need to run again.

• I'm overweight
• I'm out of shape and
• I'm going to lifeguard this summer

After going to the doctor today for my physical I found another reason to add to the list. I have high blood pressure. People around my age have an average blood pressure of 120/80. Want to guess what mine is? It is about 150/100. Not only does that mean that I have another unhealthy aspect in my life, it also means that I am not able to become a certified bus driver. To be a bus driver in Illinois, the maximum your blood pressure can be is 160/90. As you can see, I am close to the cut off point.

I have asked myself what I have done to get this high blood pressure. It should not be that hard to figure out. In college I ate unhealthy food, I rarely exercised, this past year my stress level has sky rocketed, etc. But to dwell on those is not going to help. What can I do to get my blood pressure down?

First of all, I need to start running daily. This will not be hard. After all, it is already my plan. Second, I need to watch what I eat. For lunch I made myself a nice salad with broccoli, green peppers, and red onions. It was delicious! Third, I need to take it easy. Yes, college is over and that should be a major help. Becoming stressed is not going to help at all.

The doctor said that I need to be rechecked the next time I come in. So, while I know nothing will make my blood pressure drop to 150/90 in the next two days, I know that I need to start changing my lifestyles now. The doctor told me that it is possible I was nervous, that my cold may have affected it, and that I just was not being relaxed in the examination room. Regardless, it is time to get running and start eating healthy 24/7.

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The American Heart Association web site has some great info on getting blood pressure down and what it means:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2114

I've lost 30+ pounds, really watched (and tracked) my sodium intake, was exercising regularly and my blood pressure has dropped from 140/92 to 120/70.

It takes diligence and work, and sometimes some medication to help, but is very worth it. When do you see her again? My doc gave me 6 months to get it down on my own then put me on a low dose med for a while to get it down while I continued to do the above things because he said he couldn't in good conscious let me walk around with blood pressure that high without any intervention.

pamela

Hey Pete,

Sodium is a factor in blood pressure and is commonly found in abundance in pre-packaged convienience foods, yellow cheeses, canned vegetables and soups. If you would like to monitor your own blood pressure it is really easy. you can buy a cuff and stethoscope at any drugstore. If you aren't real keen on manual cuffs etc. a digital one can be obtained for slightly more but it is more prone to error. don't get into the trap of monitoring more frequently than three times daily. It will just stress you out and run your pressure higher. If you are really worried about your pressure you can schedule a stress test for BP. They will take a resting pressure and then a post excercise pressure. While the systolic pressure will go up some the diastolic should remain the same or go down. Definitely keep watch on your pressure, you don't want to be on dialysis, or worse have a stroke or heart attack.

Dude,

You should get a second opinion, sometimes high BP in young people can be caused by Renal Artery Stenosis, At your age be sure to at least ask your doctor about that specifically. Also, be sure when your BP is measured you have been sitting quietly for at least 20 minutes. That way uou know the result is accurate. Good luck!