13th October 2007
When I was 19, I got diagnosed with hypertension. At that point, I was about 208 pounds, and my BP was about 145/85 at the doctors, creeping up to 150/85. My doctor told me to lose weight at that point. I didn't. And I was with a girlfriend who wasn't into being very active either, but convinced me to take medicine for it. Because of this, I let my weight get up to 250-260. At this point, it was high (the BP).
First of all, I have never really had diastolic hypertension. My hypertension has ALWAYS been systolic, even before meds. 150/80, 160/80, perhaps a bit higher at the doctors. Just as a side note.
Well, that was two years ago since I was at the 260 pounds at age 22. Now, I'm 24, and I've lost almost all of it. I'm back down to 195. I've been pulled off one of the medicines I'm on (Calcium Channel Blocker), leaving the Angiotensin II Receptive Blocker (Avapro) as the only one left. Pulling me off the CCB showed no change in my BP, its still just as the following:
1) When I wake up, its 115/75, perhaps lower. Sometimes, its 125/82. Never higher.
2) When I sit down for a period of 3 minutes or more, in my own home, its less than 130/80.
3) When I'm up and walking around, and then if I take it (like perhaps at the doctors), its sometimes, AT MOST, 140/90. I have not had a blood pressure reading over 140/90 in about 6 months, minus an anxiety attack I had about 4 months ago which left it at 180/90, but that was food poisoning combined with an anxiety attack (which came out of no where and was for a specific reason, I don't get those often at all).
I just don't understand if I still have the high blood pressure "badly" or not. Like I said, I wake up normal. I can lay in bed and be normal. I work out 7 days a week at this point (lots of running). There are three reasons why I'm worried:
1) Every time I go to the doctor, its a bit higher. Sometimes 150/90.
2) If I take it after walking around (for instance, if I go downstairs to get the mail and come back up, and have my friend who is a nurse immediately take it, it'll be around 140/90, or 138/88. Of course, this is just after I walked up two flights of stairs and my heart is beating faster, but... they claim this shouldn't raise it that high.
3) I have an ECG (and have had an ECG) which shows higher voltage and borderline LVH. For those "technical people", the highest V1 and the highest V5 QRS total around 30-35mm, and they say "> 35mm is indicative of LVH". I work out a lot, though, and they say that athletes can have higher voltages, and also, I had a test dont last December (9 months ago, echocardiogram) which showed no thickening of the heart walls at all - but I wonder what could change in 9 months?
So that's where I stand. I'm trying to decide if I should keep letting my doctor take me off the medicine (I've got one left!). I'm wondering if my 140/90 spikes while walking around are dangerous, or if I should stay on this medicine until I lose a bit more weight first.
Any suggestions would be great!
First of all, I have never really had diastolic hypertension. My hypertension has ALWAYS been systolic, even before meds. 150/80, 160/80, perhaps a bit higher at the doctors. Just as a side note.
Well, that was two years ago since I was at the 260 pounds at age 22. Now, I'm 24, and I've lost almost all of it. I'm back down to 195. I've been pulled off one of the medicines I'm on (Calcium Channel Blocker), leaving the Angiotensin II Receptive Blocker (Avapro) as the only one left. Pulling me off the CCB showed no change in my BP, its still just as the following:
1) When I wake up, its 115/75, perhaps lower. Sometimes, its 125/82. Never higher.
2) When I sit down for a period of 3 minutes or more, in my own home, its less than 130/80.
3) When I'm up and walking around, and then if I take it (like perhaps at the doctors), its sometimes, AT MOST, 140/90. I have not had a blood pressure reading over 140/90 in about 6 months, minus an anxiety attack I had about 4 months ago which left it at 180/90, but that was food poisoning combined with an anxiety attack (which came out of no where and was for a specific reason, I don't get those often at all).
I just don't understand if I still have the high blood pressure "badly" or not. Like I said, I wake up normal. I can lay in bed and be normal. I work out 7 days a week at this point (lots of running). There are three reasons why I'm worried:
1) Every time I go to the doctor, its a bit higher. Sometimes 150/90.
2) If I take it after walking around (for instance, if I go downstairs to get the mail and come back up, and have my friend who is a nurse immediately take it, it'll be around 140/90, or 138/88. Of course, this is just after I walked up two flights of stairs and my heart is beating faster, but... they claim this shouldn't raise it that high.
3) I have an ECG (and have had an ECG) which shows higher voltage and borderline LVH. For those "technical people", the highest V1 and the highest V5 QRS total around 30-35mm, and they say "> 35mm is indicative of LVH". I work out a lot, though, and they say that athletes can have higher voltages, and also, I had a test dont last December (9 months ago, echocardiogram) which showed no thickening of the heart walls at all - but I wonder what could change in 9 months?
So that's where I stand. I'm trying to decide if I should keep letting my doctor take me off the medicine (I've got one left!). I'm wondering if my 140/90 spikes while walking around are dangerous, or if I should stay on this medicine until I lose a bit more weight first.
Any suggestions would be great!