17th March 2005
Lenin,
I am 39. I didn't understand your comment about my diastolics. Can you expand on that? Right now my bp numbers are 147/89, 136/92 and 131/90. And I feel a little tightness on the right side of my neck.
Evelyn, I recently developed that dry cough, too. That was that bird flu thing I wrote about a week ago. I had had a really bad cough when they put me on Lotensin about three years ago, so they switched me to Diovan and it had been alright. I am not sure if it is because of the diovan or this mysterious winter illness I developed a short while ago.
The doctors have been increasing my diovan for the last three years and my bp does not go down either. In fact, it continues to go up. They started me on 80mg and now i am at 320mg and I still do not see any big impact. Now, if I go off the diovan, would my bp spiral upwards? We will see. But, it looks like I am on my way to adding more and more meds to control something that the docs can't diagnose. Which I hate. I have been cutting my sodium intake, cut back on most of my fat, exercise a lot, cut back on my stressful stuff at work, and my bp goes up? Talk about demoralizing. Really, I do need to lose weight. Maybe 10 or 15 pounds. This is the last thing I can think of that actually could make a difference. But I have been unable to lose weight the last couple of years. It has remained at around 160 to 170. This is why I dumped the hctz. I felt like it was not allowing me to lose weight, considering all the lifestyle changes i had made. Maybe it is the diovan!!! I am so desperate that I am considering fasting. My doctor said no. That it would increase my cholesterol, stress, blah, blah. But the only option he gives me is to continue on the meds and continue working on my diet and exercise--with pretty pitiful results.
I am going to the blood lab tomorrow to do my lipid panel and homocysteine. This thread will come to an end soon. I am actually looking forward to the lab tomorrow, even though I am terrified of needles.
I am 39. I didn't understand your comment about my diastolics. Can you expand on that? Right now my bp numbers are 147/89, 136/92 and 131/90. And I feel a little tightness on the right side of my neck.
Evelyn, I recently developed that dry cough, too. That was that bird flu thing I wrote about a week ago. I had had a really bad cough when they put me on Lotensin about three years ago, so they switched me to Diovan and it had been alright. I am not sure if it is because of the diovan or this mysterious winter illness I developed a short while ago.
The doctors have been increasing my diovan for the last three years and my bp does not go down either. In fact, it continues to go up. They started me on 80mg and now i am at 320mg and I still do not see any big impact. Now, if I go off the diovan, would my bp spiral upwards? We will see. But, it looks like I am on my way to adding more and more meds to control something that the docs can't diagnose. Which I hate. I have been cutting my sodium intake, cut back on most of my fat, exercise a lot, cut back on my stressful stuff at work, and my bp goes up? Talk about demoralizing. Really, I do need to lose weight. Maybe 10 or 15 pounds. This is the last thing I can think of that actually could make a difference. But I have been unable to lose weight the last couple of years. It has remained at around 160 to 170. This is why I dumped the hctz. I felt like it was not allowing me to lose weight, considering all the lifestyle changes i had made. Maybe it is the diovan!!! I am so desperate that I am considering fasting. My doctor said no. That it would increase my cholesterol, stress, blah, blah. But the only option he gives me is to continue on the meds and continue working on my diet and exercise--with pretty pitiful results.
I am going to the blood lab tomorrow to do my lipid panel and homocysteine. This thread will come to an end soon. I am actually looking forward to the lab tomorrow, even though I am terrified of needles.