High Blood Pressure

Dan The Man

Da Big Guy
Staff member
One of the many side effects of being obese is all the health complications that come with it. I feel I've been very lucky so far. The only negative effects I've had (so far) have been joint/back issues, a leg ulcer, DVT, and high blood pressure. That luck doesn't last forever which is why I'm so focused on dropping the weight lately.

High blood pressure has been the hardest to rein in. I've been waiting to get dental surgery for 3 months now because the surgeon says he won't touch me if my BP is high and I've had to cancel a few appointments because my reading was high after taking my morning meds.

Currently, I'm on BP meds 3 times daily. They keep it in check enough where it's not overly high to worry about a heart attack or stroke but I still run consistently high (140-160 over 110-130). It's not ideal but much better than it was. My doctor is hesitant to give me a higher dose because on days where I'm doing well (smoking less, walking, etc) my BP may go to low.

I'm currently using Blood Pressure Log for Android to keep track of my BP. I bought the Pro version for $1.99 which exports the data to Dropbox and generates nifty charts along with all my inputted data to show my doctor.

The two factors that I've seen effect my BP positively is the amount I smoke and walking. On days I walk my blood pressure is a good 10 points lower. On days I smoke less my BP is obviously lower because smoking constricts your blood vessels making it harder to pump blood through them and thus raises your blood pressure.

Kicking the smoking habit is my biggest thing to overcome that will get my blood pressure in a better range for sure. That's easier said than done.

Walking - while I love to get out and exercise sometimes my body doesn't cooperate. I'm to sore to go put in a mile or two and walking really isn't feasible in the winter.

How's your blood pressure? Do you monitor it at home? If so, what correlations have you drawn between activities and your BP?
 
I have high cholesterol and I take fenofibrate for it on a daily basis. My dad has high blood pressure though and has to take a med for it on a daily basis. When, I'm in a lot of pain and I have to take a trip to the er for something, my blood pressure is always high. The nurses and drs are always looking for a solution on why it's high, so I simply tell them that if the pain doesn't get taken care of soon, then my blood pressure won't become normal again. I haven't done much walking lately except for a mile walk to my corner store on Monday.
 
I have high cholesterol and I take fenofibrate for it on a daily basis. My dad has high blood pressure though and has to take a med for it on a daily basis. When, I'm in a lot of pain and I have to take a trip to the er for something, my blood pressure is always high. The nurses and drs are always looking for a solution on why it's high, so I simply tell them that if the pain doesn't get taken care of soon, then my blood pressure won't become normal again. I haven't done much walking lately except for a mile walk to my corner store on Monday.
I'm lucky my cholesterol is usually normal or a little above normal but not enough to take meds for it. My BP is always high when I first go in the docs office usually if they take it a second time it's a little lower but not in the normal range. They're still playing around trying to find the right combo of BP meds.:rolleyes:
 
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