(by Peter) — My story is going to surprise some people, mainly because I refuse to join the chase for impossible figures which seems to become an obsession and take over people’s lives. I believe you can only go so far at which point accept that and get on with enjoying life. Four years ago when I was 60 my doctor recorded a reading of 230/120. My own reading at home was 187/117.
Using RESPeRATE and determination in six months I had it down to 152/92 – mild hypertension, yes MILD. Then, on my Doctor’s advice I went onto the usual medications. Having tried all the different drugs and finding I reacted badly each time I decided to stop them altogether in February this year. Do you know what? My blood pressure hasn’t budged an inch and I feel great. In other words the meds hardly made any difference at all. I’m still reading 152/92 and am quite happy with that.
One thing I must mention is my optician. At the beginning my doctor said I should see my optician so I did. It was very comforting when my optician examined and photographed the very tiny blood vessels in my eyes and said there was no evidence of damage caused by hypertension. It’s a yearly visit now and each time she checks things out again to see if there are any changes, there aren’t. On the last visit my eye test showed an improvement, not because my sight is improving but because, off medication, my concentration has improved.
So there we have it: do what you can but don’t get too wrapped up with impossible targets and do see your optician. Best Wishes. Peter
(15 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)
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It was not such a long time ago that for a 60 year old 152/90 would have been considered appropriately normal aged related HBP. Like you I think the key is not to make oneself unhappy or anxious about it. To a large extent, I use natural substances and exercise, use resperate to keep relaxed, have cut back on work and try not to be consumed by the figures. Thanks for your contribution.
Thanks very much for your comments Marie. I agree regular exercise is important. What natural substances work for you?
Couldn’t agree more!! I find it refreshing to hear comments from you, Marie, and Peter. Your stories seem to match mine. Thanks.
I am not different from your case in terms of age and medications. Instead of using Resperate (you may notice that Resperate helps lowering your BP for a couple of hours?/day), I am reling on excercise, change of my diet. From time to time, my BP fluctuates between low and moderate.
Couldn’t agree more. For me the changes have to become part of my life, like walking our two dogs briskly every morning without fail for 20 minutes. I enjoy it.
I observed essentially the same thing in that any BP reduction using Resperate is just temporary it seems. When I look at an average over time, there is no change with or without Resperate.
The main thing I noticed with Resperate was a reduction in my pulse, down to 56/7. That’s one of the things betablockers are for. I like the relaxing effect as well. Peter
I currently take 5mg of Felodipine daily but would like to eliminate BP medicine completely. When you all did that did you stop abruptly one day or did you wean yourself off the BP medicine by taking every other day or by some other method. I have started to exercise and have always been careful re sodium, etc. Current BP readings on medication about 150/70.
I started on Filodopine. It made me feel so ill. My wife suggested we go through the known side effects they publish on the data sheet enclosed with the prescription. Wow! I highlighted no less than 10. After trying the other usual meds ending in .. ipril and the diuretics, each producing their own problems, I stopped the lot, with the doctor’s reluctant agreement. I now send in monthly average readings to the doctor. I agree exercise and diet are very important.
Peter
He’s got a very valid point here–let’s not get too obsessed with the “numbers” so to speak. Sometimes mother nature is the best medicine of all.
I had a similar problem with BP spikes last year (228/125) and my doctor told me to get my eyes checked. So I did and no problems whatsoever. I made some lifestyle changes including Resperate, exercise, diet and slowly weaned off meds and now, 9 months later, 120/70 and no meds!!
Superb!Well done Scott.
Thanks Peter,
I have used meds for ten yrs now and I have lows and highs with the meds. Noticable highs when nervous(fear) but not when excited(joyous). Bp with meds 125-130 /68-75 so very medicated without meds 145-155/80-90.I will think about your very bright reasoning.
Johanna
You have to do what you’re comfortable with Johanna. I think your readings are brilliant!
So glad to hear that others have had that insanely high bp that makes the doctors get so smug. Mine was 190 over 110. They finally convinced me to take Rx, but I just didn’t like the side effects, so stopped taking it after three years. I really hate the way they’re so mean, and talk to me as if I were stupid. Those medical folks are extremely smug and self-righteous.
It’s your body Diana. If it screams at the medication it’s telling you something. Remember the doctors are forever moving the goalposts anyway.
I slowly took myself off all my bp medications and started using natural alternatives several months ago. My bp reading ranges from 207/112 to 144/77. I take a mixture of organic apple cider vinegar, baking soda and water twice a day. I also take whole food source minerals, especially magnesium. My bp keeps getting a little better each week so far. As soon as I can I plan to start an exercise regimen but haven’t yet.
I can relate to your experience with smug doctors. They love to use scare tactics which don’t work with me. I fired two doctors before I took matters into my own hands. Diet and exercise are the best treatments. I tried various diets with little or no success until I hit the jackpot with plant based nutrition.
As with many here I got less & less exercise. I work out of my house & only travel 35 ft to my office. This helped cause weight gain. Added to this I ate much more than I needed. When I went to my heart doctor he told me my blood pressure was between 280&290 over 140&150. He told me that my weight & lack of exercise was the cause. He told me that I would have to be on medication until I corrected those problems. His actual advice then & after I was in the hospital for an irregular heart beat has been the same. He told me 2 things. 1: lose weight, 2: watch my salt. I did not listen to him then or until my 5 day visit to the intensive care ward & a heart shock.
This time I listened to him. Since that trip 1 1/92 weeks before last Christmas I have lost between 100 & 110 lbs. I still have 50-60 lbs for me. This was done with with no special diet plan. To lose weight I ate much less, started a 30 min a day on an exercise bike that worked on up to 2 hrs a day everyday. The second part, watch your salt required be to change to many fresh foods. This has made my diet much healthier. On a good day my sodium intake is between 200 & 500 mg per day. This plus the exercise eliminated the need for the diuretic. The above set of actions have lowered my blood pressure without any drugs to 100-120/60-70. Sometimes I even get down below my blood pressure of 96/60 that was my normal before the weight gain & lack of exercise.
The above actions has made my doctor very happy. If I would have listened to him 5-10 years ago I could have been to this point a long time ago. My heart doctor has an extra interest in me as I have prepared his income taxes for the last 35+ years. He tells me that he is too close to retirement to get a new tax guy.
He believes that it is better to control your blood pressure through diet & exercise rather than with drugs. But he also knows that many times drugs are needed until we pay attention to his 2 simple directions of lose weight & watch your salt. An example of what he told me when I told him that I really like cheese. His answer wasn’t for me to cut out cheese, but instead he told me to find a cheese that has less salt in it. For me that is Swiss Cheese. Everybody like different kinds of food. So what I like & eat may not mean anything to anyone else.
With his lose weight & watch your salt diet it is easy to modify it to meet ones particular needs. Exercise is part of it. The food part of the diet works better for me with fresh fruits & vegetables. Some advice that I have heard along the way is to not drink your calories. For me I need to chew & chew. Get no salt added vegetables. Fresh is better than frozen as many frozen vegetables have a lot of sodium in them. Fresh meats are better than canned. Much less salt & better flavor. Some people can have a lot of sodium. To keep my water retention down is my legs requires too things. They are less than 500 mg of sodium & an hour or 2 of exercise with my legs a day. My stationary bike works better for me than walking. But walking is very good.