Does anyone know about blood pressure?
 

How bad is 166 / 98

?

That would qualify as hypertensive.

The high end of 'normal' would be 120/80.

166 puts you in 'stage 2' high blood pressure.
98 puts you two points blow 'stage 2' high blood pressure.

See http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hig...essure/HI00062 for the dangers.

I thought Level 2 didnt sound bad, but Level 2 is the top level.

Im too fucking young for this. :(

You are too young for this, but you can fix it. Do your research - but lowering salt intake and dieting in general will help. Salt actually draws more fluid into your blood stream, and more fluid = more to pump = higher blood pressure. If your heart doesn't have to work so hard, your BP will go down.

I actually know a fair amount about this, so PM me or something if you want more info.

the 166, though concerning, isnt as bad as the 98. the top number is the pressure in the blood vessels as the heart contract, the bottom number is as its relaxing.

if possible, try keeping track of your pressure through the day for a couple of days. see if its spiking at particular times (like at work) or if its always high. then you can show it to your doctor to see what they want would like you to do about it.

my blood pressure held pretty steady at 150/90 - then I started walking.. and have no clue where I am right now... but it dropped to 110/70 - with diet changes and moderate exercise (and this comes from a strong family history of high blood prpessure... )

Now is the time to start to make changes...

yeah..that too

The last time I had it tested was about 3 years ago, and it was normal then.

I went to the doctor's today and they checked it... the nurse said it was bad enough to potentially need medication, but booked me in for 6 weeks later to have it checked again and told me I needed to try and lose some weight between then.

I *am* stressed out badly, I *am* very overweight... I guess I shouldnt be surprised that my health is going to suffer, but to be honest this has scared me, I hope its scared me early enough to make some changes before my health is permanently damaged.

do what you can to lower it. you dont want to be stuck on medication for the rest of your life.
stress alone can cause it to be that high. have you put on all your weight in the last 3 years?

No, Im about 30 lbs heavier than I was 3 years ago, but I was 280 lbs then.

You know what to do.

Luckily you are young enough that you can fix it without too much real damage.

i'd be willing to bet that stress is the major culprit here.
the extra 30# isnt helping, but you were heavy to begin with.
i recommend you speak with your doctor to see what would be the most viable option for you, be it diet, exercise or both.
meds will bring the pressure down, but it will do nothing for the root problem.
stress is a killer. best to get that under control sooner than later.

Stress is a killer but being 310 lbs is what I'd focus on.

You can fix the overweight problem pretty easily... If you really want to... It doesn't require drastic measures, just paying attention, cleaning up your diet and alcohol in moderation..

oh its definately something that needs to be addressed, no question.

i'm still going with stress reduction first. the weight will follow.

my case it was the opposite...

consistent exercise is a key element that helps with both -

I agree with mal here.

As you start of feel better about your self/health it will help the stress part as well.

exactly.

a one time high doesn't mean you have hypertension. It means you had a hypertensive episode. Before starting meds, most doctors will want a minimum of three consecutive high readings. I'm surprised they want to wait 6 weeks before re-checking you.

Being overweight isn't healthy, but it doesn't always make you hypertensive, either. I have had plenty of overweight patients who have ideal, if not low, blood pressures.

Stress will raise your blood pressure. Eating too much sodium will raise your blood pressure, as will being in pain. Not to mention "white coat syndrome", which has given more episodic highs than you could shake a stick at (that is when a person gets nervous about seeing the doctor, they get all worked up, and it shoots their BP up..as soon as they relax and calm down, their pressure settles to a nice, normal range)

Using the wrong size BP cuff will give false high readings as well. If you are on the large size, make sure the tech uses the 'big boy' cuff.

I'm not in any way suggesting that you take this lightly. You have areas of concern that need to be addressed. Deal with the stressors, take on some exercise (a nice walk after dinner is an easy way to start), avoid high sodium foods, etc.

A one time high is just that. A one time high. Think of it as a warning of what could be, if you don't address your known issues. As Barney Fife would say, "Nip it...nip it, nip it, nip it!"

Oh, and don't use those BP machines at the grocery store...the cuff is probably going to be too small if you are on the large side, and give false highs. If you want to keep track over the next few weeks until you see the doctor again, check into an over the counter BP machine, one of the electric ones unless you know someone who can take it manually. Just make sure to use the right size cuff.

I agree with both Mal and Ustwo...

The weight is the issue. There is nothing like exercise and a healthy diet to reduce your stress levels.

I can say that my stress levels are way down since I started getting more and regular exercise and dropped 30lbs.

Echo. Start losing weight, get out and walk, exercise however you can, change your diet to more healthy fare, all that jazz. The stress will also decrease as you feel better both physically, and self-esteem-wise. As has been said, you're young enough to fix this while it's just a weight thing. Get moving, literally, now. :)

Yeah, it sucks, and I know that eating what you want to and not bothering with exercise seems more appealing, but you don't want the alternative. The alternative is someone like me comes to take you to the hospital when you have your first heart attack before age 40.

If it sounds like I'm trying to scare you, that's pretty much what I'm going for. Your health is a serious matter, so start taking care of yourself. :) You'll feel so much better, overall, once you've started on a more healthy lifestyle.

I know I need to lose weight. I joined a diet club today, and I have vouchers from my doctor to go for 12 weeks.

I already exercise a good amount (I play badminton 3 times most weeks and Im quite a good player) - Im gonna stop drinking full stop for a while, stick to the diet club and maybe gym a few days or take a walk at night or something, try and cut out salt. I have 6 weeks and I should be able to lose at least 20 lbs by then and hopefully that will make a difference.

That's great! The fact that you've got actual plans made up is a big step towards following through with your overall plans to get healthy. Congrats, and keep it up. :)

Excercise helps with stress, which then helps with weight - meaning now you are helping both the wieght and the stress and the wieght can also be caused by stress. Eating right is even more important than how much you eat. All the processed food you stuff in your mouth contributes to weight gain and also to stress because your body is trying to deal with the crap you just stuffed in it! And if you smoke...

You aren't alone. I am 29 and weigh 150 lbs. Before I came off the birth control pill and started medicine, my blood pressure was regularly at 165/100. I came off the pill and started on a beta-blocker that my doctor prescribed. Now my blood pressure is at 120/60. I have also started going to the gym, and I am trying to make some changes to my diet. I am only a size 10, but I would really like to lose a few so I could come off (or at lease reduce my dose) of this medicine.

If you can't get it under control soon, definitely see your doc about some meds. High blood pressure can kill you for sure, even if it doesn't have any obvious symptoms.

I had another check up today

Now its 150/70

Well, its still too high, but its a good movement in the right direction.

Yay! Glad to hear that it's down :)

Excellent! Keep it up :) (well, not literally!)

Glad to hear that. I'd have had at least three different readings during that appointment time and come back within a week for same. Although my BP is healthy, I once had a high reading at a primary/cardiologist that totally scared me, but he insisted on trying the other arm and/or waiting until later in the exam when I was more at ease.