What was yours at before you went on meds/ lost weight/ became an Olympian etc?
It tell you mine later, possibly.
After my Covid injection it hit a mighty 200/110 stroke territory. The MHRA recorded it as a rare reaction to Astrazenca. With meds back to normal.
117/78
My father managed 260/120 when he had a brain bleed doctors went through 3 sphygmomanometers before accepting the numbers
Anytime I've had to go into hospital I just remember the 1st number being over 200 and the look on the nurses face, we will try again in 15 mins but it never went down much, I blame their new fangled machine but I do suffer from white coat syndrome
I now take medication as the wouldn't do the operation but the GP said he wasn't too concerned as it was only slightly raised over 24 hrs and fairly expected for my age. Don't seem to have any side affects from the meds other than maybe grumpier as I get older
190/116 back in 2007 according my GP record. Now controlled with ramipril.
Down to 130 over 88 at the moment, went from 145 over 98, changed from 5 to 10 milligrams ramapril. Also lost a stone since Christmas and started to exercise properly, suspect its the drugs making the difference.
Lady next door, allegedly 320 over something, lost her sight and faculties for a while, was in hospital for well over a month (this was during covid). Shes never been quite right since and is now back driving which is frightening.
178/122 - only found out when messing about with my dad’s monitor one evening. I was at the peak of my fitness too.
Straight to docs and been on pills for over 10 years.
Cheers guys. I think!
I've got a few things going on medically at the moment (need to update that thread) as some of you will know but ive had a message saying my gp is contracting me tomorrow "after 6pm" for a telephone consultation. It didn't say what it's about but I think it's due to a blood pressure chart I handed in with numbers up to 171/ 107 type territory in a fair few of them.
Oh and I've got to have an echo cardio done as it looks like I've got LVH after a recent ECG...
Signed up to a new GP last time we moved and had a routine vital check from them. BP was 160/110 to my surprise given I'd recently ran a marathon. Now on ramipril and lercanidipine and it's down to 130/85ish.
All time high reading was 170/120.
I was scheduled for a routine operation last March, went to hospital for pre surgery checks and they said "oh your BP is high - if it's this high in 2 weeks time for your op, we'll have to cancel."
Did what I could to lower it, completely cut out drinking etc. Went back 2 weeks later and if anything it was even higher. Op postponed. Saw the GP, they were like "well it's the upper end of normal but not high, nothing we can do".
Hospital adamant that they weren't going to operate with it that high, GP adamant that it was high but not bad.
Eventually, I had the op courtesy of them dosing me up with something - can't remember what now but it worked wonders at lowering my BP!
Anyway, it's been monitored since then; it's normally around 140/95 or so which the GP thinks is "high end of normal" but not high enough to prescribe anything. 🤔
Did mine at work on Wednesday
136/73 - aged 51 reasonably active, but wouldn't describe myself as fit, 6'/82kgs, mix of healthy food and not so healthy, with a penchant for salt, spent a LOT of years drinking at what could be classed as alcoholic level and smoked for 30 years (kicked them in January) - so not unhappy with the reading. The other possible underlying health issues may catch me though....
Was supposed to be having a 'well man' tomorrow, but the surgery have cancelled my appointment
Surprised to find mine was high 160s over 110s during a routine check up.
Put on 5g of rampril, now 135 over 90 ish
Do you guys all have salt licks on your doors or something??!!
Crazy legs that is the high end of normal, but the 95 diastolic should have set alarm bells ringing with the GP, I'd expect medication for that level to be honest.
Well, did a couple more checks and I have a new record, 180/111. It's been a bit of a hectic day but bleedin heck.😐
I'll see what doc says tomorrow.
I don't think I have a number I could tell you that I could reliably demonstrate with a test - seems to go up and down pretty massively from hour to hour. From top end of good to "let's pretend that one never happened". I had hip surgery 7:years ago now and in the pre op tests the first test was higher than they were prepared to accept for a GA. Lay down and thought calm thought for ten mins and it drop by about 30. We all put it down to me having walked across the car park a bit fast, forgetting about the fact I was on for hip surgery and walking a bit fast was not my forte at the time.
Since I was a teenager mine has pretty much been around the 140-148 / 80-90 mark. With meds and without (Beta Blockers, Ace inhibitors ... whatever the next ones were).
I don't bother with meds on that basis. If it starts to creep up i'll re-evaluate.
160/95, UK wasn’t worried by that for as long as I can remember but first annual checkup in the US got me a prescription of Nadalol.
I've read up a fair bit on hypertension and different countries have quite different reference points for "normal blood pressure." The US certainly prefers lower, Germany (IIRC) is less concerned.
You to take your blood pressure at set times. When the surgery has asked me to do them at home that's first thjngs in the morning and last thing at night. The idea is to get the lowest reading possible so sit still, don't talk, don't watch the monitor etc. I usually discard my first reading and then pick 3 out of the next 5 that are grouped together and average them. It's no an exact science and very easy to increase your blood pressure. Weirdly i seem to get lower readings in the surgery than I do at home which is the opposite for most people.
Around 148 over 120ish I had to get it down for my driving regulations.
I usually discard my first reading and then pick 3 out of the next 5 that are grouped together and average them.
I used to do something similar. Although my monitor will automatically calculate the average if taken close together
It’s no an exact science and very easy to increase your blood pressure
You can also learn to decrease it - bored on night shift I used to play with this - attach to a monitor and practice altering my BP and pulse.
I could do around 20 points on each - called biofeedback
Stumpyjon I’m the same as you, often when the nurse does it it’s lower that when done at home. The thought of the electric monitor buzzing gets my blood pressure up. I th8n’ I react less to the old fashioned versions or the nurse is more reassuring perhaps.
I bought one of those aktiia 24 hr wrist based monitors but haven’t used it much, I’m rubbish at checking it regularly and really ought to get back using the aktiia. They say they’re pretty reliable and at least they give you a trend once calibrated. Problem is calibrating them means using the el trick type buzzing monitor so prob doesn’t give a sensible base level mean8ng everything else could be an elevated reading.
I was in A&E checking I hadn't busted my shoulder going OTB, in May last year. I got 220/180, and I was already on meds for high BP! It was comical, as I had to hold the cuff together - the velcro was trying to rip open - and the nurse was up at 200+ saying "I don't think I can pump this any harder!"
I'm now on more meds...
The US certainly prefers lower, Germany (IIRC) is less concerned.
Is that linked to differences in average BMIs? Presumably the higher your BMI the more critical your blood pressure becomes?
I am assuming that whilst neither high BMI nor high BP is desirable a combination of both is even less so.
I think its more about making a judgement at what point it becomes an issue. There are various different treatment plans used in different countries. for example I have low BP - it would be treated in France but not in the UK.
120/85 +/- 5 sitting in the doctor's surgery at about 60bpm. It's one of those how long is a piece of string things. Doing a test with a cardiologist it was something like 200/100 at 180bpm (can't be arsed to find the report to quote exact numbers). I've been as low as 100/65 when ill in bed. If I've been out for a long run before seeing the doc both pulse rate and blood pressure will be up by about 10.
139/76 as my last asthma check. Apparently been in that range for at least the last five years. I'm also have 'heightened awareness' whenever crossing a medical threshold! My watch tells me my RHR is about 49-50, but my medical record has it at 62!
and the nurse was up at 200+ saying “I don’t think I can pump this any harder!”
Humble brag....
Raised blood pressure is a side effect of medication I am on (unrelated to cardio vascular stuff). My bp has always been in the borderline zone (family history of hypertension), currently 150-160/85-90. My consultant is asking me to keep an eye on it but hasn't proposed meds for it yet. I am not overweight, have a reasonably good diet (have now cut right back on alcohol and caffeine) and keep active so further lifestyle changes would have to be a bit drastic.
Mine always jumps up when being tested. Ended up on a 24h monitor and results came back normal. It was high at work, and as soon as I sat down on the settee to relax, boom, normal.
Stress is a massive factor I find. No meds yet, although my cycling 'hours' has doubled in the last couple of years.
Was ~160/110 before 5mg Ramipril daily
Now ~130/85
Fluctuates slightly, much higher if I take the reading sitting instead of lying down. Never done it standing.
Not sure in what position I should take it to get a true reading.
Its so they can prescribe loads of meds & get paid via the insurance company.
That’s my cynical assumption too.
I took Ramipril 20 years ago and it gave me the worst dry cough.
Stress has never seemed to impact my readings.
Put on 5g of rampril, now 135 over 90 ish
I hope that's a typo! Doctors don't kill, units do 😉
I'm typically fairly low with orthostatic hypotension, so about 130/80 and might have been has high as 90.
For those using medication it is really worth trying the DASH diet approach. It means very low amounts of salt and sugar and combined with weight loss my wife's BP is now under control with no medication.
Was at around 180/100 and is now around 130/80. She did it because the medications were not making her feel good at all.
Ive had high BP for around 10 years and am currently on 10mg of ramipril and individual readings are still too high ( around 150/90) but when Ive had 24hr recordings done they have been much better which suggests I have white coat syndrome to a point
Like pop - I've been on pills (mix of 3) for 10+ years. I still average 140/90 odd.
I have got it lower but the side-effects of the pills made me feel shite. So we've settled on a consistently high-ish reading which the doctor says is better than spiking.
I was around 150/95.
My GP recommended follow Moseley's Blood Sugar Diet.
BP was down to acceptable levels within a week.
Over a longer time I lost 4 stone. The BP is still good and I've never felt better 👍
Ok, had the call.
I'm being put on Amlodipine. "Maybe 1 or 2 others as well, if that doesn't work."
Hmmmm... We'll see.😉
This is a potential interaction with my chemotherapy (Imatinib)
Imatinib may increase the blood levels of amLODIPine. You may be more likely to experience serious side effects such as irregular heart rhythm, fluid retention, swelling, heart failure, and excessively low blood pressure.
😂😁
I used to take that. No side effects for me… but no effect either 🤣
good luck!
Hmmm I'm a good way through a bottle of red, always get my best BP after a drink, time to get out the monitor?
Can you get Malbec on prescription?
190/110 this week in my recent 50 year health check, nurse checked 5 times with 2 different machines. Going to have one strapped on for 24 hours Monday in case it was just white coat syndrome.
Not overweight, diabetic, low alcohol use and reasonably active.
^^ Well, you've beaten my record now, I got 181/111 last night.
A PB for me.lol
Absolutely no idea whatsoever. It’s been checked at various times, found to be fine for my age, although I was given a prescription for statins just to be on the safe side, and until I have a health check that shows a potential adverse effect of something, I don’t really care.
Well, been on the meds for a week or 2 now and just taken a reading of:
147/97
That's much better but hopefully will get lower still after a few changes I've made.
220/120 about 8 years ago, now 120/80.
I felt great at 220 feel like a bag of shit at 120....
Apparently i have hyper resistive blood pressure, shedloads of drugs lost 4 stone, a damaged pancreas from being over prescribed a blood pressure drug....
Wow this is interesting reading as p20s brother in law ended up on meds in the last month. Mid 50s, definitely not overweight, walks a lot and cycles regularly. However, buried his wife in the last 6 months and likes a glass of red.
By comparison my highest ever was probably 140/75 before a getting a flu jab at Uni in freshers week. They wouldn’t give it to me! Normally is more like 104/72.
👌
Looks like I'm joining the club. Docs took a one-off reading at 183/120 after 3 retries which was fairly alarming. Think the highest was 187/something.
Thankfully I've monitored it at home since and I suspect white-coat syndrome and the real figure is closer to 150/100. I'd still like to get it back into the right range though.
Is anyone following the DASH diet? I'm struggling a bit with getting enough protein. Lots of the meals where I'd usually get a decent amount are high in salt or fat. Not a massive fish fan either. Currently eating a lot of lentils and chickpeas, so much like the USA i have a bad case of the trumps right now.
PS. it's amazing how much salt is in store bought soup. New Covent Garden's pumpkin soup has 3.2g per pack for example. The same amount of salt as eating 23 bags of McCoys crisps.
I was approx 115/80 earlier this year after being 130/90 ish summer '23, just taken a reading now after seeing this thread and i'm 137/95! 😮
averages around the 100/75 mark but that's 5mg ramipril, 10mg bisoprolol, 80mg atvorstatin, 75mg aspirin. all after a "chest pains" scare at the age of 52 ... 62 now and still kicking, well gently waving the foot around now 😉
I'm 46, mines 126/76. No meds. 92kg, 5'11" (trying to lose weight at the moment!)
I'm on x3 lots of drugs at this too! Doc is currently trying Doxazosin in place of Bendrofluazide (others are Ramipril and Amlodipine)...
Had a work medical and mine was 218/120, felt fine and had no idea it was so high.
Got signed off for a couple of weeks till meds took it down to an acceptable level,
still on the high side but nothing crazy, gradually tweaking the meds till we get the right combo.
Maybe it's our monitor, but an hour later after having my first two cuppas of the day, I've dropped to a less alarming 134/84.
Still not ideal, but a bit lower, which I thought shouldn't happen with caffeine intake.
Verging on low blood pressure here ~95/60 when MrsG had to do lots of home checks for her high blood pressure. The drugs really got her's under control well.
106/64 recently. Can’t remember what it was when I quit alcohol but my Dr said it was high.
Started a low carb way of eating at the same time as quitting the booze. Lost nigh on 4 stone and sorted my BP.
Bizarrely I usually have higher BP at home than when the doc takes it
I always take 3, a min or so apart. Discount the first one which is usually slightly high as I'm stressing about it. As soon as I see the result and realise it's not that bad I relax and the next 2 are usually closer to 120
I read that the difference in the numbers is significant, ie 120 over 60 isn't as good as 120 over 80. That said I regularly have a difference of 50 and a doc has never batted an eyelid. And the other thing I find is that when I'm stressed the systolic number goes up but the other number doesn't. Or doesn't as much
Also, I'm convinced electric monitors read high. Every time a doc has used a manual one I've been well below 120.
