I don't know if I can keep doing this.....

KaysKidz

I want to, don't get me wrong. But I have had my bp taken 3x this week, and I'm high. 154/103 is my reading today. I admit, I'm under a crap ton of stress right now, so I'm hoping things settle down in a month or so. But I'm worried with all my upcoming medical appointments, my regular doc is going to want me on bp meds and change my diet. Can you successfully do LCHF with high blood pressure and be pre-diabetic??

Dragonwolf

Yes, you can. In fact, LCHF usually brings blood pressure down, especially if your carbs are low enough to prompt your body to produce a fair amount of ketones.

Find a way to relax. The stress your under in your life, plus stressing out over the doctor's appointments aren't help your blood pressure. Make sure you're taking time for you and go for a walk or meditate or whatever.

bluefish86

My mother-in-law was just diagnosed as pre-diabetic and the first thing her doctor told her to do was to cut her carbs.

KaysKidz

Can't walk. Sitting in a boot at the moment....took a fall 2 days ago and my foot has to stay immobilized for 2 weeks. And to top it off, having shoulder surgery next week. Add to that, that I will have to take time off without pay...and bills to pay, I'm a hot mess.

glossbones

with all that stress, now is not the time to be habitually checking your blood pressure. Don't add stress where you don't need it. Meditate, read a book, knit or any other sedentary hobby. If you have pets, snuggle!

JPW1990

glossbones wrote: »

with all that stress, now is not the time to be habitually checking your blood pressure. Don't add stress where you don't need it. Meditate, read a book, knit or any other sedentary hobby. If you have pets, snuggle!

This. Also, depending what you did to your foot, that injury alone could make a difference in your blood pressure.

KaysKidz

1 reading was pre-op. 1 was urgent care for fall. Today was curiosity....and it was the highest yet! Thought maybe the readings were high because of hospital setting etc. Apparently not. LOL

KnitOrMiss

Pain adds to your blood pressure too... Try some medication music whenever the stress gets overwhelming. My life is in utter chaos/shambles due to some outlying issues, but I do okay with my stress most of the time. It is a setback, but I try to set and have a quiet 5 minutes with a mug of tea or something time to time. Wishing you good luck and calming thoughts and that something works out from out of the blue to ease the burden some. (hugs)

I try to remember that if I can't change it, I have to let it go and try my best not to worry over it. All we can do is what we can do... Be kind to yourself.

gsp90x

KnitOrMiss wrote: »

Pain adds to your blood pressure too... Try some medication music whenever the stress gets overwhelming. My life is in utter chaos/shambles due to some outlying issues, but I do okay with my stress most of the time. It is a setback, but I try to set and have a quiet 5 minutes with a mug of tea or something time to time. Wishing you good luck and calming thoughts and that something works out from out of the blue to ease the burden some. (hugs)

I try to remember that if I can't change it, I have to let it go and try my best not to worry over it. All we can do is what we can do... Be kind to yourself.

This!! Oh so this!!! Absolutely.

BookAngel_a

One thing that helps is to imagine where you might be in one year if you keep doing this...and imagine where you might be in one year if you stop doing this. I find that thinking in terms of the big picture seems to calm me down and give me the motivation to continue when I'm discouraged.

spush

My BP has gone right down to well within normal. I was on BP medication but stopped in March. Keep on going your BP will get better.

Dragonwolf

KaysKidz wrote: »

Can't walk. Sitting in a boot at the moment....took a fall 2 days ago and my foot has to stay immobilized for 2 weeks. And to top it off, having shoulder surgery next week. Add to that, that I will have to take time off without pay...and bills to pay, I'm a hot mess.

...and you wonder why your blood pressure is high...

Like Knit said, injury and pain alone will elevate your blood pressure. Pain meds probably can, too. Then you have the stress of anticipating surgery and dealing with bills and unpaid leave....

Seriously, go put on some Enya or visit http://www.calm.com/ , take a soaking bath if you can, have a friend give you a manicure, read a book, something, anything to relax you. That's what you need right now. Not fretting over your diet. Regardless of your current diet, it pales in comparison to the other stressors in your life right now. At least make that the one certain and constant in your life right now.

KnitOrMiss

And something that works for some people, and I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but it relieves one point of stressful uncertainty. Sometimes, when everything around you is in tornadic chaos, instead of relaxing rules (which stresses you out because it makes you feel even more out of control), find one thing, in this case, your way of eating, upon which you can buckle down and get real with. By allowing you to channel all your focus and attempts at order AWAY from all the things you can't change and INTO the thing you can change can provide a sense of calm, because you can then depend on at least one thing in your life being consistent...

It doesn't work for everyone, and it doesn't work in every situation, but if you find the chaos making you feel more and more insane, consider it. If you have at least one anchor in the whirlwind, it might provide you the hope you need to continue on.

If not, if it adds stress, just make the better choices whenever you can, and go on with it. Whenever you do come back here, you'll know what to expect, you'll have a load of choices under your belt, and you'll come back swinging full force! (HUGS)

AreteAndWhimsy

I wouldn't be too concerned as long as you are hurting or on pain medication. Both can easily spike your blood pressure. If you're dehydrated, which is easy to do on low carb, that also can spike it. One of my past employers did med test days, where you'd get called in batches, and often had to sit around for a while during processing. If you had a high blood pressure reading, this company would ask you to go pee and then come right back for another reading, and often this would be enough to drop anything suspicious well into normal range, and I've kept that advice on hand ever since and my BP readings are much more consistent.

KaysKidz

Thanks. I have no desire to quit LCHF. I am worried my doc will ask me to change. Right now I only take pain meds at night. My daughter, who is is nursing school, suspects a false high, because the last 2 readings were done with a digital BP meter and done on my forearm. My arms are too big for the cuff to go on the upper arm and they only had a standard cuff.

KarlaYP

If the cuff is too small higher readings will be expected. I think your information is skewed. And why wouldn't any medical facility not have proper size cuffs? They are made for all sized people!

greenautumn17

I just went to my doctor yesterday, fully expecting the skepticism. But I went in determined to just get his help regulating my medicine as I hopefully drop weight and improve my stats. He could do nothing to talk me out of this WOE. He is not my boss, rather he "works" for me as I see it.
I have, over the past year, "told" him I would not be taking statins for cholesterol, refused to have tests that I thought of as superfluous (just so he could prescribe me something else?), and more. Just yesterday I argued with him about the PAP test! LOL!
So, I say do not worry that he will ask you to change. Convince him that you know what you want, that he can monitor you, but you WILL be doing this.

sweetteadrinker2

KnitOrMiss wrote: »

And something that works for some people, and I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but it relieves one point of stressful uncertainty. Sometimes, when everything around you is in tornadic chaos, instead of relaxing rules (which stresses you out because it makes you feel even more out of control), find one thing, in this case, your way of eating, upon which you can buckle down and get real with. By allowing you to channel all your focus and attempts at order AWAY from all the things you can't change and INTO the thing you can change can provide a sense of calm, because you can then depend on at least one thing in your life being consistent...

^This right here. Your life might be feeling super out of control, and you might be someone who needs some control and structure. As a type A personality this kind of thing works well for me, control in something makes me less worried about things that are out of my grasp.

Also-your doctor can ASK you to change your diet, but unless they are going to do all your cooking and food purchasing they really don't have that kind of control. LC should cause blood pressure to normalize, mine was low and this has brought it up. I'm also behind anyone who said false highs/stress induced/pain meds/pain etc.

KarlaYP

@greenautumn17, you are so right! We are the consumers of our health care. We hire a doctor to help provide data, through lab tests..., to help us maintain the best health possible. Anything they recommend becomes your decision to implement, or not. You know your body, the doctor doesn't. And we can always fire them when we don't feel they are acting in our best interest. Some people set up an interview with the doctor on the first visit with a list of questions. They use this to decide if that physician meets their own criteria for what they would expect regarding their medical care.