Moderating BP

mwcontois

Question...my doctor expressed concern about my blood pressure a couple years ago. I told him before I started taking meds to let me try to address my weight and exercise more and see where it goes. Well, I was lazy about that and now, 2 years later, I started dieting and exercising in early August. At the same time, I am monitoring my BP. It seems to be averaging around 135/89, which I know he will not like. So...my question is...how long before daily exercise and dieting makes a positive impact on your BP? I have a physical scheduled for 9/4...I hate the thought of taking BP medicine...but then again, renal failure runs in my family and higher BP is putting me more at risk...

parkscs

Weight loss takes time, but you can do some things like moderate your sodium intake and avoid alcohol in the meantime. You might also watch your caffeine intake as well. I'd stick with the diet and exercise routine until the physical, tell him about the progress you've made by then, and potentially schedule a follow-up visit a few months later to reassess.

BruteSquad

You might want to read this article. It shows that what a doctor now considers a healthy blood pressure is from studies paid for by blood pressure medicine companies:

http://seattletimes.com/html/health/sick1.html

If I am under 140, I don't care what the doctor says.

Cherimoose

So...my question is...how long before daily exercise and dieting makes a positive impact on your BP?

It can show within a few weeks. How much it changes depends on the details of your "daily exercise and dieting" routine, since those are pretty broad terms.

ljmorgi

I can't speak for the effect of weight loss, but as someone whose kidneys just up and quit at the age of 25, reducing your sodium intake can do a lot. Unfortunately, this means eating out a lot less rarely and cutting most processed/prepackaged foods from your diet, but if you're trying for weight loss, you might be doing this already.

Yeah, stuff's going to taste pretty bland for a while, but your taste will adjust--in just a couple of months your tolerance for salty foods will start to drop. Use other herbs and spices, and don't bother with the potassium-based salt substitute, as it tastes nasty (at least to me). If you aren't much of a cook, you'll learn to be.

Remember, blood pressure medication is less hassle than dialysis.

BigGuy47

If necessary take the medication. Set a goal of getting off the medication. I hate taking meds. I found great deal of satisfaction the day my doctor said I no longer needed BP meds. Lose weight and exercise on a regular basis, you won't need the meds.

rick_po

You can get some improvement in just a couple weeks. How much will depend on how hard you can push yourself, which is a scary question when there is potential heart disease in the equation. If I were you, I would err on the side of ramping up slowly. Get a heart rate monitor if you're unsure if you're over-doing it.

There have been some recent changes in the recommended BP ranges before treating hypertension with meds. I think you're still a little below the edge of new range if you're otherwise healthy. I know that kidney problems lower the recommended ranges, though. I assume your doctor has you do regular blood work. If you have reduced kidney function, some people have to go on BP meds even with normal BP.

Exercise helps. As you probably know, renal failure sucks. Do your exercise, and listen to your doctor. This isn't something to mess around with.