Stuff like this is often a result of stressfull times.

This struck a chord with me, because I'm a 49y/o male as well. Since the onset of this "spell" coincides with the busy month you mention, it at least a strong possibility.

I've been on BP-meds/aspirin for 3yrs. now. I'm 6'3" and ~260lbs. I still need to lose more weight, but I'm down from 310! I had an atrial-fib episode that scared the h#ll out of me in Aug. '07, but it was managed fine. In June '09, just b4 our trip to Maui (!), they did an Ultrasound of my heart and all was fine...I'm just lucky enough to be prone to A-fib, which is fairly common.

After a sleep-study, I also need to be on a CPAP machine because of snoring. This can be hard on a heart too I've learned.

What I'm getting at here...your DH needs to have a work-up done. Our bodies start changing more around this time...sucks...but ya can't stop it!
They may find something...they may not.
BUT...he has to go in.
You & He can't mess around with this kinda stuff!

If I did it, so can He!

Faron
(plz let me know how He's doing OK?!)

This is how high BP works. You'll be fine all your life then out of nowhere it spikes and stays high unless you take medication.

Stress WILL raise your BP, but if his is staying high each day, especially while he's at home, it's more than stress.

It's imperative your dh go to the doctor TODAY, before the weekend, and ask to be put on BP medication. Many times the meds will have to be adjusted until they get the dosage right.

My dh is slim. Always feels great. About 7 years ago, on a Friday, he felt like he had the flu. Since the weekend was coming up, I made him go to the doctor.

He came home shocked because he didn't have the flu, but high BP and diabetes.

He still has both, and he's still slim. I do know there were days where it was hard to get out of bed, but that's because it took awhile for the meds to get adjusted.

This is very serious, he needs to see a doctor asap!

Faron, now that we have bonded over our love for tropical 4 Seasons destinations, I would like to ask you: Why are men so stupid about their health???

DH woke up this morning and said BP was down to 148/90 and he "feels better" so he's not going to call the doc today. He says he has a less stressful day at work, he'll be fine, and he already has an appt. set up for next Wed., so he'll just wait until then. And he went off to work. He knows I'm mad at him now. (Oops, did I create more stress?)

I am tempted to call the doc myself and explain the situation and see what they say. Or, have him check it again tonight when he gets home, then tomorrow morning, and if it is still high, make him call the doc tomorrow (our doc's office has "emergency hours" on weekends).

Men are annoying sometimes! Sorry Faron.

One "less stressful" day here or there doesn't mean ANYTHING...nor will it CURE ANYTHING!

My Cardiologist has long said that the old "150-ish" top # for BP is still too high. More recent guidelines push the 120 to be the goal number. I've read that various places too...for some time now!

I've known a couple slim/"type-A" personalities. Never went to a doc, etc. On the outside, they seemed perfectly fine.

I went to both their funerals.
Heart-related.
In their 40's.
Families left behind.

My Dad died in his 40's. I was 14....brother was 12.
DF had a bad heart-valve from rheumatic-fever however, b4 they could do much about it. Diabetes too for a long time. I remember him doing the insulin shots!

So....for some, the "Guy stupidity" can have a heavy price.

Sometimes "Too" heavy...

Get his a$$ to the Dr. (ASAP) no matter WHAT you have to do/bribe with. Some things may even be "fun"! ;-)

Faron

PS...If you've read some of my posts over time here...you'll know I joke around a lot! I'm NOT joking now.

Thanks, Faron. I actually just emailed DH at his office and told him to call the doctor and tell them what the readings have been this week, mention the headaches (which he did not think to mention when he was there before), and see what they say. If they say, sure, wait until Wed., then I'll stop bugging him. I also told him if he doesn't call them within the next 45 minutes, I am calling them!

He said he'll call.

Good for you!

It SEEMS like the headaches would be stress-related, BUT...I'm obviously no Dr.!

The rest of it...may or may not be more serious.

Keep us informed.

Caring in Fargo,
Faron

Faron is so right. A patient at the doctors office having slightly elevated BP is normal, because of the "moment" of being at the doctors.

But BP staying elevated for days on end is a serious problem.

Make sure he takes his BP in a "resting" moment, arm elevated on a table.

And if he doesn't go to the doctor, stay on his hiney in having him take it every MORNING..and again in the evening.

He has an appt. with the doc later this afternoon. Hopefully in addition to getting medication for the BP, he will also figure out some mechanisms to alleviate this stress. I told him he should leave the office every day to take a walk or something for even just 1/2 hour, and he looked at me like I was proposing a trip to the moon. He works very intensely from before 8 am until 6 pm every day, does not stop for lunch, rarely leaves the office unless he has to for a work lunch meeting, and I just think that isn't very healthy (although I know a lot of people do it).

I am counting the days 'til our winter getaway to Nevis! Fortunately, he is the kind of guy who really can relax on vacation -- not one of those guys who sits by the pool staring at his Blackberry.

I'll be the voice of dissent here. That's because I hate taking medicine if there is any way out. Thankfully, we have a wonderful internist who is very proactive and practices preventive medicine.

I would not want to go on bp meds right off the bat. That is, unless it is absolutely necessary. I'm surprised the doctor didn't already suggest diet modification and EXERCISE especially. Exercise can make a huge difference many times in controlling blood pressure.

My husband is just a year older than your husband. However, he is very active and for the most part, eats well. About a year ago his bp was kind up and down. Our doc talked to him in length about diet and exercise. Heart healthy exercise. Walking is great. My husband was already eating well so the main thing we did was to limit beef (maybe have it once a week), he now eats almonds daily (a handful) as his cholesteral had started to creep up a bit - it's not considered high yet, but as it runs in his family and our doc is proactive, he suggested making changes now. I think his slight increase in bp may have been stress because we did the twice a day deal for a few months and it has been normal. He did concentrate on certain kinds of exercise and made the changes in diet I mentioned above. We went to the doc this morning and his bp is perfect and he has lost 4 lbs. He does not need to lose weight, but I guess it was due to the changes. He has worn a 33 waist pant for years. He does not take any medication of any kind.

So, yes, a complete physical is very important. I do hope teh doc will talk to him about diet and exercise. Another good thing about exercise is it helps with stress.

It's possible too that if his bp is so high that he does need meds, that making changes will allow him to come off the meds in the future. Meds do have side effects and I know several people who feel *tired*, etc. on bp meds. I wish him the best. Please keep us posted!

tina

Tina, since everyone's different, for the time being I'd want to take the meds and see if I can get it under control, and only then go off them after I've changed my diet.

Dh is atheletic, doesn't eat salt or sugar, so on paper he shouldn't be a candidate for either high BP or diabetes.

High BP is a silent killer. That's why it's imperative to get on medication ASAP.

I understand about not wanting to take meds, but this is an extremely serious disease. If Sue's hubby can get his BP under control, he may be able to go off the meds if they're prescribed.

Sue, let us know what the doctor says! Hopefully his BP will be normal and he won't go on meds. :)

The doc did talk to him about diet and exercise and gave him written info on diet. He will do those things, but I just assume (not because the doc said this) they may put him on meds... I could be wrong. Anyway, he will know more soon enough. His appointment is in about 20 minutes!

I am dealing with this exact thing right now. Two weeks ago at annual checkup (age 52) mine was 160/something. They told me to check it daily at home and send it in weekly. I will be in normal range for 3 days, then way high (183)for a couple. I know it is stress related because I have something going on that is making me really angry and upset. It is going up on those days I let myself get crazy and then it will go back down. I am REALLY hoping I don't have to do meds.
They want me to come in to discuss in about 3 weeks so I guess that means I am not in danger of stroke right this minute. I did panic when I had those high readings. Hoping to get back to exercising and that should help too.
My health habits deteriorate when I am stressed, just the opposite of what I SHOULD do of course.
Good luck

Glad he went to the doctor. Having headaches with such high bp numbers is not something to ignore, no matter what age you are.

rd, you need to watch the diastolic (bottom) number as well. Anything over 100 is considered very high as is a systolic (top) measurement of 160 or higher. If there are other symptoms such as headache, the advice is usually to see your doctor immediately. Not worth taking a chance, IMHO.

Hope all is well, Sue.

Thanks to everyone for your concern! So he went to the dr., and the dr. said the headaches are more likely from stress because he usually doesn't see headaches until the BP is higher than what DH's has been. Also, the BP was lower at the dr's office today (138/90 or something) but still not great, so he is on a medication for two weeks, at which point he will go back and they'll decide whether to continue it or not. As a side benefit of the dr's appt., DH is home early, and I think he is relieved about getting another check, because he is much more cheerful than he was yesterday. And it's the weekend! :)

That is wonderful news!!

Oakley, I know how serious high BP could be. I also know that stress causes alot of medical problems. I am totally convinced that IN SOME CASES (not all) we can allievate these problems by taking better care of ourselves such as eating right, DAILY exercise, getting enough sleep, etc. I realize it's often hard to do these things but I'm willing to try (if possible with the doctor's approval) to make changes without meds. Meds themselves can cause problems and even cause you to feel bad.

Sue, I'm so glad he got better news than you expected and hopefully the changes the doctor suggested will make a difference and he won't have to continue with meds, or at least, the smallest dose possible. My dad (much older) recently was able to cut his BP meds in half and he was really surprised at how much more energized he felt. And he's almost 80!!

Your suggestion to your husband about the walk at lunch could really, really help him. Both stresswise and healthwise. I hope he tries it!

tina

You didn't mention whether your dh takes any meds or has a tendency to drink a lot of coffee or diet soda. Two years ago, after having low blood pressure my whole life, I was diagnosed with high bp - 145-50ish over 90ish. Like your dh, it came on suddenly, but I had gained a lot of weight over the previous several years and have a strong family history of heart problems, so it wasn't totally unexpected. They wanted to put me on meds, but I resisted and ended up going the diet/exercise route. I did successfully lower my blood pressure (and lost 70 lbs in the process) and I am still kind of manic about my exercise.

BUT....I have noticed that there are some foods and medicines that send my bp soaring right back up. Diet soda seems to do it -- I can drink a can or two, but if I have ny more than that, my bp soars. I read somewhere (on the internet, so who knows how true it is) that nutrasweet breaks down into a chemical that's basically epinephrine (adrenaline), which raises bp. Back when I was diagnosed, I had a hard core (like 8 cans a day) diet soda habit, and my bp wouldn't budge in spite of losing weight and exercising until I went cold turkey on the diet coke -- once I quit the soda, within 2 weeks, it was pretty much normal.

I also notice it spike back up when I take sudafed for a stuffy nose, so I have to watch what cold medicines I take - can't take anything with pseudepinephrine in it. Wellbutrin (which I was on for depression back when I was diagnosed) also seems to raise my bp, so I went off it (thankfully, all the exercising has had the added benefit of kicking my depression to the curb along with my high bp). And, of course, if I drink too much coffee it goes back up, but that's pretty temporary and not too high (unlike, say, the last time I took sudafed, when it went higher than it ever had been and stayed there for a couple days even though I stopped taking the medicine!)

So anyhow, I'm probably babbling because it's late and I didn't get much sleep last night, but if you dh drinks a lot of diet soda or coffee or takes any meds, you might try weaning off them (obviously, check with a doctor first about any meds!) to see if it helps.

Good luck getting it all figured out.

Oh, w/ regards to feeling worked up about the bp -- that happened to me for the first few months after I was diagnosed -- I was so nervous about it that even walking up to one of those "test your bp" machines in the pharmacy I could feel my bp spiking. It was always high at the doctor, even though it was basically normal at home. Then one day I ended up in an urgent care clinic for a skin rash I got while on vacation -- I was so itchy and unhappy about my vacation getting ruined that I totally forgot to be worried about my bp and it came up completely normal in the doctor's office -- that that must have reassured my subconscious mind because since then, I don't get nearly as amped up when I'm having my bp taken. It's normal to obsess about it when first diagnosed (and for that obsessing to raise it even further) but hopefully once it's been under control for a bit, it will become less concerning to him.

sueb20 - so glad your DH went to the doc. HBP is the #1 silent killer, and unfortunately, when men are slim like your DH, most health care providers just brand them as being "healthy". My own DH has had this same experience, and because he is in shape and not overweight at all, concerns over the years have sort of been ignored either by our own primary or in the ER.

As far as the meds, everyone is different. If your DH lifestyle won't realistically change all that much, it is safer for him to take the meds. DH opted to change diet and exercise regularly, and that combined with vitamins, getting enough rest and "down" time, he was able to avoid meds.

Just happy to hear he did go to the doctor. Enjoy your vacation.

Wow lkplatow! Your story is very inspiring! I do believe exercise can make a huge difference in our health and how we feel overall. You are walking proof of that!! I have slipped a bit over the holidays/cold and I'm going to make a real effort to get back on track. You really motivated me.

These responses also made me aware of how important it is to have a good doctor and a doctor you can talk to. Our doctor has the same outlook as we do and encourages other routes than pills when at all possible.

tina

Sue, just going to the doctor and getting the meds is enough to lift a LOT of stress for your dh.

My husband never got headaches with his BP, so don't go by a headache.

Here's hoping he gets it under control!

Tina, I agree about stress, but there are things that stress us out which we can do nothing about so it's always in the forefront of our minds. I'm not the type of person who can push things to the back of my mind. Wish I were! lol

lkplatow, your story is great. Isn't it a rewarding feeling knowing that you did it without the help of meds? I'm not discounting medication (I don't know where I'd be without my Detrol LA...tmi). For some it's the best choice...however, for me, when I see my #'s (including my increase in bone density), I kinda feel good that I did it through exercise.

Yes, it's startling how much can be done thru excercise/weight-loss!!!

Now to get my Norwegian-a$$ back on the ol' Schwinn Aire-Dyne!!! Kinda retro...like me!
But NOW, since my B-day, I've got an I-pod to rock to on the bike!!
Hearing-specialist, here I come!

Faron

Well, after a fun dinner with friends last night, and of course today being Saturday, DH's BP was 138/70 this morning! Goes to show what work stress can do to a person, I guess.

Faron, I have a Norwegian a$$ too... ha ha... my dad is from SD and all my relatives on his side live in SD and MN.

iPod is a necessary component of any exercise, if you ask me.

Well with proper Norsky "roots" like those, you're all set!

Can I hear a big "UFFDA" from the choir?!

I can't wait for Lutefisk & Lefse on Christmas-Eve!
(DD not so much on the Lutefisk...)

Keep an eye on that DH of yours...and yourself too. Women aren't immune from BP-issues either. It's even sneakier!

Faron

Good point Faron and it goes without saying that we should all be having regular physicals. Complete physicals.

Glad to hear he's doing better Sue, perhaps the worry/stress was really sending it up.

tina

With regard to stress - exercise is an absolute necessity. No we can't avoid some stressors, they are there no matter what we are doing. However, exercising works in two ways, it takes your mind off your problems for a bit; and it really helps keep you in shape.

From my own perspective, I know that when I am working out, I am definitely not thinking about anything other than getting through my workout!

oakley - have you tried any type of meditation or yoga? Both help greatly in reducing stress. No they won't eliminate what is stressing you out, but doing one or both, can certainly help you better cope without meds.

I'm female, 5' 7", 125 lbs, my cholesterol levels are great, I eat healthy and work out at a gym daily. My BP was around 105/65 since I was in my twenties. Two years ago (at 52) I got a sore throat with swollen glands so I went to the doctor. My BP had gone up to 175/95 overnight! I know this because I check my heart rate and BP at the gym every day and it was my normal 105/65 the day before I got the sore throat.

My throat culture came back positive for strep throat (which my doc said isn't too common among middle age folks) and I was put on antibiotics. The doctor wanted to wait until I'd finished the medication and the strep had cleared to see if my BP went back to normal. Unfortunately, it never did, and I had to be put on BP medication. My doctor thinks the strep throat somehow shocked my system and caused my BP to be permanently altered.

On medication (the lowest dose possible) it hovers around my previous 105/65, but if she takes me off that low dose, it shoots right back up again. So I guess I'm on meds for life now. Just wanted to share that it's possible for BP to go haywire with a virus or bacterial infection and be unable to regulate itself back to normal afterwards.