Hello,
Some reason my post was lost so instead of retyping the long post again, will cut it short.
Info:
Age 46, Male, Over-Weight, non smoker non drinker.
Light and sounds bothers me.
Last 10-15 years have had uncontrolled high blood pressure with severe migraines.
BP ranges from 190/110 - 235/135. Morning when I wake up it usually ranges in the 200's
Have edema on both feet and ankles with red spots, more so on the left. Shoe size was normally 9 1/2, now due to the hamburger bun like look on top of both feet I am forced to wear size 12 w.
I sleep sitting up in a chair with my feet up, have so for the last 3-4 years since laying down gives me extreme migraines. I wake up at different hours each morning, depending when my head wants to explode. This usually is followed by nausea and eyes swelling and tearing. The migraines last around 2-3 hours before I can function. Needless to say I stay up later and later each eve to avoid having to sleep. I pray and wish for the day that a morning never comes again.
I am and have been seen by a Veterans Clinic with no results. My Primary doctor usually has to just give up and walks me to the emergency room for them to try and reduce my bp. When I asked the emergency room doctor what bp reading would a stroke or heart attack patient have, he said mine, 5 hours late he was able to bring it down to 205/120 and sent me home.
If anyone has a clue to help me, let me know, for all I am doing now is sitting here and waiting for the next shoe to drop which I know for a fact will as well as I know what the morning will bring me.
By the way, I have a group of meds beside me if anyone needs to know what they are, I will post them next time.
Thank you, and I hope this posting will get put in.

I don't know any other way to say this... please know that I don't mean for it to hurt. You need to lose weight! Your headaches are likely intensified by the high blood pressure. The swelling is probably made worse by sleeping in the chair. Your feet need to be the same height, or even a little higher, than your heart while you sleep.

I would suggest you start very simply... walk! You need to increase the circulation in your veins/heart and the best way to do this is by walking. It will also help you lose weight. If you are normally sedentary, you can lower your blood pressure in just a few weeks by increasing your activity!

Other ideas that might help:

Eliminate salt and well water from your diet.
Eliminate celery, celery salt & garlic salt from your diet.
Reduce your meat intake, eliminate fatty meat altogether.
Increase your vegetables, fruit and water intake.
Eliminate junk food from your diet.
Reduce your milk fat intake. For instance, if you drink homogenized, reduce to 2%. If you drink 2%, reduce to 1%. If you drink 1%, reduce to skimmed.
Reduce your coffee intake.

Re: walking. If you are so overweight that it is difficult to walk, go for several short walks every day. Try to work up a sweat, and walk as quickly as you can. Don't overdo it! Especially in the beginning. If you can only walk very short distances, increase your walk by two steps each time. If you can walk longer distances, increase your walk by driveways or a block, whichever is appropriate.

Other considerations: have your doctor run a few extra tests. I would have him check for the following: kidney and liver function tests and thyroid tests. If you take amphetamines or diet pills, ask your doctor to help you get off them. Also, if you use over the counter medications (especially painkillers for your headaches, etc.) watch the sodium content! If in doubt or unclear, ask the pharmacist. Don't forget that a lot of allergy and cold medicatins have very high sodium contents as well. Read the labels on all your foods and drinks in an effort to reduce the sodium as much as possible. By the way, if you drink grapefruit juice, it may cause problems with your blood pressure meds.

I really do think your biggest concern should be your weight, though. Weight loss and exercise are your best friends when you have high blood pressure. Start small and build up as you are able.

Good luck!

Hugs, Didi

Well I had hopes, slim as they were that maybe I would find an answer here. If weight was the solution I would be fine. Since there is more than that with high blood pressure, migraines, edema.

Have you been diagnosed with diabetes? You have a few symptoms that point to this also.

Quote:

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Well I had hopes, slim as they were that maybe I would find an answer here.

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Understand that we are not doctors here, your best answer comes directly from your physicians. Not from anonymous people on the internet who are just guessing. Since we don't know your full medical history all we can do is judge from experience and maybe a little education.

Now, what is wrong with losing weight? I love Didi's post above and, as a medical professional in training myself, can't add anymore to it.

Now, I would like to know the meds. It may be possible that the meds you are taking may be causing some of your symptoms.

Secondary hypertension - WebMD

In over 90% of cases the cause of high blood pressure is not known.
When more than 3 different classes of high blood pressure medicines do not control your blood pressure [ <130 / < 85 ] a possible secondary cause should be looked into.
It also sounds like you could be at risk or have sleep apnea.

You need to see your doctor again!

You sound like you have symptoms of congestive heart failure. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can cause this as well as kidney failure.

I don't mean to scare you, but you need to see more than one doctor or get second opinions.






Grace and Peace

Doctor has set me up with an appointment, least he says he did, to check on the sleep apnea. As for the diabetes, the doctor said on my last blood test my sugar was high, a possible borderline diabetic, and set me up, he says, with a dietician. Already did the 24 hour urine sample, waiting and a string of tests that were suppose to be done on it.
Did not truly believe I was going to survive this morning episode. Woke up as usual from my recliner with a pounding migraine that turned into a crippling migraine within 20 minutes. From there it went into body crunching nausea that went on and on. This was added with body drenching sweating with no fever. I was able to get some of my meds down: Lisinopril 40mg tab, Atenolol 100mg tab, Clonidine HCL 0.1mg tab and Iso-Acetazone(Midrin). Some of it I am sure came back up during a 4 hour marathon of moaning and sweating and stomach wrenching nausea. Blood pressure was also taken during and after the episode. During it was 245/128 pulse 92 and after it was 195/125 pulse 83. Wife did all she could do to try to keep me calm. This is the life I am living and it is getting more and more frequent and severe. With trying several VA hospitals, numerous doctors and different websites as well as going the herbs path, I am beyond frustrate and pray nightly that the morning never arrives. Have told this to my wife as well during my bouts. I have heard and do understand that most cases of high blood pressure have few reasons for the cause. Yet, I hope with my body being at constant war and losing the battle with migraines and edema and patchy skin on the edema and now maybe being borderline diabetic. That one day the shoe will finally fall that points to a absolute reason and solution to this nitemare.

I'm sorry that you are going through so much pain. I suffer from an extremely rare blood disorder which causes severe edema (splitting skin from such severe swelling), as well as both migraines and cluster headaches - so I do have a sense of what you are going through, albeit, not as bad. Actually, I don't really think that the only advice I gave you was about weight. I did say that your weight should be a focus. By walking, you increase your oxygen levels AND burn calories. That could help if any of the symptoms you describe are due to weight or circulation issues. I am well aware that your issue is more than being overweight. However, it appears that you fail to see the potential correlation between being overweight and your other issues - perhaps because you don't want to face it??

For the record, being overweight CAN cause high blood pressure (and the result of high blood pressure is usually headaches) and edema. The edema can cause rashes. The high blood pressure can lead to heart issues - which edema (especially of the lower extremeties) can be a symptom of. Sleep apnea and diabetes are also a side effect of being overweight.

I felt that walking can be good for many of your symptoms and the potential causes. It is known to help weight issues, heart problems, migraines and yes, can help edema which may be related to those issues. Losing weight will only be good for you.

In addition, please re-read my original post. All of the 'other ideas' that I listed can help with high blood pressure, weight loss, edema and headaches. I also suggested that you ask your doctor to run kidney, liver function and thyroid tests as well as suggesting you ask the doctor to help you get off amphetamines or diet pills if you were on them. Finally, I suggested that different medications or foods may be impeding the effect on your blood pressure medications.

It also sounds like you aren't sleeping appropriately for many reasons, and this, too, will wreak havoc with your blood pressure, can affect your edema and cause (or worsen) headaches. Exercise, especially walking, can help you to sleep better. Sleep apnea and diabetes ALSO point to weight issues. I can't help but think that losing weight will at the very least ease some of your symptoms which will clear the way to resolving the other issues.

If your present treatment isn't working, I would suggest you print out my response and discuss it with your physician. It sure won't hurt - and, it just may help! Please think seriously of trying to focus on positive things rather than all of your pain and health issues. I know it's easier to say than do, but it CAN help!

Best of luck,

Didi

I will try and add more later but what grammadi said is a good start to fix many of your health problems.
Switch to sea salt. Regular table salt is hard on your blood.
Cut out bleached flour and bleached pasta.

Eat fresh garlic and cayenne
Cayenne is one of the best herbs to use for regulating blood pressure. Since it regulates, it's useful for anyone with high or low blood pressure problems. Cayenne also helps tone the entire circulatory system too though. It feeds the cell structures of veins, arteries, and capillaries so they'll begin to be more elastic again.

Garlic another excellent herb to use for balancing and regulating your blood pressure levels too. Garlic is an herb used for a wide variety of things actually, because it's a powerful natural antibiotic, it kills parasites in the body, and it can kill fungus infections too.

Drink cherry juice to see if that helps the swelling in your legs and feet. It could be gout or digestive problem from too much uric acid and cherry juice pretty much takes care of that. The darker and the tarter the better. Even eat a can of cherries.

Try taking omega 3 and eat fiber (whole wheat, oatmeal, bran, flax, brewers yeast)
Cut out hydrogenated fats in most margarines and cooking oils. Try cooking with olive oil where possible.

You can try white willow and fever few from health food stores for your migraines.

Cut junk food out especially chips and anything that has MSG.

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Okay, I am back and adding to the above and...

What people fail to realize is that their health problems (including over weight)
Stem from years of abusing their bodies with things it can not handle that is why the things me and grammadi are saying to cut out are important for you to cut out. They effect your blood pressure, heart and plaque in the arteries.
For you to start getting better you need to detox your body and take supplements to cleanse the plaque from your arteries. Even if this doesn't cure the problem it should help you on the road to 'feeling' better and having a bit better quality of life as long as you follow our advice. It is still important to see the doctor and if he puts you on cholestrol meds
Then it is even more important to take the omega AND Co Q 10 and eat even more fiber because statin drugs for cholestrol kill your bodies natural processing of these.