High Blood Pressure

Jay Honeck wrote:
Well, I'm officially old. After watching my blood pressure slowly climb
over the last three years (strangely, the years we've owned the hotel --
coincidence? :-), my doctor has decided that my ineffective weight loss
efforts aren't going to do the trick.

Here are the facts: BP is 155/85. Weight: 197. Height: 6'. Exercise: 30
minutes every day. Family has a history of strokes and high blood pressure.

The good doctor says the elevated BP isn't being caused by my weight, which
isn't too far out of line for a 46 year old guy. (Although losing 15 pounds
would certainly help.) He has prescribed Vasotec for me, which *is* on the
AOPA's list of FAA approved medications, thankfully.

For those who have already been down this road, did this medication cause
any side effects? The doc says the most common one is a nagging cough, for
no known reason.

Thanks!

I had the same thing happen when I was 37 (I'm now 45). I started out
on Vasotec also as best I recall. I think this is in the class called
ACE inhibitors, right? I've taken a couple of different one's since
then, mainly due to requests by my insurance company, and am now taking
Atacand. I think most all of the ACE inhibitors are FAA approved and
I've never had a side-effect attributed to the BP meds. I've always
taken the smallest dose available and it has kept my BP under good control.


Matt

Matt Whiting wrote:
Jay Honeck wrote:

Well, I'm officially old. After watching my blood pressure slowly
climb over the last three years (strangely, the years we've owned the
hotel -- coincidence? :-), my doctor has decided that my ineffective
weight loss efforts aren't going to do the trick.

Here are the facts: BP is 155/85. Weight: 197. Height: 6'.
Exercise: 30 minutes every day. Family has a history of strokes and
high blood pressure.

The good doctor says the elevated BP isn't being caused by my weight,
which isn't too far out of line for a 46 year old guy. (Although
losing 15 pounds would certainly help.) He has prescribed Vasotec
for me, which *is* on the AOPA's list of FAA approved medications,
thankfully.

For those who have already been down this road, did this medication
cause any side effects? The doc says the most common one is a nagging
cough, for no known reason.

Thanks!


I had the same thing happen when I was 37 (I'm now 45). I started out
on Vasotec also as best I recall. I think this is in the class called
ACE inhibitors, right? I've taken a couple of different one's since
then, mainly due to requests by my insurance company, and am now taking
Atacand. I think most all of the ACE inhibitors are FAA approved and
I've never had a side-effect attributed to the BP meds. I've always
taken the smallest dose available and it has kept my BP under good control.

It was my AME that spotted my sugar problem. My primary physician put
me on dyazide (diuretic) and later switched me to lisinopril, an ACE
inhibitor that also helps with diabetes. I am on 5 mg per day but the
AME said he starts patients on 40 mg!

There have not been any ED problems. The AME was completely satisfied
with my BG record that I bought in. I have a program that reads out the
data from my BG meter and lets me plot it over a selected date range.

I don't have full blown type-2 but am able to control blood glucose
and blood pressure through diet and exercise (uggggh). Avoid white
things: rice, bread, pasta. Avoid salt but it's almost impossible to
get your calories and keep Na down to 1500 mg per day (recommendation by
the ADA).

I haven't had a beer in 2 years because of the starch in it. "Low carb
beer" is an oxymoron anyway. However, alcohol does _lower_ blood
glucose and blood pressure. It's just fattening.

If anyone out there has an alternative to the treadmill and Nautilus
machines, please let me know. Exercise is the most mindless activity I
an imagine. A standard day involves 8 hour of sleep and 8 hours of
work, leaving 8 hours for everything else including exercise. An hour
of exercise wastes 12.5% of your "usable" life. As things stand, I can
stop exercising but would have to take a diabetes-specific drug for the
rest of my life. That would void my 3rd class Medical Certificate.

William W. Plummer wrote:

If anyone out there has an alternative to the treadmill and Nautilus
machines, please let me know. Exercise is the most mindless activity I
an imagine. A standard day involves 8 hour of sleep and 8 hours of
work, leaving 8 hours for everything else including exercise. An hour
of exercise wastes 12.5% of your "usable" life. As things stand, I can
stop exercising but would have to take a diabetes-specific drug for the
rest of my life. That would void my 3rd class Medical Certificate.

I bought a good bicycle last summer and took several 25 mile rides in
hilly country. It helped me lose 10 lbs. over the summer and is much
more enjoyable than a stationary bike in a fitness center ... even with
the TVs and head phones. I'd always had really cheap 10-12 speed road
bikes before and they were a pain to ride. My new Fuji comfort style
bike is pretty comfortable even for a 45 year-old body. I'm looking
forward to the end of winter so I can get back on the road.

Why do you say an hour of exercise wastes 12.5% of your usable life? If
it lets you live 10 years longer, then you'll likely at least break
even. :-)


Matt

Matt Whiting wrote:

William W. Plummer wrote:

If anyone out there has an alternative to the treadmill and Nautilus
machines, please let me know. Exercise is the most mindless activity
I an imagine. A standard day involves 8 hour of sleep and 8 hours of
work, leaving 8 hours for everything else including exercise. An hour
of exercise wastes 12.5% of your "usable" life. As things stand, I
can stop exercising but would have to take a diabetes-specific drug
for the rest of my life. That would void my 3rd class Medical
Certificate.


I bought a good bicycle last summer and took several 25 mile rides in
hilly country. It helped me lose 10 lbs. over the summer and is much
more enjoyable than a stationary bike in a fitness center ... even with
the TVs and head phones. I'd always had really cheap 10-12 speed road
bikes before and they were a pain to ride. My new Fuji comfort style
bike is pretty comfortable even for a 45 year-old body. I'm looking
forward to the end of winter so I can get back on the road.

Why do you say an hour of exercise wastes 12.5% of your usable life? If
it lets you live 10 years longer, then you'll likely at least break
even. :-)


Matt
One eighth = 0.125 or 12.5%
One hour of the 8 you have for this sort of thing.

William W. Plummer wrote:
Matt Whiting wrote:

William W. Plummer wrote:

If anyone out there has an alternative to the treadmill and Nautilus
machines, please let me know. Exercise is the most mindless
activity I an imagine. A standard day involves 8 hour of sleep and 8
hours of work, leaving 8 hours for everything else including
exercise. An hour of exercise wastes 12.5% of your "usable" life.
As things stand, I can stop exercising but would have to take a
diabetes-specific drug for the rest of my life. That would void my
3rd class Medical Certificate.



I bought a good bicycle last summer and took several 25 mile rides in
hilly country. It helped me lose 10 lbs. over the summer and is much
more enjoyable than a stationary bike in a fitness center ... even
with the TVs and head phones. I'd always had really cheap 10-12 speed
road bikes before and they were a pain to ride. My new Fuji comfort
style bike is pretty comfortable even for a 45 year-old body. I'm
looking forward to the end of winter so I can get back on the road.

Why do you say an hour of exercise wastes 12.5% of your usable life?
If it lets you live 10 years longer, then you'll likely at least break
even. :-)


Matt

One eighth = 0.125 or 12.5%
One hour of the 8 you have for this sort of thing.

I understood the calculation, but I don't agree with the assumption.
The underlying assumption is that the exercise has no affect on your
lifespan and I don't think that is a valid assumption. You only lose
12.5% if the exercise has no redeeming value on your lifespan.

Matt

Backpacking works for me.
I have started making my own dehydrated meals.
This allows me to have total control over the contents.

William W. Plummer wrote:
If anyone out there has an alternative to the treadmill and Nautilus
machines, please let me know. Exercise is the most mindless activity I
an imagine. A standard day involves 8 hour of sleep and 8 hours of
work, leaving 8 hours for everything else including exercise. An hour
of exercise wastes 12.5% of your "usable" life. As things stand, I can
stop exercising but would have to take a diabetes-specific drug for the
rest of my life. That would void my 3rd class Medical Certificate.