Blood Pressure/Medical (longish)

Shirl writes:

I just had mine renewed last week. My BP was 102/62. They just said it
was "good", nothing whatsoever about it being low.

It's low, but low is generally good as long as it doesn't produce symptoms and
is not the result of any disease.

Matt Whiting writes:

I'm guessing that is the BP the doc is looking for while taking the
meds. It needs to be unusually low with the meds if it is to stay low
enough without the meds.

Maybe. But if the meds counteract the body's own attempts to raise BP it may
never drop that low, simply because the body keeps raising it to more normal
levels. Thus, you never get off the meds. The only way to see if it's normal
without medication is to stop the medication, but most doctors won't risk
that. The bad effects of hypertension are well documented, and doctors don't
want to run the risk that the BP would run away if the meds were stopped.

Mxsmanic wrote:
Shirl writes:

I just had mine renewed last week. My BP was 102/62. They just said it
was "good", nothing whatsoever about it being low.

It's low, but low is generally good as long as it doesn't produce symptoms and
is not the result of any disease.

Say Dr. Mxsmanic, the source of all true knowledge.

You just don't get it, do you?

Pronouncements like this just show you to be an arrogant fool.


--
Jim Pennino

Remove .spam.sux to reply.

Mxsmanic wrote in
:

Matt Whiting writes:

I'm guessing that is the BP the doc is looking for while taking the
meds. It needs to be unusually low with the meds if it is to stay
low enough without the meds.

Maybe. But if the meds counteract the body's own attempts to raise BP
it may never drop that low, simply because the body keeps raising it
to more normal levels. Thus, you never get off the meds. The only
way to see if it's normal without medication is to stop the
medication, but most doctors won't risk that. The bad effects of
hypertension are well documented, and doctors don't want to run the
risk that the BP would run away if the meds were stopped.


You are an idiot.

Bertie

Mxsmanic wrote in
:

James writes:

I would have thought that 100/60 is pretty bloody low.

It is.

Is the Doctor getting kickbacks from the drug company?

He is just being extremely conservative. I suspect he just doesn't
want to take him off medication.

I get told my BP is pretty good when it is 115/70.

It is.

Genrerally I am 120/80 and the highest I know about
is 130/80. I did get a reall high reading after cutting myself badly,
152/95, but that does not really count!

Injury and disease can temporarily raise BP. So can dozens of other
things. Unfortunately, there aren't too many things that lower BP,
besides medication, so if you have a lot of things raising it, and you
can't identify those things and eliminate them, you end up on
medication. Diet and exercise are very important, although some
people might prefer medication without diet and exercise requirements
rather than be required to diet and exercise in order to avoid the
meds.

Oh good god, he's dioing medicine now.


Bertie

Mxsmanic wrote in
:

Wizard of Draws writes:

June 2007. I failed my 3rd class medical exam and was grounded. I am
50 years old, 5'9", 158 lbs. No family history of hypertension. But
due to a number of current stress factors in my life, mother in law
and father in law both passing away recently and suddenly, the work
of disposing of the estate, a promotion at work entailing additional
duties and responsibilities, a consistent lunch menu of Chinese food,
and white coat syndrome, my blood pressure was elevated over the FAA
acceptable limits.

You can't be sure that any of these caused the hypertension, although
it's certainly plausible that some or all of these factors may have
played a part.

When a second visit to the AME the next day resulted in even higher
readings, he was forced to send the paperwork to Oklahoma City with
his findings. Note to self, don't drink coca-cola for lunch right
before your BP test.

Coca-Cola wouldn't have much of an effect. However, white-coat
syndrome can be pretty extreme, and could produce higher readings
simply because you worry more on the second pass.

I scheduled a visit with my personal doctor and he did the whole 9
yards, EKG, blood and all. The only thing he found wrong was high
blood pressure of course, and that my cholesterol can be lowered a
bit. But the BP was enough to have him start me on 5 mg Lisinopril
and 25 mg Hydrochlorothiazide daily.

I don't like taking drugs. I don't smoke, drink and never have. I
push through pain of headaches when I get them, which is pretty rare
anyway, thinking it's best to let my body rely on it's own coping
mechanisms. Sorta 'what doesn't kill me, makes me stronger'
mentality. This is not making me happy, on top of not being able to
fly. I grumble and fuss.

I agree with you. Physicians treat hypertension with drugs because
they don't know how to treat it any other way. Diet and exercise
helps some people, but not others. The assumption is that
hypertension is bad because it seems clearly linked to so many other
medical problems, and so it must be lowered by force if it doesn't go
down on its own. I think it would be better to find out why bodies
raise blood pressure in the first place, and correct the cause rather
than treat the symptom, but nobody knows how to do that, and there
doesn't seem to be a great deal of interest in finding out.

Did you ever have any ambulatory BP monitoring? BP that is elevated
at the doctor's office might not be anywhere else, if it is all due to
white-coat syndrome. If it is only moderately elevated this is a
possibility. If it is greatly elevated it is probably at least a
little high even away from the doctor's office. But you don't know if
you don't measure it.

But now... now it's a bitch trying to get those 18 year old legs
back. My lungs are back after 2 months of slogging 3 miles every
other day in the heat and humidity of North Georgia, but the knees
and ankles are still protesting quite loudly. A good pair of running
shoes help, but on some days they help too much. I begin to feel
comfortable with small glimpses of the ol' high and end up pushing it
too much, paying for it the next day with very sore Achilles tendons.

Are you overweight?


Are you?

Bertie

I seem to remember reading that in France one is likely to be treated
for hypotension at levels considered close to ideal in the states. Is
that still the case?

As far as being on meds for life, my husband's cardiologist wants
very much for him, by weight control and exercise, to wean himself off
the diuretic he's taking for mild hypertension. I guess he went to a
different med school than did mxs.

What fraction of Mxs's well written posts are wrong or misleading?
Certainly enough to get newbe pilots in trouble, of course, but those
who get their instruction here are likely to experience a new form of
Darwinean deselection.





On Sep 26, 7:36 am, "Viperdoc" wrote:
Be advised that Anthony Atkielski is not a physician or AME, and should not
be making medical decisions, let alone offering medical advice. He is not a
medical practitioner of any kind. Perhaps he stayed at a Holiday Inn
Express.

Just as in his flying related posts, he thinks he knows a lot more than he
actually does, and taking his advice could be dangerous to those who weren't
aware of his background.

On Wed, 26 Sep 2007 06:38:34 -0500, in rec.aviation.piloting, "Viperdoc"
wrote:

Anthony, are you overweight?

http://www.monochrom.at/english/wow.jpg

Tina wrote in
oups.com:

I seem to remember reading that in France one is likely to be treated
for hypotension at levels considered close to ideal in the states. Is
that still the case?

As far as being on meds for life, my husband's cardiologist wants
very much for him, by weight control and exercise, to wean himself off
the diuretic he's taking for mild hypertension. I guess he went to a
different med school than did mxs.

What fraction of Mxs's well written posts are wrong or misleading?


100%. Even when he's right it's usually only half right.

Bertie

On 2007-09-25 16:59:05 -0700, Wizard of Draws
said:


I can fly again.

Yea! Good to hear you are running again, too.
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor