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02-02-2009, 09:19 PM
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#1
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 619
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Blood Pressure...arrrgh
So this morning I nearly swooned at work and was carted off to the medical department. (Yes, I said the "w' word.) They checked me out and shipped me to my physician...I left clutching a prescription for blood pressure meds and instructions to lay off the salt and learn coping mechanisms for stress.
NO SALT ?? So this is hell.
I'm whiney.
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02-02-2009, 09:36 PM
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#2
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: LaLa Land
Posts: 4,698
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Sarah, no biggie. If this is the worst thing you have to worry about in life you'll be all set. There are other seasonings after all.
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02-02-2009, 09:42 PM
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#3
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Gone but not forgotten
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 6,924
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After a while you won't miss the salt.
__________________
"Knowin' no one nowhere's gonna miss us when we're gone..."
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02-03-2009, 05:58 AM
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#4
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,500
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I don't add extra salt to my food - - never have. But once I tried living on a low salt diet, and it is very difficult to do! So many foods are naturally salty.
My sympathies.
Maybe once your BP is under control, you might be able to have something salty on rare occasions, at least.
__________________
Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.
Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
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02-03-2009, 07:52 AM
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#5
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 4,172
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Khan
After a while you won't miss the salt.
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not only that.........many foods will start tasting too salty ......which will help you keep control.
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02-03-2009, 10:19 AM
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#6
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 53
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What was the blood pressure?
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02-03-2009, 10:39 AM
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#7
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,483
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SarahW
So this morning I nearly swooned at work and was carted off to the medical department. (Yes, I said the "w' word.) They checked me out and shipped me to my physician...I left clutching a prescription for blood pressure meds and instructions to lay off the salt and learn coping mechanisms for stress.
NO SALT ?? So this is hell.
I'm whiney.
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Time to FIRE< remove the stress, and then eat all the pickles you want..........
__________________
Consult with your own advisor or representative. My thoughts should not be construed as investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results (love that one).......:)
This Thread is USELESS without pics.........:)
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02-03-2009, 11:38 AM
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#8
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 401
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There's a substantial population of people for whom eliminating salt
doesn't lower blood pressure. Do the experiment on yourself ... you
may not have any benefit from lowering salt. Not a physician, but
this is what I've read ...
Exercise, exercise, exercise ...
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02-03-2009, 02:39 PM
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#9
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2008
Location: No fixed abode
Posts: 8,765
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In my case cutting back on salt didn't make a lick of difference. Exercise and weight loss have made a huge difference though. I've dropped from the 140s over 90s to the 1teens over 70ish in a year or so. However, I don't eat that much salt anyway. It's not intentional, it's a side effect of eating healthier in general. Salad just isn't that salty. I get most of my salt from the rim of the glass.
__________________
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement." - Anonymous (not Will Rogers or Sam Clemens)
DW and I - FIREd at 50 (7/06), living off assets
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02-03-2009, 02:44 PM
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#10
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Bossier City
Posts: 2,183
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I went to see the doctor today myself, because I know my BP is higher than it oughta be. Also, my glucose is too high. He put me on Lisinopril 10mg for starters. Once my lab results are read, I'm pretty sure I'll be taking meds for that (sugar) as well. I haven't done a good job of taking care of myself, and now I'm hoping it's not too late.
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02-03-2009, 06:13 PM
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#11
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 12,657
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An anecdote to share: A close relative in his early 70's developed seriously elevated BP. Stress was blamed, since relative had been going through a rough patch. Age, of course, was also blamed, as tends to happen.
Doctor put him on BP medicine, which brought down the pressure, but relative was unhappy. Saw himself chained to BP meds for the rest of his life. He has always been the sort who hates taking medicine of any kind.
Bottom line, he got busy and lost 20 pounds (hadn't exactly been "fat," but didn't miss the 20, either); and the BP plummeted. He was taking his BP regularly, but neglected to take his medicine sometimes, and still the pressure came down. Finally, he stopped taking the medicine entirely, and still got good readings. The doctor did say there could be a connection between the weight loss and the BP reduction.
May not apply to OP's case - OP may have no extra weight to lose - YMMV, etc. etc. - just thought it was worth mentioning.
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02-03-2009, 06:18 PM
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#12
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 17,774
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Also, have your thyroid checked. DH's blood pressure dropped into normal range when he was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and put on thyroid meds. He's always been thin, always exercised, but always had high-ish BP. Restricting salt had no effect on it.
__________________
“Would you like an adventure now, or would you like to have your tea first?” J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
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02-03-2009, 07:04 PM
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#13
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2008
Location: No fixed abode
Posts: 8,765
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Amethyst
May not apply to OP's case - OP may have no extra weight to lose - YMMV, etc. etc. - just thought it was worth mentioning.
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I suspect exercise is more important than weight loss. I know plenty of people who are "normal" weight but have high BP. But AFAIK none of the "in shape" people I know have it. Additionally, I know a few heavier people who are active and have normal BP. Of course, as everyone else says, YMMV.
__________________
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement." - Anonymous (not Will Rogers or Sam Clemens)
DW and I - FIREd at 50 (7/06), living off assets
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02-03-2009, 08:37 PM
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#14
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 619
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I'm fairly active and not overweight...so I'll go with stress and maybe genetics. My mother hardly weighed 100 pounds her entire life but she had high BP and a Type A personality.
Wine. That's the ticket.
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02-03-2009, 08:44 PM
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#15
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Administrator
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: N. Yorkshire
Posts: 34,128
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SarahW
I'm fairly active and not overweight...so I'll go with stress and maybe genetics. My mother hardly weighed 100 pounds her entire life but she had high BP and a Type A personality.
Wine. That's the ticket.
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Whine while you wine and dine on a salt free diet - that's the way we do it
Seriously, we never add salt to anything and actively seek low salt foods and quickly got used to it a good few years ago. Plenty of excellent salt-free spices out there.
__________________
Retired in Jan, 2010 at 55, moved to England in May 2016
Enough private pension and SS income to cover all needs
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02-03-2009, 08:47 PM
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#16
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Gone but not forgotten
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 6,924
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From an evolutionary perspective: humans need (and crave) small amounts of fat and salt. They are rare in the diet of hunter-gatherers.
Now we can and do consume vast quantities.
__________________
"Knowin' no one nowhere's gonna miss us when we're gone..."
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02-04-2009, 11:32 AM
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#17
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 4,898
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SarahW
I'm fairly active and not overweight...so I'll go with stress and maybe genetics. My mother hardly weighed 100 pounds her entire life but she had high BP and a Type A personality.
Wine. That's the ticket.
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I learned from Rich on this forum that for some of us, wine will raise the blood pressure. The day after having a glass or two of wine, my BP is elevated. If I lay off for about 3-4 days my BP is normal. Rich is the only Dr that I've heard mention this factor. It's even hard to find through an Internet search. But alcohol is definitely a factor for me as well as caffeine.
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02-04-2009, 11:52 AM
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#18
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,433
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldbabe
I learned from Rich on this forum that for some of us, wine will raise the blood pressure. The day after having a glass or two of wine, my BP is elevated. If I lay off for about 3-4 days my BP is normal. Rich is the only Dr that I've heard mention this factor.
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This is interesting, since I have read and even heard from doctors, that a glass of wine per day (particularly red) is good for the heart.
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02-04-2009, 02:32 PM
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#19
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,860
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SarahW
They checked me out and shipped me to my physician...I left clutching a prescription for blood pressure meds and instructions to lay off the salt and learn coping mechanisms for stress.
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This is reminiscent of Army medics slapping a gauze bandage on a flesh wound and wrapping the tape extra tight so that they can get you back into combat before the next quarter's financial results are due troops are slaughtered.
When I was working, even at the Navy's "low stress" submarine training commands, I'd routinely run 145/85 and get threatened with the whole high-BP regime. Today, nearly seven years into ER, my BP is 115/70. There was only one clinically-significant change to contributing factors over that period, and it wasn't salt or medications...
Spouse was usually around 110/70 during her working days, and now she's as low as 95/55.
__________________
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Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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02-04-2009, 02:54 PM
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#20
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 8,827
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It would be uncommon for 1 drink per day to have a major effect on most people's blood pressure, but some are genetically more sensitive than others to the effects.
I'd suggest that you check your own BP in relationship to alcohol intake. I think most people won't notice much difference. Start getting up to 3 drinks a day or more and it's a different story. Over 10% of hypertensive men probably have it as a result of excess alcohol intake.
I do believe that 1-2 glasses of wine a day probably has more benefit than risk for people without other medical conditions such as liver or GI problems, alcoholism, etc.
__________________
Rich
San Francisco Area
ESR'd March 2010. FIRE'd January 2011.
As if you didn't know..If the above message contains medical content, it's NOT intended as advice, and may not be accurate, applicable or sufficient. Don't rely on it for any purpose. Consult your own doctor for all medical advice.
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