Blood Pressure UP??

[SamiKing]

Hi everyone!

I went to the doctors this morning to get more birth control and she said my blood pressure has gone UP!

Could this have anything to do with LC? Has anyone else had this?

I've just looked at ways to reduce high blood pressure and it says to eat less salt (I add no salt to my cooking and I very rarely eat processed foods. The only thing I can think of that I eat regularly that has salt in is mayo), it also says to eat lots of vegetables, which I do, and drink less alcohol, which I don't do at all.

So I'm a bit concerned about why this may be!? I do smoke, but I've always smoked (don't worry, I'm already planning to quit as soon as I've got my weight to where I want it to be - I want to get one stress out of the way before I add another) and I don't exercise as much as I should. But I don't understand why, since I've been low carbing, why it would have gone up?

Any advice would be great. Thanks.

Hope you're all doing good!

[Leo41]

A friend of mine is a smoker, and her doctor attributes her BP problems to her smoking.

What about your birth control? Do you take something that could elevate BP?

It's certainly not an effect of low carb eating, as this WOE tends to be diuretic, and less fluid tends to lower BP.

[SamiKing]

Thanks Leo41, I'm glad to know it's not my WOE that has caused it. I'm sure it is to do with smoking, which I know I need to stop ASAP. I'm just so confused about why it has gone up since I started eating low carb, that's all. Nothing else has changed! Maybe it's just the extra months of smoking adding up... argh!

[watcher513]

Some headache and allergy or sinus OTC medication can cause it to go up also.

[rotay60]

Same thing happened to me, and I smoked also. I no longer smoke...since Nov 2011. It scared me, I quit low carb. I am back now, blood pressure is fine. I DO attribute mine to ingesting too much salt. I was eating a lot of bacon and sausage.

[SamiKing]

watcher 513, I don't take any tablets for headaches or sinus related stuff, but I do take an anti-depressant which has some sort of anti-histamine properties (or so I have read.) Could that be related?

rotay60, I don't actually eat much salt at all - I very rarely have bacon (maybe twice a month) and I don't eat sausages. Like I said, the only thing I eat on a regular basis that has salt in it is mayonnaise.

I did just read that eggs can cause high blood pressure... not sure what I think about that !?!

[FatCat]

There is also the possibility it went up because you were at the Dr's office.

I had a physical done last year for pre-employment. My BP was sky-high! Like 190/135.
The took it a couple of times, and it stayed high. Of course, they held me up for that, despite my protests that it wasn't normal.

I went to my regular Dr., where my BP fell to 115/80, and that has been a typical readiing whenever I'd go see him. He signed off for me, and said my BP was under control.

Stress can make it go up, and it doesn't take much to elevate it. I like my Dr. and I'm relaxed around him. The other place, well, I've been out of work a long time so I needed that job and was worried about the physical. So, my BP was super high.

[Yellobrix]

I get "white coat syndrome" so after they check it the first time (high) it gets checked after the visit is over (low) and everyone is happy. It's goofy, it's mental, but it always goes that way for me.

There's quite a bit of research showing that salt is not the demon it's purported to be, and in fact when eating fewer carbs, can be beneficial. (Jan A. Staessen, MD, PhD, of the University of Leuven, Belgium, led a study that measured urinary sodium levels in 3,681 healthy, 40-ish people and then followed their health for about eight years. Their finding: People with the highest sodium levels had a significantly lower risk of dying from heart disease than did people with the lowest sodium levels.)

There are quite a few supplements that can help lower BP. Olive leaf extract is awesome! (Olive Leaf to Treat Hypertension)

Calcium taken together with vitamin D can also help keep BP in the proper range.

[clackley]

I have white coat syndrome and always have an elevated b.p. at the doc's office. I got my own machine and it is low normal at home. There are many things that can affect b.p. and having it higher on one doctors visit should not be cause for concern.

The sodium theory is another of those things that we have all come to believe but holds very little actual evidence. For futher information google nyt salt, we misjudged you. Another great reference is Phinney and Volek's work on the subject. The following is from a blog by the name of 'mendosa' (a synopsis of the information from the book "THE ART AND SCIENCE OF LOW CARBOHYDRATE LIVING"...

They write that when our bodies adapt to a low-carb diet, our kidneys fundamentally change how they handle sodium by aggressively secreting sodium.

“A continuous moderate intake of sodium is necessary to keep your circulation adequate to handle ‘heat stresses’ like hot weather, endurance activity, or even a hot shower,” they write. “If you are eating less than 60 grams of carbohydrate per day, you need to purposefully add 2-3 grams of sodium to your daily intake (unless you are still taking diuretic medication under a doctor’s direction for high blood pressure or fluid retention.”

Hope this is of some help.

[SamiKing]

Fatcat, it could have been to do with stress. I had been stressed for the previous 30 minutes as I thought I was actually going to miss the appointment due to the bus being late, and then when I got off the bus I had to walk rather quickly to the surgery. So I was pretty "AHH!" But not hugely so.

Yellobrix, it was taken at the end of the visit and I am generally not worried around my doctor as I have been seeing her for a year and have had no issues with her. I would say that I am a little more on edge than usual in the surgery but not massively. Thanks for the suggestions. Will look into the olive leaf.

clackley, thanks for all the information. Again, I don't have problems seeing the doctor as I have been seeing her for a long time and have never had any problems with her. I am a little more on edge when in the surgery but not so that I feel panicked or very anxious. I am considering buying an at home BP reader to see if it makes any difference at home, and also to take it at different times during the day after doing certain things to see whether it goes up or down. That's very interesting about the sodium... I probably don't eat anywhere near that amount on a daily basis. Maybe I should - it may make me feel better!

thanks again all!

[Annabel Lee]

Never could take BC pills because when on them my BP went up.
It is fine on low carb.

[LiterateGriffin]

Stress and pain can also cause your blood pressure (BP) to skyrocket.

The last time I went to the doctor, it was because my knee had flared up. My BP is usually 90/60. It read 140/90 that day.
The gal immediately asked me, "Are you in a lot of pain right now?"
"Yes."
"Ah. That would explain this reading. So why are you here today?"
"BECAUSE I'M IN A LOT OF PAIN RIGHT NOW!" (At which point I'm sure my BP rose even more!)

Don't panic over one high reading. A lot of things can cause it. You'd be AMAZED at what stress can do to your reading, even if its's "only a little bit of stress". As far as your BP is concerned, having a little stress is like being a little bit pregnant, or only slightly dead... or somewhat female.

[ravenrose]

I would seriously doubt it has anything to do with low carbing. Some people are genetically predisposed to high blood pressure, no matter how much you cut your salt or what you eat. just take the pills if need be, it's nothing to fool around with! good luck.

[Janknitz]

I went to the doctor last week and my BP was really high. I took it at home in the morning before the appointment and it was 117/72. At the doctor's office it was 190/40.

Part of it is white coat syndrome, especially because I was meeting a new doctor for the first time and felt kind of nervous about it. The other thing is I rushed to get to the appointment on time (then had to wait 1/2 an hour for her--grrrr!).

But the other thing is that the medical assistant took my BP with my arm haging down at my side which is NOT the proper way to take a BP (it can raise the readings significantly if the arm is not supported at heart level). When she started to give me the "your blood pressure is a little high" spiel I pointed it out to her and she DENIED it at first. Then she was going to take it again, but the look of confusion on her face told me she didn't even KNOW how to take it properly. I told her to forget it and have the doctor take it.

[DiamondDeb]

Originally Posted by Janknitz

I went to the doctor last week and my BP was really high. I took it at home in the morning before the appointment and it was 117/72. At the doctor's office it was 190/40.

Part of it is white coat syndrome, especially because I was meeting a new doctor for the first time and felt kind of nervous about it. The other thing is I rushed to get to the appointment on time (then had to wait 1/2 an hour for her--grrrr!).

But the other thing is that the medical assistant took my BP with my arm haging down at my side which is NOT the proper way to take a BP (it can raise the readings significantly if the arm is not supported at heart level). When she started to give me the "your blood pressure is a little high" spiel I pointed it out to her and she DENIED it at first. Then she was going to take it again, but the look of confusion on her face told me she didn't even KNOW how to take it properly. I told her to forget it and have the doctor take it.

Exactly!

I can count on one hand -with fingers left over - the number of times my BP has been taken correctly at the doctor's office. No point in correcting them because if they had a clue how to do it correctly they would.

My BP is always up at the doctor's office compared to when I do it - correctly - at home.

[Liz1959]

Most drug stores have bp machines. I check mine whenever I see one.
If they checked it as soon as you got there like my nurse usually does, it would probably be elevated. Cherk it yourself and see how it trends.

[pocahontas]

BC pills and smoking are two of the most common BP risers. LC always helps with my BP. Always. I too suffer from the white coat syndrome. Not always but most of the time. Im not sure what makes me nervous at the Dr. office but it does!