4 kids, Hypertension, and High Cholesterol

[everettdaddy]

And all before i am 30.

Was wondering if anyone else has similar problems, and how you cope with it.

Especially for a new parent.:

[rdl2k5]

I have 3 kids. 1 2 yo and 2 11 month old twins. I had high cholesterol, medium blood pressure (inching upwards) and was overweight. The way I coped with it was to start exercising 30 minutes a day 5 days a week. Drinking tons of water and eating smaller portions of everything. I eat tons of fruit and vegetables now. I lost 30 lbs and my cholesterol went way down and my blood pressure is at 120/70.

Walk with your kids in a stroller/carrier. My start into all this was walking my dog and first daughter every day for 30 minutes to an hour. I then started drinking only water. Cokes/fast food were my vice. One day I just decided that I don't drink soft drinks with sugar in them and I don't do fast food. I'll still have a diet mountain dew here and there but I didn't have any carbonated drinks or caffeine for about 6months. Once I knew I had broken the cycle of cokes all the time I could add back caffeinated coffee diet drinks etc.

I have also had issues with sciatica (horribly painful back/leg problems) so I know what it feels like to be completely grounded.

Eat less/healthier, drink tons of water, exercise. It's a slow process. It's hard at first but my motto about a lot of things is to picture yourself in a year and you can either be 10 pounds heavier or 10 pounds lighter. You can make the decision today. I used this same logic with college. It took me 4 years to finish 2 years while I was working full time/had kids/was first married. At the time it seemed like I was spinning wheels. Then at the end of that 4 years, I had a degree and never have to think about it again.

My apologies if weight is not an issue and it's another medical condition. But typically high blood pressure/cholesterol/hypertension are due to poor eating/unhealthy choices. I feel I can talk about it because I've been there and done that.

[guestmama9916]

I don't believe high cholesterol is a bad thing. The people who live the longest are the ones with the highest cholesterol levels. However, mainstream doctors aren't aware of this and the drug companies are making too much money with their cholesterol lowering drugs to admit that cholesterol isn't the evil substance that years of bad research has made it out to be. A great book to read is The Cholesterol Myth by Dr. Uffe Ravnskov. Another book I highly recommend is Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. There's a support group for NT and traditional foods right here on MDC under Nutrition. A great web resource for eating traditional foods is www.westonaprice.org. Traditional Foods are nutrient dense. Your whole family can benefit from it. We've been doing it for about 6 months now and have never felt better. I've even lost 10 lbs without even trying. I think its because we avoid processed foods now. From what I've read on the Weston Price website and in the Nourishing Traditions book, vegetable oils (soybean, corn, safflower, etc) are the ones that are worst for your heart. Traditional fats such as coconut oil, butter, lard, tallow and goose fat are the best for your health despite what the mainstream says. The reason behind this is probably due to the fact that veggies oils go rancid once heat is added. Rancid oils rob the body of vitamins and turn into something like paint thinner during digestion. Animal fats are much more stable when heated. I could go on and on about all of this stuff. It has been my passion since my dad had a heart attack at 54 last year despite his mainstream heart healthy diet (margarine, veggie oils, low fat, etc). It left me with alot of questions about mainstream advice. That's why the NT book and Weston Price research makes so much sense to me. Plus the food we eat is so tasty!!

[everettdaddy]

Thank you all for the advice. I am starting ot eat healthier, and drinking tons of water.
Weight isn't an issue for me, because of my LSO, since we started seeing and being with each other (1 1/2 years) and the last time i had weighted myself.. 2 years ago... I have lost over 50 pounds... I was at 220-230 now I am at 175.. I haven't been there since High School...

[smudge]

Your high blood pressure could be genetic. Anyone in your family struggle with it? All of the other lifestyle changes are great, but if it is a genetic issue work with your doc to get your numbers down appropriately.
A daily bowl of oatmeal dropped my cholesterol numbers like a rock!

[everettdaddy]

Yes, High blood pressure runs in my family.. My grandfather died from a heart-attack a little over a year ago. He was 65 or so.

[smudge]

Originally Posted by everettdaddy

Yes, High blood pressure runs in my family.. My grandfather died from a heart-attack a little over a year ago. He was 65 or so.

Wow, 65 is not that old. What exactly are your BP numbers? If you do not already have a home BP monitor might be a good idea to get one.
I have been on BP meds since my baby was born 10/05. It is genetic, my dad has hypertension and has been on meds since he was my age, or younger. The lifestyle changes are all great, but sometimes you need a little extra boost. If you are a smoker, now is the time to quit.

Best wishes to you!

Cardiac RN for the last 10yrs. Sorry if I get preachy!

[everettdaddy]

My numbers from my appt. yesterday were 140/100.

I have been on Diretics (Sp) for about 2 months now, and he also wants me too take linso-something or other with it.

Oh and the gosh-darn nurses messed up my weight before... But you should have seen the look on my face when I thought I had gained 50 pounds in two weeks.

Why don't they do what guys do, and weigh twice, record once.

[Mama Dragon]

Lisinopril is a diuretic, but you'll possibly have to take potassium (by prescription, the OTC kinds don't have enough) with it as Lisinopril depletes potassium. Ask about Spironolactone (no idea if it'll do you any good, but my dad takes both and they work well together, and with the spironolactone, he doesn't have to take as much potassium)

You have to take care of yourself now. You are my dad almost 50 years ago. He had all the signs but was too stubborn to quit smoking or eat better and he went 20 years without managing his diabetes. Diabetes is often a direct result of unmanaged heart issues. He had a heart attack in 1981, a quintuple bipass in 1991, weighs 275, has diabetes and high blood pressure. He's also in atrial fibulation, where his heart rhythm is permanently out of rhythm. He's got cataracts in both eyes, and glaucoma, and a few other things. All could have been prevented.

Besides the 15 or so daily meds by dad is on (yes, it will get that bad if you don't take care of yourself now), he also takes these supplements: CoQ10, B12, B Complex, Vitamin C, Calcium and an Omega Complex. He also takes 81mg of asprin a day, ask your doctor about it. His health is actually better these past couple years since I started him on that and stopped letting him get the flu shot (his heart issues were much worse and he was sick all the time until 4 years ago when he stopped getting the flu shot). You have the chance now to make 2 choices, one to live out the rest of your hopefully long life eating well, not smoking, exercising, losing any excess weight (as you can, I know genetics can really make that one hard), really respecting your body, or, saying screw it, it's not worth it and ending up with necropathy in your limbs and under a scalpel to repair an abused body.

Re: High choloesterol. My dad takes Simvistatin for it, but that depletes some things in your body. I started my dad on coQ 10 and the Omega Complex (fatty acids) because there has been some research done that those things, along with a healthy diet, are great for regulating cholesterol without spendy drugs.

I know you aren't ask bad as my dad, but hopefully a look at what could be will help you decide it's better to get yourself healthy now. He had 5 kids BTW, but all these problems started pre-kids. We just made it worse

BTW, I live daily, unmedicated, with HBP. One of these days I'll get around to research herbal methods to bring it down, but obviously I haven't keeled over yet.

[Mama Dragon]

Oh, by any chance, are you being seen by the VA?

[Warda_Rose]

I've been researching herbs for my DH's blood pressure and Hawthorn is one that looks really good.

[smudge]

Originally Posted by Synthea™

Lisinopril is a diuretic, but you'll possibly have to take potassium (by prescription, the OTC kinds don't have enough) with it as Lisinopril depletes potassium. Ask about Spironolactone (no idea if it'll do you any good, but my dad takes both and they work well together, and with the spironolactone, he doesn't have to take as much potassium)

You have to take care of yourself now. You are my dad almost 50 years ago. He had all the signs but was too stubborn to quit smoking or eat better and he went 20 years without managing his diabetes. Diabetes is often a direct result of unmanaged heart issues. He had a heart attack in 1981, a quintuple bipass in 1991, weighs 275, has diabetes and high blood pressure. He's also in atrial fibulation, where his heart rhythm is permanently out of rhythm. He's got cataracts in both eyes, and glaucoma, and a few other things. All could have been prevented.

Besides the 15 or so daily meds by dad is on (yes, it will get that bad if you don't take care of yourself now), he also takes these supplements: CoQ10, B12, B Complex, Vitamin C, Calcium and an Omega Complex. He also takes 81mg of asprin a day, ask your doctor about it. His health is actually better these past couple years since I started him on that and stopped letting him get the flu shot (his heart issues were much worse and he was sick all the time until 4 years ago when he stopped getting the flu shot). You have the chance now to make 2 choices, one to live out the rest of your hopefully long life eating well, not smoking, exercising, losing any excess weight (as you can, I know genetics can really make that one hard), really respecting your body, or, saying screw it, it's not worth it and ending up with necropathy in your limbs and under a scalpel to repair an abused body.

Re: High choloesterol. My dad takes Simvistatin for it, but that depletes some things in your body. I started my dad on coQ 10 and the Omega Complex (fatty acids) because there has been some research done that those things, along with a healthy diet, are great for regulating cholesterol without spendy drugs.

I know you aren't ask bad as my dad, but hopefully a look at what could be will help you decide it's better to get yourself healthy now. He had 5 kids BTW, but all these problems started pre-kids. We just made it worse

BTW, I live daily, unmedicated, with HBP. One of these days I'll get around to research herbal methods to bring it down, but obviously I haven't keeled over yet.

Some good info here. However, Lisinopril IS NOT a diuretic. She is probably thinking of Lasix. These are two very different medications. Lisinopril is actually in a family of drugs called ACE Inhibitors. ACE stands for angiotensin converting enzyme. This drug inhibits the hormones that can constrict the arteries which causes the blood pressure to rise.

Heart Disease IS NOT caused by Diabetes, but Diabetes can often lead to heart disease. Diabetics are twice as likely to develop plaque in their arteries as someone who is NOT diabetic. If you are struggling with this disease, a daily walk is the thing to do!
Synthea's dad more than likely has heart failure now from a lifetime of untreated/unmanaged heart disease/diabetes/blood pressure.

The heart is an amazing little organ. Years of untreated hypertension can actually cause remodeling of the heart muscle. The heart gets a signal from the body that it is not getting enough blood (because of high BP), the heart then thinks if it makes more muscle then the rest of the body will get more blood. The oposite in fact becomes true. The heart can develop a thickened wall, which will pump LESS blood to the body. Once this happens, there is no turning back.

Heart attacks will cause scaring in the heart muscle which can also lead to rhythm problems (atrial fibrillation) and also a flabby heart that does not pump as efficiently. Hearts that no longer pump efficiently buy you loads of pills (like Synthea's dad).

I would be happy to answer any other questions you may have. I have been a Cardiac RN for the last 10 yrs, it's kinda my specialty....

[Mama Dragon]

Oops about lisinopril....too many medications to keep track of.... sorry (it was lasix I was thinking of, furosemide being the generic which my dad is also on)

Lisinopril was actually prescribed to him for "kidney protection", I know if he doesn't take it (the VA is famous for "losing" refill requests), his edema get bad quickly. not sure how the whole thing works!

[everettdaddy]

Honeslty, (I haven't checked in a while) but i think that moving from the PNW (Everett, Wa) to the South (Oklahoma City, OK) has helped alot. I have never really felt stressed out.. but i have noticed that i have slowed down a bit, and i haven't slugging down the energy drinks like i had to before.