Since (self included) most here are a bunch of grumpy old men I thought
this worth asking.

I'm 67 years old and have always had good checkups. I also take my pulse
occasionally and it's always been excellent...typical 62 or so. My
assumption was "all ok."

Have not had a physical in a few years but recently had one and my blood
pressure was about 40 points high. Doc said not to panic...happens
pretty often to men in my age group and I will return in a few days to
probably get medication.

In the mean time I got a blood pressure meter and have cut back on
sodium intake. After a few days my pressure dropped about ten points and
I also noticed that coffee (thankfully) did not affect things.

Anyone else here taking blood pressure meds? If so, what are the results
and how many pills a day do you take?

thanks


M

On 10/14/2016 9:36 AM, philo wrote:
Since (self included) most here are a bunch of grumpy old men I thought
this worth asking.

I'm 67 years old and have always had good checkups. I also take my pulse
occasionally and it's always been excellent...typical 62 or so. My
assumption was "all ok."

Have not had a physical in a few years but recently had one and my blood
pressure was about 40 points high. Doc said not to panic...happens
pretty often to men in my age group and I will return in a few days to
probably get medication.

In the mean time I got a blood pressure meter and have cut back on
sodium intake. After a few days my pressure dropped about ten points and
I also noticed that coffee (thankfully) did not affect things.

Anyone else here taking blood pressure meds? If so, what are the results
and how many pills a day do you take?

thanks


M


yes. A bit younger than you, and I don't think I was 40 points too high.
Take two pills per day (I opted for two separate pills as they are
cheaper than if I had to buy the two different meds combined in a single
pill - the doc was impressed with my figuring this out).

Results are fine. I don't bother to check my blood pressure, but it is
good when I go to the doc (rarely) or give blood, etc.

I don't worry about sodium. That has been way overhyped, although some
people (far less than all) have a sodium intolerance.

On 10/14/2016 11:42 AM, Taxed and Spent wrote:



yes. A bit younger than you, and I don't think I was 40 points too high.
Take two pills per day (I opted for two separate pills as they are
cheaper than if I had to buy the two different meds combined in a single
pill - the doc was impressed with my figuring this out).

Results are fine. I don't bother to check my blood pressure, but it is
good when I go to the doc (rarely) or give blood, etc.

I don't worry about sodium. That has been way overhyped, although some
people (far less than all) have a sodium intolerance.





Thank you very much...I do not want to take a lot of pills all the time
but of course will do whatever it takes. If two a day is cheaper then
for sure I will do that. This will be the first time in my life I'll be
on meds so realize how fortunate I am.

My doctor is extremely cautious with my pocket book.

When I got my physical I told him I was due for a tetanus shot.
Since that is not covered by my insurance he told me to just go to the
drugstore across the street as it would be 1/4 the cost.


Quite nice to have an honest doctor. My previous doctor did not think
twice in sending me a $500 bill for having my ear flushed out. My
insurance company told him he was not going to get one cent unless he
lowered the bill. He then knocked off $100

In alt.home.repair, on Fri, 14 Oct 2016 09:42:11 -0700, Taxed and Spent
wrote:

On 10/14/2016 9:36 AM, philo wrote:
Since (self included) most here are a bunch of grumpy old men I thought
this worth asking.

I'm 67 years old and have always had good checkups. I also take my pulse
occasionally and it's always been excellent...typical 62 or so. My
assumption was "all ok."

Have not had a physical in a few years but recently had one and my blood
pressure was about 40 points high. Doc said not to panic...happens
pretty often to men in my age group and I will return in a few days to
probably get medication.

In the mean time I got a blood pressure meter and have cut back on
sodium intake. After a few days my pressure dropped about ten points and
I also noticed that coffee (thankfully) did not affect things.

Anyone else here taking blood pressure meds? If so, what are the results
and how many pills a day do you take?

thanks


M


yes. A bit younger than you, and I don't think I was 40 points too high.
Take two pills per day (I opted for two separate pills as they are
cheaper than if I had to buy the two different meds combined in a single
pill - the doc was impressed with my figuring this out).

Results are fine. I don't bother to check my blood pressure, but it is
good when I go to the doc (rarely) or give blood, etc.

I don't worry about sodium. That has been way overhyped, although some
people (far less than all) have a sodium intolerance.

I agree. there must be truth to it for some people, but I eat a whole
box of salt every year just from what I add on my own, not counting
what's in the food and my BP is normal all the time, even though I'm
fat, out of shape, and 69. It used to be 40 points low with the same
salt intake.

Also wrt losing weight. Yes, if you don't have salt in your system you
won't have as much water, but one salty meal and you're back where you
were. If you'd eaten salt all that time, it would be excreted and you'd
be no worse off. I think.

The doctor did prescribe a statin last winter, so I take that, and
vitamin D. (He says no one gets enough vitamin D otherwise, but he said
no need when I asked about multivitamins. He's 68 himself. I'll be
sorry to see him retire some day.)

On 10/14/2016 08:23 PM, micky wrote:
I
M


yes. A bit younger than you, and I don't think I was 40 points too high.
Take two pills per day (I opted for two separate pills as they are
cheaper than if I had to buy the two different meds combined in a single
pill - the doc was impressed with my figuring this out).

Results are fine. I don't bother to check my blood pressure, but it is
good when I go to the doc (rarely) or give blood, etc.

I don't worry about sodium. That has been way overhyped, although some
people (far less than all) have a sodium intolerance.

I agree. there must be truth to it for some people, but I eat a whole
box of salt every year just from what I add on my own, not counting
what's in the food and my BP is normal all the time, even though I'm
fat, out of shape, and 69. It used to be 40 points low with the same
salt intake.

Also wrt losing weight. Yes, if you don't have salt in your system you
won't have as much water, but one salty meal and you're back where you
were. If you'd eaten salt all that time, it would be excreted and you'd
be no worse off. I think.

The doctor did prescribe a statin last winter, so I take that, and
vitamin D. (He says no one gets enough vitamin D otherwise, but he said
no need when I asked about multivitamins. He's 68 himself. I'll be
sorry to see him retire some day.)




This is the first time where I will now have to examine what I eat.

Even though I do not plan on obsessing too much...
as far as the salty foods (sodium) go...it's not like I was a little
over the recommended limit...I probably eat 5 times or more of the salt
and carbs that I should.

So far my wife and I made a pack that we will not skip our once daily
walks. I managed to cut way down on my salt intake and found if I need
to add seasoning a few shots of hot sauce will do the trick.

Now that I've been watching things all week I was happy to see that I
actually had a normal blood pressure when I woke up this morning. Even
though it goes up as the day progresses it's not as far out of range as
it was when I first became aware of this.

In alt.home.repair, on Sat, 15 Oct 2016 14:49:37 -0500, philo
wrote:

On 10/14/2016 08:23 PM, micky wrote:
I
M


yes. A bit younger than you, and I don't think I was 40 points too high.
Take two pills per day (I opted for two separate pills as they are
cheaper than if I had to buy the two different meds combined in a single
pill - the doc was impressed with my figuring this out).

Results are fine. I don't bother to check my blood pressure, but it is
good when I go to the doc (rarely) or give blood, etc.

I don't worry about sodium. That has been way overhyped, although some
people (far less than all) have a sodium intolerance.

I agree. there must be truth to it for some people, but I eat a whole
box of salt every year just from what I add on my own, not counting
what's in the food and my BP is normal all the time, even though I'm
fat, out of shape, and 69. It used to be 40 points low with the same
salt intake.

Also wrt losing weight. Yes, if you don't have salt in your system you
won't have as much water, but one salty meal and you're back where you
were. If you'd eaten salt all that time, it would be excreted and you'd
be no worse off. I think.

The doctor did prescribe a statin last winter, so I take that, and
vitamin D. (He says no one gets enough vitamin D otherwise, but he said
no need when I asked about multivitamins. He's 68 himself. I'll be
sorry to see him retire some day.)




This is the first time where I will now have to examine what I eat.

Even though I do not plan on obsessing too much...
as far as the salty foods (sodium) go...it's not like I was a little
over the recommended limit...I probably eat 5 times or more of the salt
and carbs that I should.

So far my wife and I made a pack that we will not skip our once daily
walks. I managed to cut way down on my salt intake and found if I need
to add seasoning a few shots of hot sauce will do the trick.

Now that I've been watching things all week I was happy to see that I
actually had a normal blood pressure when I woke up this morning. Even
though it goes up as the day progresses it's not as far out of range as
it was when I first became aware of this.

That's great.

And those walks are important. At least some daily exercise as little
as walking is important to get.

I rode a bike for the first time in years yesterday, but the
derailleurs wont' derail. Cables bad. I'm going to dig out my $10
bike that works and ride that.

On 10/15/2016 09:38 PM, micky wrote:
In alt.home.repair, on Sat, 15 Oct 2016 14:49:37 -0500, philo


So far my wife and I made a pack that we will not skip our once daily
walks. I managed to cut way down on my salt intake and found if I need
to add seasoning a few shots of hot sauce will do the trick.

Now that I've been watching things all week I was happy to see that I
actually had a normal blood pressure when I woke up this morning. Even
though it goes up as the day progresses it's not as far out of range as
it was when I first became aware of this.

That's great.

And those walks are important. At least some daily exercise as little
as walking is important to get.

I rode a bike for the first time in years yesterday, but the
derailleurs wont' derail. Cables bad. I'm going to dig out my $10
bike that works and ride that.



My bike is now history but I love walking.

When we started out I was walking slowly and enjoying the scenery and my
wife was walking ahead and growing impatient.

One the way home I was walking quite fast. Bladder

"philo" wrote in message
...
Since (self included) most here are a bunch of grumpy old men I thought
this worth asking.

I'm 67 years old and have always had good checkups. I also take my pulse
occasionally and it's always been excellent...typical 62 or so. My
assumption was "all ok."

Have not had a physical in a few years but recently had one and my blood
pressure was about 40 points high. Doc said not to panic...happens pretty
often to men in my age group and I will return in a few days to probably
get medication.

In the mean time I got a blood pressure meter and have cut back on sodium
intake. After a few days my pressure dropped about ten points and I also
noticed that coffee (thankfully) did not affect things.

Anyone else here taking blood pressure meds? If so, what are the results
and how many pills a day do you take?

Until I was about 70, my BP was consistently 120/80. Then it started
creeping up; when it got to 140+, doc put me on meds so now I take
amlodipine and lisinopril once a day, don't recall the strength, which
keeps my BP in the low 130/80-85 range.

On 10/14/2016 12:14 PM, dadiOH wrote:
"philo" wrote in message
...
Since (self included) most here are a bunch of grumpy old men I thought
this worth asking.

I'm 67 years old and have always had good checkups. I also take my pulse
occasionally and it's always been excellent...typical 62 or so. My
assumption was "all ok."

Have not had a physical in a few years but recently had one and my blood
pressure was about 40 points high. Doc said not to panic...happens pretty
often to men in my age group and I will return in a few days to probably
get medication.

In the mean time I got a blood pressure meter and have cut back on sodium
intake. After a few days my pressure dropped about ten points and I also
noticed that coffee (thankfully) did not affect things.

Anyone else here taking blood pressure meds? If so, what are the results
and how many pills a day do you take?

Until I was about 70, my BP was consistently 120/80. Then it started
creeping up; when it got to 140+, doc put me on meds so now I take
amlodipine and lisinopril once a day, don't recall the strength, which
keeps my BP in the low 130/80-85 range.






Thank you very much for the feedback.

I should probably loose a little weight too ...even if it's only five
pounds.


Nothing to do with health...just too cheap to buy new clothes!

On 10/14/2016 1:18 PM, philo wrote:
On 10/14/2016 12:14 PM, dadiOH wrote:
"philo" wrote in message
...
Since (self included) most here are a bunch of grumpy old men I thought
this worth asking.

I'm 67 years old and have always had good checkups. I also take my pulse
occasionally and it's always been excellent...typical 62 or so. My
assumption was "all ok."

Have not had a physical in a few years but recently had one and my blood
pressure was about 40 points high. Doc said not to panic...happens
pretty
often to men in my age group and I will return in a few days to probably
get medication.

In the mean time I got a blood pressure meter and have cut back on
sodium
intake. After a few days my pressure dropped about ten points and I also
noticed that coffee (thankfully) did not affect things.

Anyone else here taking blood pressure meds? If so, what are the results
and how many pills a day do you take?

Until I was about 70, my BP was consistently 120/80. Then it started
creeping up; when it got to 140+, doc put me on meds so now I take
amlodipine and lisinopril once a day, don't recall the strength, which
keeps my BP in the low 130/80-85 range.






Thank you very much for the feedback.

I should probably loose a little weight too ...even if it's only five
pounds.


Nothing to do with health...just too cheap to buy new clothes!

My experience same as dad's. I take lisinopril and a water pill. Tough
to lose weight but I tried and lost 10 lb and it did no good.

On 10/14/2016 01:04 PM, Frank wrote:
On 10/14/2016 1:18 PM, philo wrote:
On 10/14/2016 12:14 PM, dadiOH wrote:
"philo" wrote in message
...
Since (self included) most here are a bunch of grumpy old men I thought
this worth asking.

I'm 67 years old and have a


Thank you very much for the feedback.

I should probably loose a little weight too ...even if it's only five
pounds.


Nothing to do with health...just too cheap to buy new clothes!

My experience same as dad's. I take lisinopril and a water pill. Tough
to lose weight but I tried and lost 10 lb and it did no good.



I'd be very happy to loose five or ten pounds.

My dad dropped dead at 64 but my mom at 90 is doing very well.


The whole family was more ****ed at my father's death than saddened.
He was very athletic until 50 or so then let himself go and turned into
a fat blob

On 10/14/2016 5:12 PM, philo wrote:
On 10/14/2016 01:04 PM, Frank wrote:
On 10/14/2016 1:18 PM, philo wrote:
On 10/14/2016 12:14 PM, dadiOH wrote:
"philo" wrote in message
...
Since (self included) most here are a bunch of grumpy old men I
thought
this worth asking.

I'm 67 years old and have a


Thank you very much for the feedback.

I should probably loose a little weight too ...even if it's only five
pounds.


Nothing to do with health...just too cheap to buy new clothes!

My experience same as dad's. I take lisinopril and a water pill. Tough
to lose weight but I tried and lost 10 lb and it did no good.



I'd be very happy to loose five or ten pounds.

My dad dropped dead at 64 but my mom at 90 is doing very well.


The whole family was more ****ed at my father's death than saddened.
He was very athletic until 50 or so then let himself go and turned into
a fat blob

I tell folks that now that I am old nothing works as well and I can't do
as much as I did when younger but I still have the same appetite for
food and drink.

Per philo:
I should probably loose a little weight too ...even if it's only five
pounds.

The John Hancock Life Insurance "Life Expectancy Calculator" at
https://www.johnhancockinsurance.com...ancy-tool.aspx
tells me that dropping from 215 to 200 15 pounds will add 2 years to my
life expectancy. 6'4" tall.

Dropping more does not seem to change the numbers.


It is informative to play around with the "Exercise" numbers.

"Regular Exercise" (whatever that is....) vs "I am not active" is good
for six years.
--
Pete Cresswell

On 10/14/2016 07:57 PM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
"Regular Exercise" (whatever that is....) vs "I am not active" is good
for six years.

I've noticed exercise drops my BP somewhat. By that I don't mean taking
the poodle for a walk around the block but rather something that keeps
my heart rate up to about 90% for and hour or two. I can't do that
walking on level ground but fortunately we have an abundant supply of
mountains. 2000' of ascent gets the heart moving.

On 10/14/2016 08:57 PM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per philo:
I should probably loose a little weight too ...even if it's only five
pounds.

The John Hancock Life Insurance "Life Expectancy Calculator" at
https://www.johnhancockinsurance.com...ancy-tool.aspx
tells me that dropping from 215 to 200 15 pounds will add 2 years to my
life expectancy. 6'4" tall.

Dropping more does not seem to change the numbers.


It is informative to play around with the "Exercise" numbers.

"Regular Exercise" (whatever that is....) vs "I am not active" is good
for six years.




I look more at my family history.

My mom at 90 is still alive and everyone on my mom's side lived to the
88-99 year range.

On my father's side things do not look as good as my dad died at
64...but he turned into a big fat blob.


One thing that seems to be a rule though:

Whatever it is you plan for...it will be something else that gets you.

On 2016-10-14, philo wrote:

Anyone else here taking blood pressure meds? If so, what are the results
and how many pills a day do you take?

My first doc gave me 100mg of atenolol (beta blocker). It gave me
symptoms of a heart attack. Sweating, nausea, dizzyness, etc. This
merely sitting on the couch. If I went for a little walk jes to stay in shape,
I often had to call my daughter to come pick me up, as an episode
would jes wipe me out.

I called 'em episodes and fer two yrs went to heart specialists that
could tell me nothing. I self medicated down to 50mg of atenolol and
the episodes ceased. Unfortunately, my blood pressure had climbed
back up to borderline high.

I finally saw an old doc I hadn't seen in several yrs. He sed, "You
need to take some lisinopril with that atenolol." He prescribed some
for me and I tried it. It worked. I now take a daily dose of 50mg
atenolol with 20mg linsinopril. Keeps my blood pressure at normal
specs. I'm 68.

My advice is, try several doctors. Beta blockers may not work for
you and every doc has their own solution. Keep looking until you find
a doc that will prescribe what works FOR YOU! Don't let some doc jes
mumble some prescription, then kick ya' to the curb.

nb

On 10/14/2016 12:15 PM, notbob wrote:
On 2016-10-14, philo wrote:

Anyone else here taking blood pressure meds? If so, what are the results
and how many pills a day do you take?

My first doc gave me 100mg of atenolol (beta blocker). It gave me
symptoms of a heart attack. Sweating, nausea, dizzyness, etc. This
merely sitting on the couch. If I went for a little walk jes to stay in shape,
I often had to call my daughter to come pick me up, as an episode
would jes wipe me out.

I called 'em episodes and fer two yrs went to heart specialists that
could tell me nothing. I self medicated down to 50mg of atenolol and
the episodes ceased. Unfortunately, my blood pressure had climbed
back up to borderline high.

I finally saw an old doc I hadn't seen in several yrs. He sed, "You
need to take some lisinopril with that atenolol." He prescribed some
for me and I tried it. It worked. I now take a daily dose of 50mg
atenolol with 20mg linsinopril. Keeps my blood pressure at normal
specs. I'm 68.

My advice is, try several doctors. Beta blockers may not work for
you and every doc has their own solution. Keep looking until you find
a doc that will prescribe what works FOR YOU! Don't let some doc jes
mumble some prescription, then kick ya' to the curb.

nb




Yep...with all the crap they did with my wife we are both aware that
many docs just give the wrong meds and don't even care...I am very aware
of the fact : If something does not seem right...then it's not.

Per notbob:
My advice is, try several doctors. Beta blockers may not work for
you and every doc has their own solution. Keep looking until you find
a doc that will prescribe what works FOR YOU! Don't let some doc jes
mumble some prescription, then kick ya' to the curb.

+1 on that.

After winding up on the grass from a major episode of atrial
fibrillation I went to see the first guy.

Hardly made eye contact - just kept his head down typing away on his
laptop. 3 visits later, he could tell me almost word-for-word what went
down during any of the previous visits. But he was unresponsive to
the things I said.... I got the impression that I was just another old
guy who was going to die in a few years and he was basically working
from a cookbook.

He rolled a couple of pills and basically called it a wrap.

One of the pills was a beta blocker and it sent my quality of life right
down the toilet. Told him that.... no particular response.

Said to myself "The hell with this guy"... and went shopping.

Next guy, I could *talk* with... and when I said something stupid, he
would interrupt me and tell me why it was stupid...

And one of the things he told me was that the beta blocker was strictly
for the patient's comfort: it reduces the frequency of a-fib
episodes.... but, since mine were rare - albeit severe - there was not
much reason to take the beta blocker - especially since it was ruining
my life.

The one that keeps you alive is the anti-coagulant (afib episodes tend
to form clots in the blood as it passes through the heart).... and the
incidence of death with or without a beta blocker is the same given that
one is taking the anti-coagulant.

I came away feeling *much* better.... OTOH, maybe this guy is all
personality, and is BS-ing me.... but I don't think so because I double
checked his story with a couple other docs - albeit not cardio buys.

Bottom Line: Shop around!!!! There really are night-and-day differences
between docs with the same training.
--
Pete Cresswell

On 10/14/2016 11:15 AM, notbob wrote:
My advice is, try several doctors. Beta blockers may not work for
you and every doc has their own solution. Keep looking until you find
a doc that will prescribe what works FOR YOU! Don't let some doc jes
mumble some prescription, then kick ya' to the cu

My doctor took the time to explain the several options, their potential
side effects, and the costs before telling me what she recommended
trying first. Lisinopril worked and it's cheap.

On Fri, 14 Oct 2016 11:36:20 -0500, philo wrote:

Anyone else here taking blood pressure meds? If so, what are the results
and how many pills a day do you take?

I developed AFib and didn't know it. In the hospital for a severe
nose bleed over four days. The docs used the paddles to thump me,
heart went back to a normal beat, then went back, thumped again. Still
have AFib. Take two BP med's once a day in the morning. BP was up two
visits ago so the doc raised the dose on one by 40 mg. That helped.

Good news? I can get out of climbing ladders now

On 10/14/2016 12:39 PM, Oren wrote:
On Fri, 14 Oct 2016 11:36:20 -0500, philo wrote:

Anyone else here taking blood pressure meds? If so, what are the results
and how many pills a day do you take?

I developed AFib and didn't know it. In the hospital for a severe
nose bleed over four days. The docs used the paddles to thump me,
heart went back to a normal beat, then went back, thumped again. Still
have AFib. Take two BP med's once a day in the morning. BP was up two
visits ago so the doc raised the dose on one by 40 mg. That helped.

Good news? I can get out of climbing ladders now



Hope you are OK.


I still climbed ladders even after I had both knees replaced but it all
ended this year. My wife told me "No more!"

I hired a guy to clean the gutters and patch the squirrel holes with
sheet metal this year. He did a better job than I ever did and cost me $150

I should have put the ladder away 20 years ago!

philo wrote:
Since (self included) most here are a bunch of grumpy old
men I
thought this worth asking.

I'm 67 years old and have always had good checkups. I also
take my
pulse occasionally and it's always been
excellent...typical 62 or so.
My assumption was "all ok."

Have not had a physical in a few years but recently had
one and my
blood pressure was about 40 points high. Doc said not to
panic...happens pretty often to men in my age group and I
will return
in a few days to probably get medication.

In the mean time I got a blood pressure meter and have cut
back on
sodium intake. After a few days my pressure dropped about
ten points
and I also noticed that coffee (thankfully) did not affect
things.

Anyone else here taking blood pressure meds? If so, what
are the
results and how many pills a day do you take?

thanks


M

Before taking any meds, try Red Yeast Rice.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TZ476Q/
I take it for cholesterol, but it lowered my ex partners BP
to where he no longer takes his BP medicine.
YMMV

On 10/14/2016 01:04 PM, ChairMan wrote:
philo wrote:
Since



snip
M

Before taking any meds, try Red Yeast Rice.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TZ476Q/
I take it for cholesterol, but it lowered my ex partners BP
to where he no longer takes his BP medicine.
YMMV




I really need to get my blood pressure down ASAP so will go with the
doctor's recommendation.

My mother's side of the family has extremely high cholesterol but they
have all lived into the 90 - 95 age range. On doctor's advice they
briefly took statins and had horrible reactions.


If I do need something for cholesterol though I'd probably take your
recommendation over statins though

On 10/14/2016 2:20 PM, philo wrote:
On 10/14/2016 01:04 PM, ChairMan wrote:
philo wrote:
Since



snip
M

Before taking any meds, try Red Yeast Rice.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TZ476Q/
I take it for cholesterol, but it lowered my ex partners BP
to where he no longer takes his BP medicine.
YMMV




I really need to get my blood pressure down ASAP so will go with the
doctor's recommendation.

My mother's side of the family has extremely high cholesterol but they
have all lived into the 90 - 95 age range. On doctor's advice they
briefly took statins and had horrible reactions.


If I do need something for cholesterol though I'd probably take your
recommendation over statins though

cholesterol is also way over hyped. do your research.

On 10/14/2016 05:37 PM, Taxed and Spent wrote:
On 10/14/2016 2:20 PM, philo wrote:
O


I really need to get my blood pressure down ASAP so will go with the
doctor's recommendation.

My mother's side of the family has extremely high cholesterol but they
have all lived into the 90 - 95 age range. On doctor's advice they
briefly took statins and had horrible reactions.


If I do need something for cholesterol though I'd probably take your
recommendation over statins though

cholesterol is also way over hyped. do your research.


Yep. I told my previous doctor many times to forget about it.

philo wrote:
On 10/14/2016 01:04 PM, ChairMan wrote:
philo wrote:
Since



snip
M

Before taking any meds, try Red Yeast Rice.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TZ476Q/
I take it for cholesterol, but it lowered my ex partners BP
to where he no longer takes his BP medicine.
YMMV




I really need to get my blood pressure down ASAP so will go with the
doctor's recommendation.

My mother's side of the family has extremely high cholesterol but they
have all lived into the 90 - 95 age range. On doctor's advice they
briefly took statins and had horrible reactions.


If I do need something for cholesterol though I'd probably take your
recommendation over statins though

Red yeast Rice contains lovanstatin which is in a lot of medicines for BP,
or at least thats what my doc said

On 10/14/2016 5:20 PM, philo wrote:


My mother's side of the family has extremely high cholesterol but they
have all lived into the 90 - 95 age range. On doctor's advice they
briefly took statins and had horrible reactions.


If I do need something for cholesterol though I'd probably take your
recommendation over statins though

Tried statins and won't touch them again. I eat 10 to 12 pistachios at
lunch every day and that helped bring it down. I still eat butter and
eggs too.

On 10/14/2016 06:48 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 10/14/2016 5:20 PM, philo wrote:


My mother's side of the family has extremely high cholesterol but they
have all lived into the 90 - 95 age range. On doctor's advice they
briefly took statins and had horrible reactions.


If I do need something for cholesterol though I'd probably take your
recommendation over statins though

Tried statins and won't touch them again. I eat 10 to 12 pistachios at
lunch every day and that helped bring it down. I still eat butter and
eggs too.



Yep ...no way will I take a statin.

Per philo:
My mother's side of the family has extremely high cholesterol but they
have all lived into the 90 - 95 age range. On doctor's advice they
briefly took statins and had horrible reactions.

My understanding is that it's more the ratio of HDL to LDL than the
actual overall level of cholesterol.
--
Pete Cresswell

On Fri, 14 Oct 2016 11:36:20 -0500, philo wrote:

Since (self included) most here are a bunch of grumpy old men I thought
this worth asking.

I'm 67 years old and have always had good checkups. I also take my pulse
occasionally and it's always been excellent...typical 62 or so. My
assumption was "all ok."

Have not had a physical in a few years but recently had one and my blood
pressure was about 40 points high. Doc said not to panic...happens
pretty often to men in my age group and I will return in a few days to
probably get medication.

In the mean time I got a blood pressure meter and have cut back on
sodium intake. After a few days my pressure dropped about ten points and
I also noticed that coffee (thankfully) did not affect things.

Anyone else here taking blood pressure meds? If so, what are the results
and how many pills a day do you take?

thanks


M

Be careful with blood pressure meds.
They killed my mom. It was not a direct cause but the Dr over did the
meds, she got dizzy a lot, fell broke **** and pretty much gave up the
will to live.
I stopped taking mine when I started monitoring my BP. It started when
I got dizzy walking on the ribs of my screen cage, 15' above the
ground. It turned out my BP would crash when I was up and around
(doing the potentially dangerous stuff) but it was high if I was just
sitting around.

Three lessons there.
1. Check your BP while you are in different activities.
2. Don't trust the Dr blindly.
3. Get up off your ass.

I decided I would rather take my chances with a heart attack instead
of falling off the roof or cutting my hand off with the table saw.

On 10/14/2016 01:06 PM, wrote:
O
t

M

Be careful with blood pressure meds.
They killed my mom. It was not a direct cause but the Dr over did the
meds, she got dizzy a lot, fell broke **** and pretty much gave up the
will to live.
I stopped taking mine when I started monitoring my BP. It started when
I got dizzy walking on the ribs of my screen cage, 15' above the
ground. It turned out my BP would crash when I was up and around
(doing the potentially dangerous stuff) but it was high if I was just
sitting around.

Three lessons there.
1. Check your BP while you are in different activities.
2. Don't trust the Dr blindly.
3. Get up off your ass.

I decided I would rather take my chances with a heart attack instead
of falling off the roof or cutting my hand off with the table saw.




Thanks for the advice. I am glad I bought the blood pressure meter so I
can check the results at different times.

I have no plans for going up on ladders again but of course do not want
to go around getting dizzy.

Guess I will see what happens.

As I mentioned before, after what happened with my wife we will never
blindly trust doctors again.

Fortunately she got through a very bad situation...her survival can be
traced to the day I drove her to the doctor's office with two shoe boxes
full of pills and demanded and explanation.

After several more doctors she is now down from 14 different meds to
three and doing better than ever.

On Friday, October 14, 2016 at 4:26:14 PM UTC-5, philo wrote:
On 10/14/2016 01:06 PM, wrote:
O
t

M

Be careful with blood pressure meds.
They killed my mom. It was not a direct cause but the Dr over did the
meds, she got dizzy a lot, fell broke **** and pretty much gave up the
will to live.
I stopped taking mine when I started monitoring my BP. It started when
I got dizzy walking on the ribs of my screen cage, 15' above the
ground. It turned out my BP would crash when I was up and around
(doing the potentially dangerous stuff) but it was high if I was just
sitting around.

Three lessons there.
1. Check your BP while you are in different activities.
2. Don't trust the Dr blindly.
3. Get up off your ass.

I decided I would rather take my chances with a heart attack instead
of falling off the roof or cutting my hand off with the table saw.




Thanks for the advice. I am glad I bought the blood pressure meter so I
can check the results at different times.

I have no plans for going up on ladders again but of course do not want
to go around getting dizzy.

Guess I will see what happens.

As I mentioned before, after what happened with my wife we will never
blindly trust doctors again.

Fortunately she got through a very bad situation...her survival can be
traced to the day I drove her to the doctor's office with two shoe boxes
full of pills and demanded and explanation.

After several more doctors she is now down from 14 different meds to
three and doing better than ever.

I asked the director of nursing for a list of medications given me so I can search the Web for what they are and what effects the drugs will have on me. I want to know WTF I'm being poisoned with because I despise drugs and hate having to take any kind of pill. I've actually discovered that some of the drugs that were given me interact and made me very sick. I had a big problem when two different doctors prescribed drugs that came from two different pharmacies. I looked up the medications on the Internet and found that two of them had deleterious effects when taken together. It's best to have only ONE pharmacy filling your prescriptions because the computer system at the pharmacy will flag any drugs known to have interactions with other drugs prescribed for you. Of course, an experienced pharmacist is another line of defense when you are being given poison in small doses as prescribed by a physician. ”Œ( à²*_à²*)”˜

[8~{} Uncle Sick Monster

On 10/15/2016 07:33 AM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Friday, October 14, 2016 at 4:26:14 PM UTC-5, philo wrote:
On 10/14/20



Thanks for the advice. I am glad I bought the blood pressure meter so I
can check the results at different times.

I have no plans for going up on ladders again but of course do not want
to go around getting dizzy.

Guess I will see what happens.

As I mentioned before, after what happened with my wife we will never
blindly trust doctors again.

Fortunately she got through a very bad situation...her survival can be
traced to the day I drove her to the doctor's office with two shoe boxes
full of pills and demanded and explanation.

After several more doctors she is now down from 14 different meds to
three and doing better than ever.

I asked the director of nursing for a list of medications given me so I can search the Web for what they are and what effects the drugs will have on me. I want to know WTF I'm being poisoned with because I despise drugs and hate having to take any kind of pill. I've actually discovered that some of the drugs that were given me interact and made me very sick. I had a big problem when two different doctors prescribed drugs that came from two different pharmacies. I looked up the medications on the Internet and found that two of them had deleterious effects when taken together. It's best to have only ONE pharmacy filling your prescriptions because the computer system at the pharmacy will flag any drugs known to have interactions with other drugs prescribed for you. Of course, an experienced pharmacist is another line of defense when you are being given poison in small doses as prescribed by a physician. ”Œ( à²*_à²*)”˜

[8~{} Uncle Sick Monster




Nice thing about the Internet is it's easy to do your own research.

Back when I was a kid I had an uncle who was a biochemist and he had
many an argument with my grandfather's doctor

On Saturday, October 15, 2016 at 2:58:04 PM UTC-5, philo wrote:
On 10/15/2016 07:33 AM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Friday, October 14, 2016 at 4:26:14 PM UTC-5, philo wrote:
On 10/14/20

Thanks for the advice. I am glad I bought the blood pressure meter so I
can check the results at different times.

I have no plans for going up on ladders again but of course do not want
to go around getting dizzy.

Guess I will see what happens.

As I mentioned before, after what happened with my wife we will never
blindly trust doctors again.

Fortunately she got through a very bad situation...her survival can be
traced to the day I drove her to the doctor's office with two shoe boxes
full of pills and demanded and explanation.

After several more doctors she is now down from 14 different meds to
three and doing better than ever.

I asked the director of nursing for a list of medications given me so I can search the Web for what they are and what effects the drugs will have on me. I want to know WTF I'm being poisoned with because I despise drugs and hate having to take any kind of pill. I've actually discovered that some of the drugs that were given me interact and made me very sick. I had a big problem when two different doctors prescribed drugs that came from two different pharmacies. I looked up the medications on the Internet and found that two of them had deleterious effects when taken together. It's best to have only ONE pharmacy filling your prescriptions because the computer system at the pharmacy will flag any drugs known to have interactions with other drugs prescribed for you. Of course, an experienced pharmacist is another line of defense when you are being given poison in small doses as prescribed by a physician. ”Œ( à²*_à²*)”˜

[8~{} Uncle Sick Monster

Nice thing about the Internet is it's easy to do your own research.

Back when I was a kid I had an uncle who was a biochemist and he had
many an argument with my grandfather's doctor

I've had crusty old pharmacists, decades ago before pharmacies had computer systems, tell me my doctor was an idiot based on what was prescribed for me. If a doctor ever prescribes a diuretic without supplemental potassium, complain, complain very loudly because potassium loss can kill you. A good physician doesn't mind answering questions if you have some idea of what you're talking about.

I was impressed by a young smart Negro American physician who was using a tablet during an exam where he checked everything in my medical records and went over it with me. I had my medical records on a thumb drive and handed it to the doctor when I was in the exam room. I keep a list of medications I take and a list of medications I've been given in the past but am no longer taking.

I want to get a waterproof thumbdrive that I can label with my name, DOB and SSN to keep on a lanyard around my neck when medical transport takes me to a doctor's office or when my friend comes by to pick me up to take me to someplace like the bank or government office. If I were ever in an accident, my medical records would be with me. None of my current thumbdrives are waterproof but I did find one on Amazon that would work well because it can be labeled on both the outside and inside. ヽ(ヅ)ノ

https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Flash.../dp/B00YP5X1TI

[8~{} Uncle Flashy Monster

On 10/14/2016 12:36 PM, philo wrote:
Since (self included) most here are a bunch of grumpy old men I thought
this worth asking.

I'm 67 years old and have always had good checkups. I also take my pulse
occasionally and it's always been excellent...typical 62 or so. My
assumption was "all ok."

Have not had a physical in a few years but recently had one and my blood
pressure was about 40 points high. Doc said not to panic...happens
pretty often to men in my age group and I will return in a few days to
probably get medication.

In the mean time I got a blood pressure meter and have cut back on
sodium intake. After a few days my pressure dropped about ten points and
I also noticed that coffee (thankfully) did not affect things.

Anyone else here taking blood pressure meds? If so, what are the results
and how many pills a day do you take?

thanks


M

Much of the over 50 crowd is on pills of some sort. I take metropolol
50 mg twice a day. In addition to thyroid and a couple of ibuprofen to
keep the knees pain free.

I don't use a lot of salt and it does not seem to matter for me. I've
been trying to lose 20 pounds for the past 10 years with no luck.

At 67 you should be on medicare with no cost for physicals.

On Friday, October 14, 2016 at 2:15:51 PM UTC-4, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 10/14/2016 12:36 PM, philo wrote:
Since (self included) most here are a bunch of grumpy old men I thought
this worth asking.

I'm 67 years old and have always had good checkups. I also take my pulse
occasionally and it's always been excellent...typical 62 or so. My
assumption was "all ok."

Have not had a physical in a few years but recently had one and my blood
pressure was about 40 points high. Doc said not to panic...happens
pretty often to men in my age group and I will return in a few days to
probably get medication.

In the mean time I got a blood pressure meter and have cut back on
sodium intake. After a few days my pressure dropped about ten points and
I also noticed that coffee (thankfully) did not affect things.

Anyone else here taking blood pressure meds? If so, what are the results
and how many pills a day do you take?

thanks


M

Much of the over 50 crowd is on pills of some sort. I take metropolol
50 mg twice a day. In addition to thyroid and a couple of ibuprofen to
keep the knees pain free.

I don't use a lot of salt and it does not seem to matter for me. I've
been trying to lose 20 pounds for the past 10 years with no luck.

At 67 you should be on medicare with no cost for physicals.

I guess I'm lucky, then. Almost 60, and all I take is a multivitamin
and glucosamine-chondroitin (more out of superstition than anything
else, I think, since I can't tell if it's working). I was on
Prilosec for almost 15 years, but I've lost about 80 pounds and don't
seem to need it anymore.

I was munching potato chips when I read the OP. My BP ranges between
110/70 and 120/80. I can't imagine it'll last, though. By the time
I'm an old fart, I'll be taking medications, too.

Cindy Hamilton

On 10/14/2016 02:21 PM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
On Friday, October 14, 2016 at 2:15:51 PM UTC-4, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 10/14/2016 12:36 PM, philo wrote:
Since (self included) most here are a bunch of grumpy old men I thought
this worth asking.

I'm 67 years old and have always had good checkups. I also take my pulse
occasionally and it's always been excellent...typical 62 or so. My
assumption was "all ok."

Have not had a physical in a few years but recently had one and my blood
pressure was about 40 points high. Doc said not to panic...happens
pretty often to men in my age group and I will return in a few days to
probably get medication.

In the mean time I got a blood pressure meter and have cut back on
sodium intake. After a few days my pressure dropped about ten points and
I also noticed that coffee (thankfully) did not affect things.

Anyone else here taking blood pressure meds? If so, what are the results
and how many pills a day do you take?

thanks


M

Much of the over 50 crowd is on pills of some sort. I take metropolol
50 mg twice a day. In addition to thyroid and a couple of ibuprofen to
keep the knees pain free.

I don't use a lot of salt and it does not seem to matter for me. I've
been trying to lose 20 pounds for the past 10 years with no luck.

At 67 you should be on medicare with no cost for physicals.

I guess I'm lucky, then. Almost 60, and all I take is a multivitamin
and glucosamine-chondroitin (more out of superstition than anything
else, I think, since I can't tell if it's working). I was on
Prilosec for almost 15 years, but I've lost about 80 pounds and don't
seem to need it anymore.

I was munching potato chips when I read the OP. My BP ranges between
110/70 and 120/80. I can't imagine it'll last, though. By the time
I'm an old fart, I'll be taking medications, too.

Cindy Hamilton




Taking meds will be a first for me.

My wife and I also agreed to stop our chip munching habit.

We also got out of our daily walk and have happily started doing that again.

On 10/14/2016 01:21 PM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
I was munching potato chips when I read the OP. My BP ranges between
110/70 and 120/80. I can't imagine it'll last, though. By the time
I'm an old fart, I'll be taking medications, too.

Maybe, maybe not. My BP was always pushing to 140 but when it headed to
150 I figured it was time to do something.

Per rbowman:
Maybe, maybe not. My BP was always pushing to 140 but when it headed to
150 I figured it was time to do something.

140 is where my current cardio guy draws the line.
--
Pete Cresswell

On 10/15/2016 09:53 AM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per rbowman:
Maybe, maybe not. My BP was always pushing to 140 but when it headed to
150 I figured it was time to do something.

140 is where my current cardio guy draws the line.


I drove truck in the '90s and that was a cut-off for the DOT physical.
Medication wasn't allowed either because of the potential side effects
impacting safety. I was always borderline. The last time I renewed my DL
I was over 140. However I hadn't driven a truck in about 15 years and
with the new requirements like the DHS vetting if you have a HazMat
endorsement, which is necessary for most companies, I dropped the CDL.
I'd thought I might retire and drive summers for the hell of it but at
this point in my life the only thing I want to drive in the summer is a
motorcycle.

The conventional wisdom 60 years ago was 100 plus your age which allowed
for the gradual increases with aging. Then they declared anything over
120/80 was borderline hypertension. The latest dogma seems to be 120/80
is nice but extremely aggressive treatment to get you to that reading
isn't needed.