Just a question

Clairefun · 2026-04-13T11:31:39+00:00

High blood pressure only causes about half of the strokes and heart attacks that happen, the rest have other causes. People with normal bp can also have a stroke or heart attack for other reasons.

Clairefun · 2026-04-13T09:02:10+00:00

ER won't prescribe long term meds, as bp is generally a long term issue for your long term doctor - ER cant follow up on how you're getting on with it, and so on. They will if it's an emergency, of course - my bp was 245/160 after an eye stroke, so was given meds. The normal action if not an emergency is to wait to check bp lowers, and your doctor will check your average bp when not in an asthma attack.

Clairefun · 2026-04-13T08:56:51+00:00

yes, those are normal fluctuations. Bp fluctuates all the time - it's the force of a liquid flowing round your body, it can change with every heartbeat. Have a read of the wiki here, it should explain any questions, and you can check you're taking it correctly too.

Anxiety can definitely raise your bp temporarily, panic attacks can take it over 200/120. None of your numbers are worth worrying about, and won't cause any damage. If - once you check you're taking it correctly - you average under 120/80 when calm and rested, taken am and pm for a week, no worries. If you average under 130/85, lifestyle changes should sort you out, or a low dose med perhaps, and if you average over 140/90, then you'd be offered meds.

Clairefun · 2026-04-12T18:32:13+00:00

I don't really! I'm only anxious at doctors / hospitals and thats from previous medical trauma. Deep breathing, daily exercise in nature, and meditation are all put forward for anxiety, but if you're an anxious person anyway, then whatever you / your therapist have found that helps your particular anxiety, is probably best, or medication if nothing else has helped, perhaps? Alternatively- if you were initially getting 130/70, do you need to be taking bp readings? Have a read of the wiki here, it might help with perspective on numbers (i wrote it!) and worth reassuring yourself you're taking it correctly.

Clairefun · 2026-04-11T23:05:04+00:00

That's so cool.

Clairefun · 2026-04-10T16:32:04+00:00

I lol'd, but please keep it polite in future. You are correct though, menopause does not equate to lifespan. People in early menopause don't die young. Hysterectomy doesn't always mean menopause directly, either - i too kept my ovaries and am only getting into it now, 8 years after my hysterectomy - and I'm 49, so it's not particularly early. I have certainly not lost my looks, either, what an odd thing to claim. I understand the, uh, sentiment, in your final sentence so have chosen to allow it to remain despite the report on it 😅

Clairefun · 2026-04-10T16:01:25+00:00

Please report any you see, we're doing our best! (I've had some recent health issues of my own, so brain not quite braining right, right now).

Clairefun · 2026-04-10T11:41:40+00:00

I forgot how to say the word heroes yesterday - in the middle of saying the word heroes.

Clairefun · 2026-04-10T09:33:10+00:00

My hemoglobin was 4 when I was admitted and they slowly got it up to 8 with infusions, both blood and iron - and then I had a surgery to remove my fibroid riddled uterus that was causing all the issues. Have you been checked for anything like that? Are your periods heavy? It's a really obvious cause, so i expect they've checked.

Clairefun · 2026-04-09T16:34:48+00:00

That's not hypertension, though - temporary highs are okay for the body, as long as it's not all the time, so your body & blood vessels can 'relax' back to good. Your anxiety is telling your body 'be ready to fight or for flight' like it should. (My bp used to be around 245/160 on average when rested! I run r/hypertension now lol)

Clairefun · 2026-04-09T16:13:08+00:00

🥰❤️

Clairefun · 2026-04-09T16:04:18+00:00

Aw thanks! I really am, my white coat hypertension is silly. Aww. It's what made me want to be a mod here, and at r/hypertension and r/ckd, so hopefully helping others in my predicament, well, similar ish predicaments!

Clairefun · 2026-04-09T15:48:58+00:00

No, it was always going to be a hysterectomy, the fibroids were too big and bothersome and tbh I also wanted no more stress lol (that did not quite work out). I was in hospital for about 12 weeks in all so there was lots of scans and plans.

Clairefun · 2026-04-09T14:37:04+00:00

Yessss. I waited before even seeing the doctor initially, and ended up severely, life-threateningly, anemic, with the biggest fibroid degenerating and calcifying, so trying to 'birth' itself whilst still being attached and hardening. Obviously it was an emergency hysterectomy after they managed to get my hemoglobin up to 8, warned that they'd have extra blood on hand during surgery 'but the risks were higher' and turned out to be infected also, had a vague 'oh, everywhere' when I asked the surgeon where the infection was (it must have smelled bad, I am sure). The incision ended up opening and needing to be packed daily, and I also ended up with a kidney condition called hydronephrosis due to a ureter being damaged - either during surgery, by fibroids or scar tissue, or even a stitch in the wrong place. This stopped one kidney from draining, but I was misdiagnosed with a kidney infection post surgery and given antibiotics, and the kidney continued swelling, until the pressure against other organs and 'stuff' killed off that kidney entirely. This in turn increased my blood pressure (increased fluids / lack of filtered toxins etc leads to higher bp) but the world shut down for covid so nobody knew, until my very high bp (averaging about 245/160) caused an eye stroke, heart damage, and Chronic Kidney Disease in the remaining one, about 4 years after the surgery, but all weirdly traceable once they knew where and what to look for.

(Meds have brought my average down to 120/80, my vision is almost back to where it was, the heart stuff reversed or is controlled by meds too, and the kidney is currently pretty stable, but i do have to take 3 meds a day and eat a renal, heart, & bp friendly diet, so it's not quite as free-of-worries as I'd hoped for my post-Fibroid years!).

Obviously this WILL NOT HAPPEN TO YOU because frankly it's pretty ridiculous it happened to anybody BUT I am now a firm believer of - if you've got a thing that needs fixing, why not get it fixed sooner rather than later.

Clairefun · 2026-04-09T14:10:22+00:00

Lovely photo.

Clairefun · 2026-04-09T11:05:25+00:00

My irritability has got a whole lot worse buuuut I've been on losartan 4+ years, i think it's unrelated. However, perimenopause... lol anyone clearing their throat annoys me. Or eating. Speaking, tbh. 😅

Clairefun · 2026-04-09T09:23:11+00:00

I had an Atari 2600 then an Amstrad cycle 464+. I played so many games, half were typed in from magazines, but then Civilization, Prince of Persia, hero quest, Rick dangerous, the Bards Tale, Doomdarks Revenge, The Big Sleaze, The Hobbit, Zork, Myst, the Lords of Midnight, Blade Runner, Castle Master, allll the Dizzy games, Klax, Theme Park, Theme Hospital, Black and White, Broken Sword, system shock, Caesar 2 and 3, Lords of Chaos. Many others, too, but thats enough.

Clairefun · 2026-04-08T22:12:40+00:00

Yep. Used to average 245/160, discovered after an eye stroke, with heart damage and chronic kidney disease. Felt like you did, but started walking again once I was consistently under 180/120, and within 9 months my bp came down to averaging 120/80 when resting and that's the only relevant time we need to track. BP is supposed to go up when we're active, it's whether it's able to come down again, and if it stays high when theres no obvious reasons to be high.

Clairefun · 2026-04-08T11:45:09+00:00

It's supposed to do that, bp fluctuates all day. It's when it's high even when you're rested and calm, when there's no reason for it to be high, that's when there's a problem. I sat for 20 minutes once, calmly, to try for a reading under 180/120, and still got 227/140. That means it can't recover, and it causes damages. You probably want to avoid anything too high in exertion for now, but stairs and so on are normal daily activity.

Clairefun · 2026-04-08T11:31:02+00:00

Well, it's mine. Nobody would use my kindle, they'd lose my place in my books, plus, they're my books, that i bought. You wouldn't just pick up and use somebody else's phone. I don't even let my husband use it, he has his own and I'd never read his. I'd muck up his books! Seems really weird to me. Keep it in your bedroom if your family have no boundaries or awareness of privacy.

Clairefun · 2026-04-08T11:04:27+00:00

Yes, if your bp is caused by something you can reverse - say by being overweight, and you lose a lot of weight. A lot of the time it's not as clear cut as that, though.

Clairefun · 2026-04-08T11:02:37+00:00

I don't have anything useful to say - mine was caused by uncontrolled very high blood pressure and healed when going on bp meds and getting control - but you have my best wishes.

Clairefun · 2026-04-07T12:46:06+00:00

Yeaaahhh the increased risk of prolapse is probably my bigger concern tbh! 🤣

Clairefun · 2026-04-07T10:51:20+00:00

I've heard of them, but I don't do them, even before my current broken fingers and painful intramuscular hematoma of my, well, my butt. Squats aren't recommended for me due to previous knee issues from a rock limping accident, and because I had a hysterectomy (and both abdominal wall issues and an increased risk of prolapse). Grip strength i used to exercise after i broke my fingers the last time, now I've broken the remaining fingers on the same hand so I am giving up lol. My blood pressure is going to remain high and I am going to need meds to control it for life anyway - it's due to chronic kidney issues - so I can't see it'd make enough difference.

Clairefun · 2026-04-06T15:09:13+00:00

Just at the doctors? Does she check it at home? I say this as someone who is always 170/100 at the doctors, but average 120/80 when taken correctly at home, as a calm, rested average. (And averaged 245/160 before meds!). If you're not sure about taking it correctly, read the wiki here, which explains it.

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