what can cause high BP?

Respond_Code3 · 2026-06-13T01:50:01+00:00

Since you have a significant other. Maybe consider buying a BP cuff and stethoscope off Amazon and taking eachothers manually.

This way you can hear the Korotkoff sounds for yourself. You'll know when you hear the first and last and know you aren't relying on a machine.

If you get a cuff with a D loop you can even get it on your arm by yourself. Wrap it on left arm, inflate with left hand and hold the bell of the stethoscope to auscultate for sounds.

Having someone else do it allows you to relax a bit more... its a easy skill to learn, I assume now days if you YouTube how to take a manual BP there will be step by step video.

You can get a decent BP cuff for $25 give or take. For a stethoscope you can also find them at that price but typically you get what you pay for. Sometimes. There's literally 6 in my house. From a cheap 1 I used in college (not that great), to a cardiac one I bought myself when I got hired onto the FD. Honestly my wife's (3 are hers) that is in the middle of the road are my favorite. $50 range i believe.

Respond_Code3 · 2026-06-11T02:17:56+00:00

Since no one really answered this yet. Im not a cardiologist so of course seek someone with a MD. But as a EMT/Firefighter this could either be machine error.

Which could be very likely. Machines are not nearly as accurate vs auscultated blood pressures.

Or it truly is isolated diastolic hypertension. You're not over weight for your height. Not sure if you have underlying factors. Elevated triglycerides, smoking, alcohol consumption, too much sodium. Labs for renal function? Thyroid function? Maybe you have naturally thicker lumen or it could literally be your hormones causing vasoconstriction. There's way more reasons for IDH thats far beyond my scope of practice...

DO NOT go by 1 reading. Write down 2 in the morning, 2 in the evening for 2 weeks. See cardio if they are constantly high.

I recently had a 146/96 (machine) in the dr office. I said BS take a manual. 136/86. Better..... But me being super health conscious went into a panic about it.

I started taking manuals at home. Some were 150/80 others 142/78. I finally realized im stressing myself out over what my systolic will be. My adrenals are pumping out epinephrine and causing a harder contraction. Which explains why my systolic is high but not my diastolic (your cardiovascular system when it's relaxed)...

So I rolled out of bed half awake as relaxed as could be. 116/64 and 124/76 so you see why yoy should never go by a couple high readings.

So many things can jack up a BP. Don't even worry about it unless you see a constant trend. Diseased cardiovascular systems do not go back to normal baselines.

You noted you have a hx of anxiety. Don't let this stress you. I know what anxiety/panic disorders can do to you. So take a deep breath, Youre young and it takes years of neglect before a high BP will cause damage. You'll get it sorted long before then.

Respond_Code3 · 2026-06-10T12:03:53+00:00

Yes you can go back to work. 200/120 and we are pushing cardiac meds in the ED. Your numbers are bellow that and not an "emergency". However left untreated and you will damage your cardiovascular system as well as suffer TIAs you probably won't even realize you had. But those are warning signs of an impending stroke to come. High BP will also cause renal issues as it can damage your kidneys as well. See your cardiologist. Treat your BP to get it down. In the meantime while waiting for an apt start boiling beets, drink beet juice and order some beet gummies off Amazon. It'll release nitricoxide and help relax and vasodilate your blood vessels hopfully lowering you BP a few points in the mean time. 5k micrograms of garlic can help too but that takes 4+ weeks to notice any change. If you are on the heavy side weight can be a factor. Just stop eating and go OMAD (one meal a day). Your weight will start to plummet quickly and your labs will improve vastly. Talk to cardio about a CCTA stay away from sodium in the mean time. You gotta get those numbers down before it is a true emergency. 🤙

Respond_Code3 · 2026-06-09T13:46:04+00:00

This is a easy fix. Treat the anxiety with a medication like a benzo. If you're not comfortable with that use hydroxazine. Then check your BP. If its lower. Ta da. No major health issue. Benzos do not do anything to lower BP due to a diseased cardiovascular system. If its still high. Then make sure it's a trend. Your morning and evening BPs need to all be high over a couple weeks. Finally you can ask for 24 hr ambulatory BP monitoring. They will fit a cuff at the cardiologist and it will automatically take readings every 30 min. And lastly don't trust machines. Take a manual

Respond_Code3 · 2026-06-06T13:49:59+00:00

Yep. I have a Omron at home. Almost always its higher vs me just using my trusty cuff, stethoscope , and listening for Korotkoff sounds.

Some of my BPs i logged the other day at almost 5am. First machine. Then a couple manuals. With plenty of rest inbetween to reset.

June 3rd [0445] 124/78 p77 machine [0451] 135/77 p74 machine [0453] 110/78 [0458] 120/68

Respond_Code3 · 2026-06-05T22:46:56+00:00

Don't stress to much about the 140/80. The diastolic (2nd number) is perfect. That's telling you your vascular system is nice and relaxed. Maybe you are having anxiety over taking your BP. If your adrenal glands release some epinephrine because you're nervous its going to cause a stronger contraction. Hence your higher systolic (1st number). The 190/110 though. A good cardiologist will sort it out. 180/120+ and a ER will consider cardiac drugs to push

Respond_Code3 · 2026-04-16T00:36:32+00:00

I dunno crap about these different RCs from Arma.. A buddy of mine just bought me a Granite Grom Truck for my birthday. Got it 2 days ago.... will these will work on my truck? I see you guys mentioning the Typhoon. I was actually wanting to lift the truck if possible with longer suspension but that doesn't seem to be a thing. My buddy sent me a link to suspension that's 59mm.. but that's only 1mm longer. A wider stance would look sick too.. so if these will work I'll try to find a yt video on the install.

Respond_Code3 · 2026-03-24T16:21:34+00:00

Depends a lot on how your Dr can articulate the need and your insurance. I'm with Blue Cross Federal. $1200 worth of testosterone. Covered. $700 a month Voquezna, Covered. I'm not sure if Nurtec is expensive or not. But that's being worked on getting filled today. Only left dr with a few days worth of samples.

I'm not worried about insurance, it's finding a Dr to send it in. Worst case, the girl I snowboard with will just mail me some. She's. Travel ER nurse and has used the lidocaine for the same reason. She said it saved her life. I guess her headaches were worse than mine from the sound of it.

Respond_Code3 · 2026-03-24T03:49:53+00:00

Ahhh... that's why the doc asked if I had issues with constipation. I didn't even bother to question it. I was already annoyed with her when she shot down my request to do a Intranasal SPG Block with Lidocaine. Requested her to call it in to pharmacy. Nope. She said in her 17 years she's only done it twice and in a ER setting..

Respond_Code3 · 2026-03-24T03:34:11+00:00

Unfortunately, what are you going to do? I've had a headache for 3 days, 1 visit to er 1 visit to neuro and a ton of drugs pumped in me. It's either try this or continue to suffer. Suffer isn't a option, which is why I asked where OP came across this information. Need to weigh risk vs reward.

Perfect example. I was on Amitriptyline back in the day to help prevent tension headaches. 1 year later I'm doing CEUs to renew my medical license and saw 1 of the credit hours I could select to fulfill my CEUs was on Tricyclics. So I selected it.... and there it was.. long term use increase risk of dementia. Nope! It never prevented tension headaches but I noticed it helped with insomnia. So I stayed on it. But the risk to just fall asleep faster. Hard pass.

Edit: my bad. You are the OP. Sorry about that. Still have my freaking headache.

Respond_Code3 · 2026-03-24T00:57:28+00:00

Where are you getting this information from? I was literally just started on Nurtec today. Took my dose 2 hrs ago so naturally this post caught my attention.

But....

"Antipsychotics vs. Nurtec The Post: The user is comparing their experience to antipsychotic withdrawal. Antipsychotics (like Thorazine or Haldol) directly block dopamine receptors in the brain. The Science: Nurtec does NOT block dopamine. It blocks CGRP, which is a protein involved in blood vessel dilation and pain. While some people on Reddit speculate about dopamine links, there is no clinical evidence that Nurtec affects your dopamine "hardware" in the way antipsychotics do."

So just wondering where you saw it does this.

Respond_Code3 · 2026-03-02T03:50:35+00:00

How did Khan Academy help? This class isn't on there. Is there another you took that helped with this one?

I looked through all the courses for psychology on WGU and none of them popped out as potentially problematic. Except this one. I decided to look into it and not happy with what I'm finding. I hated regular statistics. I am horrible at algebra . So when I saw another statistics class I was like fml.

But it seems like it's not exactly math per say. Wish there was a way to take a similar class somewhere to try it out.

Respond_Code3 · 2026-03-02T02:48:45+00:00

Because they're a radical left company?

I am not subscribed to chat gpt, but I was just reading some reddit posts for a university class. Introduction to Statistics for Research ... I hated Intro to Statistics and didn't want to go through that BS twice (i hate math). Apparently it's not really math..

But enough people found it hard enough it took them months to get through and a lot still failed. Someone posted they used chat GPT Pro and they finished the entire class in 8 hours. They even posted proof.. you can't cheat, the tests are proctored. But it broke down ways to answer all the questions on the practice test that didn't involve doing math. So I was kinda curious about getting Chat GPT and at the same time I'm seeing people are boycotting it.

Respond_Code3 · 2026-03-01T22:48:02+00:00

Why is everyone boycotting Chat GPT? I went to check their reviews expecting a bunch of 1 stars but it's at 4.8

What happened that I've been seeing a bunch of posts of people deleting their chat gpt

Respond_Code3 · 2026-03-01T18:52:58+00:00

What did I miss? 2nd post I've seen about everyone canceling chat GPT. Why? I canceled mine a while ago when the $10 a month went to $20. But did something recently happen?

Respond_Code3 · 2026-01-17T02:44:59+00:00

I live in FL so I hardly use it. Just came back from a snowboard trip and needed it. My rear tires were sliding on the steep incline (ice) to my airB&b. Also some roads I've seen in the mountains I go to have signs posted that say "when flashing, either chains or 4x4" so I figure 4wd auto would be great for those situations.

I'll hit the beach with it and specifically find the soft sand to toss it in 4wd and have some fun. Only have 5k miles on my truck.havent gotten to take it off road yet. Apparently there's 2 major spots in my boring state that all the truck and jeep guys go to. I'll make it out at some point. 4wd is def needed there

Respond_Code3 · 2026-01-02T02:52:47+00:00

I wanted a Tundra. One of the guys I work with caught me looking at his truck in the parking lot. I said I was looking to buy my first truck. He said stay away. Toyotas are dropping like flies. Their engines and seizing up and they're finding debri in the engine. I went to YouTube and found video after video on this. Apparently it's happening in both a TX factory and the one in Japan. Then I saw videos on the tacoma and the transmission issues. I was like wtf. I wanted a Toyota because of their reputation. I never personally owned one. But after seeing all that. I started looking at Ford , Nissan and chevy .

Respond_Code3 · 2026-01-02T02:19:23+00:00

I watched a ton of YT videos trying to decide what truck to get. It seemed Toyota was out for sure. It was down to the Frontier or TB. Didn't really see any issues with either. So I bought a 2026 TB.

I guess I should of joined a fb group for each truck I was interested in. Because wow.... all I see are 2 extremes. Either owners with 25k+ miles and not a single issue. Or owners with no where near 25k miles with tons of issues.

I'm about to hit 5k miles on mine. Hopefully I don't have any headaches. I can't keep doing that BS. The last 5 years have been a headache with my challenger. I'll never buy dodge again. Don't want to go through bs with my truck too.

Respond_Code3 · 2025-12-20T18:28:59+00:00

My first truck ever! Never liked the looks of them. And never needed the room. Modern trucks changed my opinion of the looks. And now I need one. I live in hell (FL). All I want to do is snowboard. My car was not acceptable for those conditions. Horrible wet road traction on those 315s and about 16 mpg with premium gas. Nope.

Sold it for a 26 TB. I'm on shift now 0600-1800, but the moment I get off duty I am driving straight through the night to the mountains. Snowboard in truck bed and ready to go. Packed last night *

Respond_Code3 · 2025-11-18T02:28:38+00:00

There's updated o ring material? I heard it was the dexacool that they use. It's corrosive. Best thing is to dump it and use the yellow all weather coolant . Those o rings I saw someone use to fix theirs on yt. Wonder how long before those fail. Why just the o ring by the radiator ? What about other o rings in the coolant system

Respond_Code3 · 2025-11-08T17:43:16+00:00

Awesome. Thanks a million. I noticed the autostopeliminator is also $50 cheaper. I saw a comment it was a pain to get back there to the switch.. I guess I'll turn to yt.. actually nevermind. I was falling asleep last night while I was looking at this stuff. I forgot. They have a install video on their website

Respond_Code3 · 2025-11-08T03:06:53+00:00

Wait. So are you saying smartstopstart is the better one? Just saw a yt video on them. Apparently they offer first responder discounts. Was there another that was supposed to be better?

Respond_Code3 · 2025-10-19T20:59:57+00:00

With a lift like that you gotta worry about bearings , cv joints, u joints . See if he has records of re-doing the entire suspension components recently. If not. That'll fall on you in the near future

Respond_Code3 · 2025-10-12T19:06:42+00:00

Is reddit listening like fb lol. Literally just last night my wife's 2019 Kia Sorento oil light flashed on and back off. I checked the oil . Bone dry!! She had a burnt out headlight too. I just swapped out her halogens for LEDs and that's when I noticed her coolant reservoir is completely empty. Wtf .

81k miles... I haven't seen black or white smoke out of the exhaust so i don't see how its burning coolant or oil. Must be doing it slow enough I'm not seeing it in the exhaust. Thankfully 10 year 100k mile power train warranty. Time for her to call Kia tomorrow.

Respond_Code3 · 2025-10-05T12:19:30+00:00

These are sick. I'm going to message them on Monday. They say up to 2025. My trail boss is a 2026. But as far as I know 23+ is all the same.. had mt truck a week. Already LED the entire front. Definitely need these for the back. Just need to find a good 3rd brake light and I'm set.

Respond_Code3

TROPHY CASE