I’m 24 and dealing with high blood pressure. I’ve seen five doctors, had countless tests, and they all say the same thing: “Take these pills and try to reduce pressure in your life.” It’s as though my blood pressure and heart rate have minds of their own, fluctuating freely without any reason.
For the past six months, I’ve felt like I’m on borrowed time. Every morning, I gulp down my pills, hoping I won’t have a stroke or end up disabled. Once, I dared to think I was better and skipped my meds for two days. Unfortunately, on day three, my blood pressure shot up over 150, bringing me crashing back to reality.
I’m not an nihilist, I’m the opposite of that. But facing my own mortality every second of life has hit me hard. Maybe I’m just like a “24 years old kid” tasting life’s bitterness for the first time. I hate to compare myself with others, but seeing friends partying, doing drugs, and sipping coffee just makes me hate this fate of mine even more.
I’m an artist, I studied music and wrote lots of songs (only keep them for myself, not trying to be a celebrity or anything like that…), and music has always been my escape. Lately, though, my songs have been pretty dark.
I’m sharing my story not for sympathy, but to connect with anyone else who’s going through a same journey in their life. If you’ve been there and made it out, please tell me how you did it. Any advice, hobby, or habit would help! And if you’re still stuck in the trenches like me, just know you’re not alone.
P/S: This post has been improved by ChatGPT since I’m not confident in my English.
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Got put on BP meds at 15… 15 years later still on them… I tried a bunch of different ones but the one I’ve been on longest has helped the most. As a child I had a mostly healthy diet and plenty of exercise with sports and extra activities. Guess that means I’ll just be taking it daily for life :^(
Edit: forgot to mention I still have near constant palpitations and mildly high BP/heart rate even while on meds AND laying down :^)
My heart rate isn’t always elevated, but when it does… over the roof. I believe those moments might be what they call panic attacks. I’ve noticed similar instances. Sometimes, I’ll be lying in bed, watching YouTube, and suddenly experience palpitations out of nowhere. These random occurrences often worry me the most. Anyway, thank you for sharing your story!
OP you sound exactly like me at that age. I was diagnosed with kidney disease at 16 and got a transplant after one year of dialysis at age 27.
Things were amazing after that but now I’ve got terminal cancer at age 41.
Make the most of everything you’ve got while you still can.
Wow. You’ve been through it. I’m sorry.
Searching hypertension… Wikipedia shows me this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_hypertension However its safest to rule out any other causes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_hypertensionMarcus Aurelius was helpful to me - don’t be sad about the things you’ve lost, be grateful about what you’ve gained. He was specifically talking about the loss of a child. Some people are angry at God because he took away their child to soon. We should be grateful for even the short amount of time we had with that child. I have been able to apply it to so many other situations as well. Just living in constant gratitude can make your life so much better.
I also believe that philosophy could be invaluable during times like these, offering us new perspectives on life’s challenges. Thanks a bunch for your suggestion!
I had an uncle who went on bp meds at 16. It kept him from being drafted and he passed at age 82. Sometimes it’s just genetics. The concern with high blood pressure is what it does to your body over time. Take your meds - keeping it down will help prevent/limit damage and risk. Check your bp regularly to share with your doc. There are several different types of meds and it’s not unusual to need more than one type to keep it steady. 150 is high for your age, but not usually emergency level, especially if you’re asymptomatic, unless your doc has given you other guidelines.
Thank you for the information! I’m sorry for your uncle, his strength in battling hypertension for that long was truly remarkable!
Pfft, like every other day.
E: Sorry, looking back this sounds insensitive but I do mean it. It’s tough doing the basic things sometimes but I’m trying.
OP, try an LCHF diet, see if that helps your high blood pressure. Worth a shot?
Thanks a lot for the suggestion, I’m definitely going to ask my doctor about this!
I hope it works! LCHF seems to work for all kinds of ailments. Even diabetes. Very cool stuff. But yes, obviously consult your doctor, and make sure it’s a good, scientific doctor that listens to up-to-date, peer-reviewed research.
Not a good idea to try a new diet without consulting the docs first…especially with preexisting conditions.
Yep. I’ve IBD and i can’t ear onions, garlic or even veggies in general unless they’re boiled really soft as they fuck with my gut but I can eat a donut ok and would be encouraged to because of the sugar in it. Most people wouldn’t tell me to not avoid veggies unless really soft as most people think fruit and veggies are great as they’re healthy but the the care team I have which includes a consultant and a nurse who specialize in my disease have to me nope.
now
Tuesday. Ended up in the ER with a massive pain in my side, felt like I had ruptured something.
Turns out it was “Epiploic Appendagitis”, which is kind of like appendicitis but on the other side. I call it “Table of Contentsitis”.
Not dangerous, just hurts like fuck so they loaded me up with hydromorphone.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4644543
“hydromorphone is five to ten times more potent than morphine”.
Thank you for sharing your story! I’m sorry to hear about your experience, hope you recover soon and never have to endure anything like that again.
Ever had food poisoning on top of IBS? I wasn’t wanting to swap war stories, apologies if it seemed minimizing.
War zone in your gut? Yeah, feels like that…
Countless hours a day with the anterior in the trash can and posterior on the toilet.
Now. For the last decade, honestly.
practically everyday.
Hug
Thank you.
Welcome.
May your fortune turn in your favour soon
Thank you, and the same to you too, and each and everyone of us.
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I’m in my 30s and feel completely hopeless right now. It comes and goes, I’ll be great for a few years then everything collapses for a few. Right now I’m staring down an expensive major surgery, losing a series of very important people in my life, divorce, work burnout. Just got to take it as best you can and try to find some goals to point toward
My current hobbies include doing as many physical activities as I can to keep my mind off things, painting minis, and playing ukulele. Do what you can to have good sleeping habits. My sleep is garbage and it makes everything 10x harder. As always, don’t forget to drink water
Seeing people around you partying, having gone through my own drugs and alcohol phase, it’s not all that worth it really. At least for me at any rate. I was much happier after I got a better feel for what I actually wanted in life instead of trying to use alcohol to fit in. I was like 27-28 when I figured that out
Wow. That’s a lot to deal with. I wish you the best possible outcome, in all events.
after I got a better feel for what I actually wanted in life instead of trying to use alcohol to fit in. I was like 27-28 when I figured that out.
I stayed to myself for two months, barely went out of my yard, or answered the phone to kick cigarettes. Of course what drinking and the occasional weed I did also went, to make kicking cigarettes easier. I went within, so so deep within. After going out into the world again, I realized: I don’t need to fit in – I certainly don’t want to fit in, anymore.
Thank you, I’m slowly working through it. The surgery at least is a good thing even if it is having its way with my savings and the recovery is going to be wild. Been like two years of wait list, delays, prep, and it is coming together in about 6 weeks! After that all goes through I get to start un-fucking the rest of my life x.x
Aw, that’s great and a great attitude. May you and your bank account have a speedy, full recovery. Maybe you’ll let me know how you’re doing, after, when you’re well enough? I’m pulling for you.
Hey OP not sure what music you are into but this song might hit hard with you. Theres also a bit of a message from the artist at the end that i found to be worth listening to to whole video.
This may be uncomfortable for some, my apologies to anyone who would have preferred not to listen
A friend also sent me this a while ago. I usually listen to electronic music and hip hop, and can’t really stand this type of singer songwriter music. However, this particular track really hit with the lyrics to the point I watched the video completely.
Hi. I’m really sorry you’re going through this. It sounds really scary. I’m wondering if you have some other condition going on. Is it possible this is related to any other physical conditions? Is getting a thorough physical workup doable?
That being ruled out, maybe you could talk to a counselor with regard to your stressors, physical and mental? Are you getting plenty of fresh air and sun? Vitamin d is amazing for so many things, and it’s best when you can get enough from sunlight. Plus just walking several times a week is great. Maybe nutrition coaching is also a possibility?
I’ve taken a thorough blood test, x-ray, and CT scan. Doctors are like “It’s just the stress dude, your body is ok.”
Thank you a lot for these suggestions. I’m gonna try them out!
You’re so welcome. I wish I had more to offer. Best wishes to you.
