My story is simple: I was diagnosed with hypertension mid last year. Nothing gravely serious: I had readings around 145/92 (sometimes up to 16x range, rarely below 140). Tried changing my lifestyle - started exercising, ate much less salt (my diet is generally rather healthy), quit smoking (I do have a few once a week or two). It didn't do anything for me.

Around the end of May I started exercising like crazy (every single day for 1.5 months - either rock climbing or 1500m in the swimming pool). Still no change.

Around that time I looked around for a decent way to store my readings. Wasn't happy with any existing solution, so I made this site.

My first contact doctor prescribed Tritace 2.5. Guess what - my pressure didn't drop a bit.

Then I went to a specialized hypertension clinic. We're still running some additional tests (public healthcare takes time :) ) and they gave me Tertensif 5mg/1.25mg. Finally, my pressure dropped to just above normal. I feel better, but got lazy and don't exercise that much anymore :/.

What about you?

What I missed out was the way in which I loathe being nagged in the press, occasionally in person, as we old farts so often are - to "Know my numbers". BMI/BP/cholesterol. With a BMI of something like 23.7, a BP you have helped me to fix at 132/81, my next target is to get a fresh cholesterol check. But the last one was pretty unremarkable, so maybe I won't get so many lectures.

That truly would improve my quality of life.

Hi I am a new user and I have found this site extremely useful so thanks, my condition is related to Diabetes so I hope the information I feed in will help me for the future.I am concerned with the side effects of some medications like statins?

Late January 2010, first diagnosed w/hbp, 200/100, sometimes higher. I suspect it has been this way for past 5 years, maybe longer. First symptom I noticed was a degradation in one eye, my eye doctor first warned me that I had hypetensive retinopothy. Doctor office always gave me a 140/80 reading, so I ignored the early warnings. Started jogging, this seemed to help it. In the meantime, consumed heavy amounts of caffeinated diet MD at work, lots of sodium-filled foods, and, of course, stress. February: doctor decided to put me on meds, delayed it until end of Feb, went to check it out once more: 210/100. Doctor on call worried I may drop dead any minute from stroke, asked me if I had a tingling in my fingers. No, I felt fine, always have. Reluctantly began taking meds after that. Researched the topic: looks like blood vessels don't have enough nitric oxide, a gaseous molecule known to protect arterial walls from inflammation, produced by endothelium cells. Plus excess sodium doesn't get expelled from the kidneys. Caffeine doesn't help me, for sure. Beetroot juice found to lower bp, but I can't find it in grocery stores, must be a hard-to-get specialty product. Capsaicin, found in Chinese chili peppers, found to lower bp but other research found that substance can lead to skin cancer when consumed. Other research found Aliskiren can reduce bp by inhibiting the renin enzyme in kidneys, other research finds this med not as effective as ACE inhibitors. Vigorous physical activity definitely lowers bp but this does not replace meds, unfortunately. 60 year old white male, Mediterranean ancestry, low weight (135 lbs), one or two risk factors there. Diet has changed to exclude salt and caffeine, low or no sodium in ingredients. Check bp every day, sometimes 3 or 4 times p/day. Right now, bp is around 146/80, sometimes less, sometimes higher. Have not been near 200/100 for many months. Came to this web site, nice idea, little bit labor intensive with the mouse, decided to make my own chart using Excel and its charting capabilities. No forum, though. Like the web site idea, though, offers shared experiences.

Hi all,
Thank you Muszek for the place where we can come to help us help ourselves to better manage our health..I find it so much more helpful that we can log our BP daily,weekly etc.. so that when we go to see our Physician we have a more realistic reading..ie.."white coat syndrome"..which i do..
I have been on Inderal La 80mg/Propanolol since 1987 for Hypertension..has worked beautifully all this time..I have controlled high cholesterol for which i am taking Lipitor and Coenyzyme Q-10..
i have no other health issues and no family history medical problems.(50 yrs. young)

great site, thanks. i get high readings (150/100) in my doc's office, but have been measuring at home and getting normal readings. it seems i'm a classic white coat hypertensive, but this site is going to be a great help in tracking and looking at impact of exercise, caffeine, etc. Thanks again.

Hi All, Im new, Have been reading everyone's stories. All very interesting. I am 39 with fluctuating high blood pressure. Landed in hospital over a year ago with reading of 191/125. I was kept in hosp for two weeks with blood pressure reading all over the place. I have monitored my readings since and have to admit have become a little anxious/obsesive over taking my b/p. Took it 20 times one day and its amazing how it changes from one minute to the next. My consultant told me that my readings should be somewhere between 120 130 / 70 80, but my readings are up one minute and down the next. I also find that mine will rise to 130/90 when on the phone to someone and then minutes later its down again. I left work yesterday and took my BP when I got in the car and it was 152/89, took me 15 min to drive home upon which I decided to take it again and it was 119/72. I dont understand how it all works. Anyone shed any light?

My hypertension was diagnosed several years ago. It was treated for a while, but then unemployment/underemployment meant that I ignored it for quite a while. It had gotten quite bad. I have recently returned to my doctor, and we have started working on getting it under control. She's put me on hydrochlorthiazide and lisinopril (the latter just yesterday). I've been checking my BP rather obsesssive-compulsively the past few days, and was glad to find this site and its very easy-to-use interface for keeping track of my blood pressure.