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Blood Pressure and MS
Whether your blood pressure is high or low, either extreme can be a problem. If it's too high for an extended period of time, you could be diagnosed with hypertension. If it's too low, you might have a condition called hypo-tension or BP that's too low. They both come with specific symptoms that may be troublesome if you also have MS.
Healthy even with MS
First of all, one thing you should always do is to make sure you are healthy - besides multiple sclerosis. Don't always blame all of your symptoms on MS. They could possibly be something else. Cir used to blame most of his symptoms on multiple sclerosis just because it's so convenient to do so. You know you have it, so what else could it be. This is a mistake.
We've since tried to evaluate each new or recurring symptom more on what's happening right now. We then work our way back to figuring out when the symptom first showed up. As for bp, he hardly ever has a problem with it being too high. Every once in awhile, maybe because of what he's been eating, it will run a higher. A few times his nurse has sent him in for a check up just to make sure.
For the most part, it's usually normal. If you have a family history of hypertension, this is something you should keep an eye on. We have one of those blood pressure cuffs and take our pressure regularly – more me because I actually have been having a problem with hypertension. Cir's only seems to run high if he's eaten too many high sodium foods.
That rarely happens because I don't cook with salt, and we usually don't buy many processed foods. I read labels and try to keep sodium under 100mg if I'm buying canned or boxed items. I try to include as many fresh fruits and veggies in our everyday meals as possible – our Vita-Mix helps with this.
Potassium and Blood Pressure
And try to make many of the foods you eat higher in potassium. This helps to maintain a better sodium to potassium ratio in your body, which helps keep blood pressure under control.
So what's your BP like? Do you have a history of it in your family? Do you eat a lot of processed foods and drinks like sodas and sweetened drinks? Do you eat very little fresh fruits and veggies everyday? Have you gained a significant amount weight over the years? Has your mobility caused you to exercise less and less?
Your answers to these questions may mean that you need to make some lifestyle changes in order to get your BP under control. If you can't get it under control by making certain changes, then your doctor may want to put you on medication.
I learned the hard way that HBP can lead to things like CHF (congestive heart failure). Not only this, but more serious things like heart disease, heart attack, and strokes. So making changes, even small ones, can make a big difference in your overall health.
Go from Blood Pressure back to MS and Other Conditions.
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Cir & Akrista
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