Living with Hypertension

Aug 24, 2023

Living with Hypertension

Wallace, Bobbie and their physicians discuss the difficulties of living with hypertension and the road forward.

Content

8.7 -> Wallace: I went into the emergency room for another problem.

12.5 -> I had chest pains and I went in for that,

16.17 -> and once I found out I was in there for chest pains it just turned out to be

20.36 -> gas in my chest but

21.74 -> they told me I had, I was a diabetic and I

25.27 -> had hypertension too so I didn't know until I went in for

29.21 -> another reason. Bobbie: I kept complaining of a headache.

32.659 -> To my neighbor and my neighbors said

36.6 -> after two or three days of this headache that I should probably go to emergency and

41.429 -> have it checked out, which I did.

43.499 -> Come to find out how I had

47.35 -> high blood pressure and

50.739 -> I was pretty young. I was either 26 or 27 years old.

55.739 -> Wallace: I was in disbelief but really

60.39 -> once you know my mother has it, grandmother had it

64.03 -> grand daddy, you know uncles...I was in disbelief that I

68.95 -> didn't wanna believe that I had too. Bobbie: My family was there with me.

73.72 -> I was very happy they were there and when they left

78.26 -> I began to, I think worry a lot

81.2 -> because I don't want to be left alone.

84.87 -> I end up having a stroke that night which I didn't know until

88.88 -> the next day because they took me to the neurologist

95.35 -> and he confirmed that I had had two strokes

99.42 -> Dr. Clarke: Probably the most important tip to get somebody who's just been

102.899 -> diagnosed with hypertension

104.08 -> is that I it's it's

107.45 -> a manageable disease. It's not a death sentence.

110.64 -> You're going to have to make some

113.689 -> lifestyle changes which tends to be the most difficult for patients do is

117.89 -> lifestyle changes. Dr. Meyers: Quitting smoking,

120.06 -> cutting back on alcohol use if you use alcohol.

123.549 -> Making sure that your sodium

126.92 -> the sodium content in your diet is low because

130.03 -> sodium or salt can really contribute to high blood pressure

133.9 -> Dr: Williams: One of the things that we do when we talk to our patients about eating a low salt diet

137.86 -> is we have a diagram where we kinda show them what are considered lower sodium foods

142.319 -> moderately sodium foods

143.799 -> and high sodium foods I don't tell 'em always

147.16 -> just avoid the high sodium foods but those are the things they have to be

150.4 -> careful of and limit how much of those things they have. Wallace: I don't use salt period.

155.54 -> yep no salt whatsoever for me. So the food that I eat is

160.72 -> no salt. Like I said, the only salt or sodium I end up eating is if I

165.43 -> open up a can of something. Bobbie: I try to eat

168.959 -> the right foods.

172.86 -> I...salt is not good for me,

176.319 -> for anyone with high blood pressure so I try to stay away from the salts.

180.95 -> Away from the fats because you have

184.43 -> your kidney, your cholesterol everything is outta whack when you're doing wrong

189.659 -> and I love those wrong things that are not right for me so

193.939 -> I'm doing the best that I can right now with

196.969 -> my foods. Dr. Meyers: So I'm telling somebody they have an illness

201.59 -> when and they have no symptoms.

205.169 -> And so it's hard to

209.15 -> make it a priority when there's a hundred other things going on in your life.

213.6 -> Dr. Clarke: You can be completely asymptomatic. You can feel

217.189 -> fine. You can feel great and

220.25 -> you can be a ticking time bomb, just waiting.

223.409 -> I think whenever I hear about somebody you know

226.68 -> I was feeling great then all of a sudden, I had a stroke. Dr. Williams: African-Americans experience higher blood pressure rates

231.4 -> we don't know always know why. It tends to be more genetic. It runs stronger in families.

236.56 -> a higher salt diet, not being able to get

241.06 -> the healthy foods, fruits and vegetables, fresh meats that other communities

245.889 -> may get. You know we don't always know

248.97 -> what the answer that question is. Dr. Meyers: For um

252.009 -> hispanics as well as african-americans, their risks are higher both

255.54 -> of having hypertension and the complications from hypertension.

259.659 -> I don't think you really can prevent high blood pressure especially if it's genetic.

263.1 -> If both of your parents have it if

266.229 -> all your grandparents have it and all your brothers and sisters have it, you

270.25 -> probably will eventually.

271.56 -> unless you're really lucky, end up with high blood pressure so

275.509 -> genetics plays a huge role. Dr. Meyers: In addition to those risk factors, we also talk about

280.759 -> the risk factors

282.199 -> if you have high blood pressure and these are the ones that put you at

285.669 -> higher risk

286.68 -> of developing complications from the high blood pressure

290.08 -> so heart disease, kidney failure, stroke

293.65 -> and those are the ones that we just mentioned that put you at higher risk of

297.75 -> getting high blood pressure

299.3 -> but also cholesterol having high cholesterol

302.599 -> also make the high blood pressure more dangerous for you

305.75 -> as does having diabetes. Having diabetes and high blood pressure

310.34 -> together don't just

311.43 -> add on their effects, they actually multiply their effects. Dr. Clarke: Eating a healthy diet

316.219 -> maintaining a healthy weight and exercising.

320.639 -> I have seen patients that have done these things and had a

325.25 -> a severe family history, a long family history of hypertension and have been able to

330.6 -> stay off blood pressure medicine for a longer period of time

334.9 -> then they probably would have if they had, if they were overweight

338.13 -> if they weren't exercising if they were eating a high sodium

341.19 -> meal. Wallace: Watch out for it, for one thing.

344.3 -> Like I say, it can be hereditary or

349.08 -> the way you live your life could make you become

353.12 -> ...you know, have high blood pressure.

356.979 -> Bobbie: I've experienced the high blood pressures

360.24 -> and it is not an easy task.

363.969 -> You have to really be

367.219 -> careful with what you eat.

370.31 -> Be able to, be very

373.58 -> honest with yourself and take your medicine. Do not be a

377.01 -> doctor to yourself. You must

381.689 -> take it seriously.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7VZicQAUOw