Nikki Sommer, a nurse with Key West Surgical Group, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5 FM for Medical Matters this morning.
High blood pressure has been known for many years as the silent killer. It can quietly damage your heart, eyes and kidneys.
Sommer said, “This past weekend, I was studying for my boards, and I realized that when you talk to people about blood pressure, I don’t think there’s an emphasis on the quiet, silent damage that occurs to your heart, your eyes and your kidneys. So a new study looked at hundreds of patients, and they found one in three people with high blood pressure already have organ damage at the time they were diagnosed. That means, because it is silent and you really don’t usually have symptoms of high blood pressure, it’s something that happens gradually. You don’t even know the damage is occurring.”
What can be done about something that is silent?
Sommer said, “Most people don’t feel that they have high blood pressure. So if you have symptoms of headaches, dizziness or chest pain, you’re going to act on it more. But if you don’t have those symptoms, then if you miss your doctor’s appointment, you’re like, no, I feel fine. I don’t want to go, but you have to think of, I like this analogy, f you have a leaky roof in your attic, you really don’t see it until the water spots are on the ceiling, then the roof caves in. That’s kind of what high blood pressure is. It’s happening behind the scenes. If you have been told you have high blood pressure, you need to take it seriously. This happens like through my whole career, where people come in, oh, I forgot to take my blood pressure medicine this morning, oh, I missed a couple of doses, and their blood pressure is super high, and then you’re like, do you have any vision changes? Oh, well, I had blurry vision the other day. That’s a bad sign. You have little vessels in your eyes that are now constricted from the high blood pressure, and that’s cutting the blood supply off to your eye. They’re very fragile. So those are telltale signs. You may not have a headache or you may not feel chest pain, but if you have some dizziness, you can have shortness of breath, and a lot of times people blame some other factors. So getting your blood pressure under control is really important. It’s not just about your heart, it’s about all the other organs it affects. Your kidneys are one of them. So checking your urine for protein is really important, and most providers do that when you have the diagnosis of high blood pressure. But when you see your provider every year and they do what they do, they run these tests, they go over it with you. Your part is to take your medication.”
What lifestyle changes can help a person’s high blood pressure?
Sommer said, “Stay away from salty and processed food. That also means fast food, fried food. If you love healthy choices like chicken or fish. Don’t have them fried, have them baked or grilled. Stay active. Walking, at least 30 minutes a day can help. It’s also a good stress reliever. Today who doesn’t have stress? That all affects your body, and it can raise your blood pressure. So walking 30 minutes a day will help. Of course, the three things that that are always in your face, alcohol, don’t smoke and manage stress. Try and avoid those things.”
Screening is available.
Sommer said, “An electrocardiogram, that measures the electrical conduction in your heart. It also can let the doctor know if he thinks your heart is working too hard. The heart muscle can thicken. So there are changes on your EKG that you might see when somebody has uncontrolled high blood pressure and an eye exam, those little vessels in your eye, if they’re under strain, they can be seen on a routine eye exam and having protein in your urine. So when you draw your blood, we look at your kidney function, and it may be normal, but then if we do an analysis of your urine, and if you are spilling protein in your urine, it could be that your kidneys are starting to feel the effects of your high blood pressure.”
It’s important to know your numbers.
Sommer said, “Know what your normal is, and also people tend to use that excuse, that white coat hypertension, but that’s why we tell you to keep a log at home. I mean, yes, doctors make people stressed. I get it. I get it. But if your numbers are high, like 180 over 120 in the office, we’ve got to be concerned about that. That’s more than just white coat hypertension. We’ve got to know what your numbers are at home. So know your numbers, keeping a log and taking your medication are the three most important things.”
For more information, click here: https://www.keywestsurgicalgroup.com/