Cholesterol and blood pressure

[dorcas61]

Morning! Hope you all remembered to put back your clocks!!

Feeling rather annoyed (and a bit "down") - diagnosed in April and last week had my first check-up with the Diabetes GP in my practise - my blood sugar levels have come down form 7.7 to 6.6 (yippee!) and I've lost 4 kilos in weight (yippee again!) BUT I now have high cholesterol at 5.4 and high blood pressure at 140/90!!!!

Neither has ever been a problem before diagnosis - highest cholesterol was 4, highest bp 120/70 - so where the hell have these leaps come from?? Is it, as the GP suggested, "just one of those things with Diabetes", or can I do something about it?

Are tablets really necessary, or can I reduce them with diet? I've reduced my blood sugar levels/lost weight with a low-carb diet, I know I need to cut back on cheese and salt, but can anyone offer any other advice?

I'm seeing the GP again on 12th, and will ask for a referral to a Dietitian, but that could take a few months, so any help on here would be very welcome

 

[anniep]

I'm sorry I can't help. When I started low carbing my cholesterol came down, not went up and I ate more cheese!

Diabetes and high blood pressure and cholesterol probs do go together, how long is it since your cholesterol of 4?

Just shows how we are all different, maybe somebody else can suggest something useful.

 

[noblehead]

dorcas61,

That a good reduction in your hba1c to 6.6 so it's obvious your diet is working well for you. Both food and increased exercise are good ways of reducing cholesterol and bp, ask a dietitian to analyse your diet to pick up on any foods likely to cause a increase, two of the biggest culprits are saturated fat and salt so its likely a reduction in these would be mentioned first. Regular exercise, even 30 mins walking a day can be beneficial also, so do try to include or increase your exercise level if you can.

Here is a link to the Blood Pressure Association Website where you will find lots of useful info on reducing your bp and cholesterol:

http://www.bpassoc.org.uk/BloodPressure ... rlifestyle

Nigel

 

[dorcas61]

Thanks for the link, Nigel - some useful info

It's a few years since my cholesterol was last tested, so it could have been creeping up fpr a while - when I went through my symptoms with the practice nurse she said it's likely that I've been Diabetic for five years or more without realising it.

The bp, though, is a different matter - last winter 120/70, now October 11th 140/98! I'm cutting back on salt, and also switching to decaffeinated coffee - I've been walking more since April, but I shall try to manage a longer walk in the mornings before I catch the bus!

Hopefully things will improve by the time I see the dietitian - if i can avoid tablets I'll be very pleased!

 

[noblehead]

dorcas61,

Cutting back or eliminating caffeine will undoubtedly help reduce bp (albeit in a small way) as caffeine has been proven to increase bp in people, although there are coffee/tea addicts who maintain good bp so this cannot be accepted as the norm, but anyway its surely worth trying.

I stopped drinking caffeine drinks around 3-4 months back due to IBS (bladder in this instance) and have noticed a huge difference, from going to the loo every 60-90 minutes I now go around 3 hourly, and from waking 1-3 times a night, I can now sleep for 6-7 hours before needing to go. Without demonising caffeine, it is something worth giving up to aid health should you believe it may help, and as the decaff versions taste identical .......there is no reasons not to give it a try!

Nigel