Hello all!

Well I've had a little set back and I'm looking for advice. One of the reasons I joined WW and started running was to try to get off medication for high blood pressure. My blood pressure had always been just a little high, but enough that I was on medication. Well, after loosing 35 pounds I was on the lowest dosage of the medication, so my doctor took me off it. I continued loosing weight and have lost a total ot 51 pounds and began running. I have been able to maintain a healthy blood pressure for about the past year.

Then, about two weeks ago I started having really bad headaches. The folks in the office were passing around the flu, so I assumed that was the reasons for the headaches. Well, after about a week and a half of these headaches I thought that I should probably check my blood pressure, which I hadn't done in a couple of months since it had been good for so long. So on Thursday I had it checked on my lunch break and it was 182/117. I immediately called my doctor. She had me come in early on Friday. My blood pressure was 160/100 so she put my back on medication.

I'm so discouraged. I've done everything right and was able to get off the medication. I can't understand why my blood pressure has suddenly jumped up again! And it seems that the medication has done something that makes it impossible for me to run more than a couple of minutes. I guess I'll have to start from scratch with the running thing to build my time up again.

Has anyone else out there had this happen to them??

Kathyr, don't despair, and don't give up. Even with your BP being high you have done wonders to change your body and lower your risk of heart attack and stroke.

I've been joking a lot lately about how we can't cure genetics, and it is true. Unfortunately we can do "all the right things" and still have problems. It was a shock to me to develop a heart arrhythmia after I started running, I felt like all this work was in vain. The fact is with my mother and paternal uncle having the same arrhythmia I was pretty much doomed from the start. The point which you have to keep repeating over and over to yourself is "I am doing what it takes to keep myself in the best shape possible so that I can live with this disease instead of die from this disease." (My mantra right now)

In the end the changes you have made will make you the success story of your Drs office. So many times as a provider I get frustrated by patients who don't make the changes to maximize their lives. You don't know what a joy it is to see someone like you walk in the door who does the right things and makes the changes that they need. Yeah, it's a bummer about having to go back on the meds, but quite honestly I'm wondering what would have happened to you had you not made the changes? If your BP was this high after you worked so hard, I wonder what it would have been like if you were still living the old life. You have probably saved your life without even knowing it. And never underestimate the power you have to inspire other people. You don't know who is watching you and is going to follow your example. You may never know. But they will, and their families will.

I hope this wasn't too preachy, but I know first hand how easy it is to give up when things get derailed. Witness my long absence from these boards, I tend not to handle adversity with grace and style but instead with cookies and cake. Hang in there! And remember, you are not running the race alone, there are a lot of us running beside you.

Happy--Thanks for the Chicken and Dumplins recipe. I will give it a try. I'm not one to have of bunch ingredients ready made in my cabinets so I will have to go shopping. I am also planning to try that Mexican Chicken Salad recipe. That sounds yummy.