Blood Pressure

I'm sure everybody likes salt and sugar. The body evolved to want them since in the old days that was how you got energy and nutrients. NOW salt or sugar is added to everything. Without strict management you will naturally consume more and more over time just to feel like your food tastes like you remember it should.

I noticed someone at my past job who is similar to me was having trouble with his BP and passing his DOT exam because of it. I cut out all salt, sugar, and switched to decaf coffee. It was very hard for a few weeks. When I stopped salt/sugar abstinence the smallest amount of sugar or salt tasted like I added a ton of it to my food. I've probably only had 2 or 3 "real" coffees since then.

Try cutting back on salt, not cut it out. Then after you are just used to the new lower amount use a normal amount for 1 day and if you don't notice your food tastes too salty I'll be surprised. Your body will adjust to the new normal. A little change your follow for years is WAY easier than a crash program THAT MUST WORK BY NEXT TUESDAY or you lose your license. A diet isn't about never ever eating everything you like ever again. It's about changing from the American way of you never have a meal that isn't what kings would eat on their birthday, and you eat it at every meal on every day. You eat the food you really like on special occasions. One trick I started years ago was I eat the same food daily for weeks or months at a time. The boredom helps from over-eating and it makes food just something you do, like brushing your teeth, instead of the highlight of your day. I went through a very poor period where I ate almost nothing but oatmeal. It fills you up. It's cheap. You can eat it 10 times a day without eating 5,000 calories a day. Instant oatmeal is easy to make in the truck or you can use the truck stop microwave. Eat it for breakfast and dinner. Eat a light lunch, not a Thanksgiving simulation. You can make lunch just 1 or 2 McDs small cheeseburgers, no fries, no soft drink. You have to overcome your habits if you want changes. Most things we think and do are just habits we've slipped into over time. You can have any habit, pick a better habit.

 

How are you going to get busted for not reporting BP medication? I know some truck drivers that avoid going to doctors. The only doctor they ever go to is the same doctor they use for their DOT exam.

The DOT doctor isn't your primary doctor. He's not the doctor you use for a broken arm or some medical issue that pops up for some time. Many drivers treat the DOT doctor like the IRS. You don't go to the IRS with all of your bills, paychecks, and a story of EVERYTHING you spend money on and then act surprised if the IRS decides they want more of your money. Most normal people avoid the IRS at all costs. You pay your taxes, but you don't ask the IRS for tax advice etc.

When I was still flying airplanes the pilots around me had 2 doctors. the FAA doctor who could end your career if you had a medical issue and another doctor you used IF you had to see a doctor. Back in the day you could pay cash and never disclose your real name. One doctor knew your real name and what you did for a living. The other doctor knew your medical issues but didn't know your real name or your career. Mostly you just avoided doctors unless you had no other options. And the doctor you did see was NEVER the same doctor that could end your career. The DOT doctor only knows you from DOT exams and you never go to the DOT doctor unless you are 100% sure you have solved any and all medical issues.

I would warn you against going down the health food and nutritional supplement rabbit-hole. EVERY nutrient has been sold as fixing the same problem over the year. The supplements ONLY voluntarily check the content of what they are selling. They have a special exemption from the govt as long as they don't make health claims in a certain way. If they are smart enough to never say CoQ10 cures brain cancer and only say garlic pills "supports your bodies ability to fight off dragons" they can claim anything they want whether they are selling sawdust pills or dehydrated water pills. The "nutritional supplements" that do contain what you think they contain are an easy way to get massive overdoses of what they contain. Also, there is a risk that supercharging your body with a stream of high-dose supplements will pour "gasoline" onto the fire of any small cancer you may have. Cancer cells are the most efficent cells created at robbing nutrients from the bloodstream. If you have watched that industry for a long time you will see for a couple of ears one thing is the miracle cure for X and then a few years later the same item is now the miracle cure for Z or X's miracle cure is something besides what it was 3 years ago.

Nutritional supplements are not necessarily safe items to consume. Many or most come from outside the US and have little or no regulation. Only some of the supplements are even tested to see what is in them and there is nothing illegal about selling sawdust pills and calling them Vitamin A, B, E or anything else. They are unregulated and only voluntarily tested. They are not magic cures and modern food is not suddenly lacking the vitamins they used to have. The supplement industry is largely a hoax industry, like the flat-earth book industry. They first tell you to distrust every source that would contradict them and then they sell you whatever they can make money on.

 

I’ve been taking 50 mg Losartan, my BP was about like yours, now it always perfect. Give the meds a chance. All the other things are lifestyle choices. The meds work. Might want to get checked for any blockages, before having a heart attack. Not worth postponing, I waited too long, now have some heart damage.Better to get a stent if needed before any damage is done from a heart attack.The procedure is almost pain free. Very minor discomfort.

 

I think you are better off avoiding diet drinks and treats and just eaing a lot less of the real thing. Diet items keep your sweet tooth going at 100% but your body isn't satisfied by diet items so you may wind up consuming more diet items than if you had just stayed with the real deal.

Nobody is saying eating less of the things you like is just as satisfying but you just decide this item that is bad for me means I either have to rune 6 miles to burn it off or it may mean I'll lose my job so I can have it once a month instead of 3 ties a day and twice on Saturday. America's got a huge weight gain problem starting in the 1990s when all of the no-fat and low-fat cookies and treat came out. Diet stuff is a gimmick to make money. We assume Diet X must be healthier than real X but there is no evidence, just hopes and revenues. To me diet drinks are like deciding you will be OK with your wife having an affair as long as everyone uses a condom. NO. STOP HAVING THE AFFAIR. Diet drinks just keep your body craving sweets. Craving sweets or craving salt is the problem. Cut back a small amount and every month or two cut back some more until it's not the focus of your happiness and a crutch.

 

Give those meds some time they will do the trick. Of course you still have to cut the salt , caffeine and no smoking ( if you do ) before you check it. And whatever you do don't tell the Dot Dr. You are on the meds or else you'll only get a 1 year certification .

 

Of course I'm not telling anyone to be dishonest. The doctor isn't going to reward you with a DOT card because of your honesty. He looks at the things on the exam checklist and you either pass them or fail them. He's not your friend or your partner he's giving an exam. Get your medical issues under control so the DOT doctor has no option but to pass you. There is a lot of info on here in various places about BP. It pays to get your diet and BP under control, not just for the DOT exam. Losing weight is best. Nobody has high BP because they aren't getting enough octopus extract, or garlic deficiency, or whatever the Chinese are putting in the "vitamins" they ship to the US. Often people are trying to avoid making a change by consuming magic supplements. That has it's own risk.