Should I worry about being 26 with high blood pressure?

Question

I went to the dr today due to sharp pains in my lower back, abdomen, and pelvic area that came on all the sudden. I was thinking uti because I had gotten these when I was pregnant. They took my bp and it was 152/110. They checked it 3 times while I was there and it was about the same everytime. I just checked it at home tonight & it was 148/105. I am extremely worried about this since I am so young and am worried that this may be my kidneys causing me pain. I have had high blood pressure in all 4 of my pregnancies with the last 2 pregnancies being back to back, it has been 5 months now since I gave birth and my blood pressure has been high everytime I go to the doctor since then but never this high, with pain in the kidney region too. The doctor said this was a uti and told me to monitor my pressure at home but I am scared this has something to do with my kidneys.Has anyone else experienced a similar situation? What should I do if I feel this way and my dr chaulks it up to a uti?

Answer 1

High blood pressure at whatever age or sex you are is a serious problem that could be a fatal one as well. Did the doctor put you on any kind of blood pressure medication or give you a restricted salt diet to follow? If not, I would suggest that you either a) ask him or her to do this or b) get a second opinion. High blood pressure especially if it is consistent over time can do a lot of damage to the body and could also contribute to a stroke or something worse.

Many things other than an existing medical condition can cause the rise in blood pressure. Stress, poor eating habits, poor sleeping habits can contribute to having high blood pressure as well as hereditary factors too. You need to find a doctor that will be willing to help you out in all these matters, and if your current doctor is reluctant to, then you owe it to yourself to seek a doctor that will.

Good luck and I hope you feel better soon!

Answer 2

I think that you may have mis-heard your doctor. Changing your lifestyle probably won't immediately reduce your BP but it will certainly help to control your blood pressure and help to stop it getting worse. It is a peculiarity of hypertension (high blood pressure)that there seems to be a 'switch' that is triggered by your body condition reaching some threshold. Unfortunately, reducing or eliminating the trigger factors does not always throw the 'switch' back again so medication is necessary. The causes of hypertension are many. You have admitted to cigs and booze, but there is also stress (severe not just an occasional rant moment), bad diet, vitamin deficiency, genetic (big cause), lack of exercise, etc etc. The medication is very effective but it may take a few months to establish what the proportions and doses best suit you to stabilise your BP to a safe level. Hypertension can also affect your kidney function. This is logical because kidneys are just filters and if they're subject to too much incoming pressure they will object - like any other filter. Your doctor will probably take blood tests to see how well they're performing and will prescribe treatment if necessary. This normally doesn't affect your ability to process normal amounts of liquid intakes (your previous habits were above what the human body was designed for). One thing to remember is that hypertension affects up to 1 in 5 of adults but is mostly undiagnosed because it does not have any specific symptoms. It's only picked up when you're being tested, usually for something else. You are lucky (I know it doesn't seem like it now) because yours has been detected in good time to do something about it. Your contemporaries and boozing friends may not discover their BP problem until they have a heart attack or stroke. You will almost certainly be on the pills for life. Blood pressure pills are not exempted from the prescription charge and you will have to pay £7.20 for each packet. That could be expensive if you have three different pills and have to get new ones every two or three months. (It could be £133.20 plus any other prescriptions that you may have during the year) So you should consider buying a Prescription Pre-payment certificate. This is an annual ticket that covers all NHS prescriptions, not just your BP pills, and can save you a fortune in prescription charges. The annual cost for this is £104. If you need a temporary spell on kidney pills too then this will help a lot. A change of habits will also help to prevent some of the other horrors that wait for people when they get older. For example, smoking a packet of cigarettes a day is 99.99% guaranteed to give you lung cancer by the time you're 60. That's not very far away, even if it seems like it to a 26 year old. Believe me, you DO NOT want to die from lung cancer, or even see a loved one suffer from it. Heavy smoking can also cause cancer of the lower bowel and anus. This is a far from funny condition that you really don't want. 60 units of alcohol per week will not be doing your liver any good either. It will reduce your resistance to disease. Keep up the good work on dumping the drinks and tobacco but don't feel that you have to cut out all the pleasures of life. Fish and chips is still good (monthly at most). But you should always walk straight past McDonalds of KFC without even pausing to sniff, and feel entilted to be smug!

Answer 3

High Blood pressure is usally caused by stress or it runs in the family, I'm only 21 and I have high blood pressure, I get those sharp pains in my kidneys too, but after I started walking more and relaxing and drinking more fuilds the pain went away, I still have high blood pressure but i'm keeping it down by taking meds. High Blood Pressure is a serious thing, go to another doctor if you feel that dr.chaulks isn't finding the causes High Blood pressure can make you go blind, or you could end up in a coma.

Answer 4

I am sorry to say this but yes. You should be worried. If your blood pressure has continued to be high trough out your pregnancies. And even after. This is not good. Most people have no symptoms. But the pain you say you have in your kidney area could be a UTI, Bladder or Kidney infection. All could cause your elevated blood pressure. But I doubt that is it if you have had it for so long. If your doctor is not taking this seriously. I would get a second opinion. You are young but your blood pressure can cause strokes, heart attach etc... Please get a second opinion. Your numbers are high.

Answer 5

You have to find out the cause of the HBP in the first place.
Maybe you should slow down on the pregnancies because judging by your words, it may be correlated with your high blood pressure.
Secondly watch your diet and try not to get too stressed out. Go for light exercises like longer walks.
And if your bloodpressure doesnt decrease consult your doctor for medication. It may just be hormonal imbalance (increases blood pressure), and the appropriate drugs may help reduce it.
Hope this helps, and all the best

Answer 6

NO!Your not that old to worry about high blood pressure. You're only 26.You can do a lot to prevent HBP. You should practice yourself of avoiding foods that are oilly and fatty. Then you should exercise at least thrice a week. Don't do heavy works; don't sleep too much; avoid direct heat from the sun.I know a lot about this problem because my father also suffered with HBP

Answer 7

You are still young and still can do something about it. Diet, excercise and frequent monitoring. High blood pressure can cause your kidneys to fail when it continues untreated, not to mention a stroke. Knowing your BP on a daily basis is key. Ask your doctor if Diovan is right for you. Time to invest in a spygmomanometer so you can monitor your BP at home.

Answer 8

I didnt read ur whole question, but yes

Answer 9

have more sex to loose your self cos i did it