Most will wonder , on the reason for this combination, it's on default that I figured this connect.
Rewind :
Post surgery , Cyclosporine ,was one of the immunosuppressant drugs, which I was prescribed , including Prednisolone & Azathioprine. The dosage was extremely high. While I had Cyclosporine mixed in warm milk , the rest of the tablets ( including Vitamin tabs) felt like eating a fistful of after meal mouth freshners :)). I was also given a minimum dosage of BP medication. This continued for a while & over a period of time, Cyclosporine was stopped. Other two medications were reduced & will continue life long !
With Every information being a Google away , I found my answer , as to why , I was being given, BP tabs. According to the information & now what I have also learnt, introduction of Cyclosporine, lead to nominal systemic Hypertension amongst 70-90 % recipients ( one of the many side effects ). This was the reason for the BP medication.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
The Present :
Like I have mentioned earlier , I am on a life long, minimum dose of Prednisolone & Imran, Vitamin's (calcium tabs an important feature ) & BP tabs. Although the dosage for BP tabs hasn't changed , the brand has changed twice ( I am presuming it has to do with the composition & making sure that the body does not get use to it & stop working). Blood reports done once every year, making sure all the levels were very near perfect!
All was good. It was just recently, that I realised , I had not done my blood test for around 4 years & decided to get one done, been a while after all ! Reports all good. As expected , D3 & B 12 low, my GP wasn't worried , medications would take care of it. Then a general BP check , readings were extremely High. Considering I felt no discomfort , no signals by the body of any kind, left my Doc , completely flummoxed !
A change was eminent, medication were revamped, dosage changed. The two main reasons for this, somewhere along the line, the intensity of BP tabs had been reduced & once you near 45-50 years, Hypertension is a symptom during this period of Menopause.
Now comes the link between Hypertension & Swelling.
It's been around 3-4 years, that I noticed , I was getting swelling on my feet, every so often & stayed for a few days at end. Since my Mom has had this for a while now, happens mostly when she is on her feet too much, lack of rest- I presumed , this was it. However, rest, putting feet on an elevated level, didn't do much.
Next was, maybe , it was water retention , so - low salt, drink plenty of water & swelling persisted. I did notice, that there was swelling when I ate Rice for a few consecutive meals. That was put aside, for a few weeks , seemed like it was working , swelling had reduced & then, the erratic behaviour of swelling continued!
What next, was the call- and I was told to go on a gluten free diet. So, gluten free it was. Off Rice, wheat, white flour (maida), couscous , the works, anything that might have gluten. For a while It worked. At least that's what I thought, but No- Swelling was as whimsical as ever!
I was getting quite clueless on what was happening. Just decided to ignore it & that's that.
And then, the BP issue happens, medication changes & voila - swelling has now settled. The BP reading, although slightly on the higher side ( will take some time to get to normal, considering , I have no idea when the BP had started its upward descend ) , the medication has stabilized the fluctuations, which in turn settled the swelling.
Since the discussion is on BP also , the following link has the information we all need to know about BP reading ,
http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@gsa/documents/downloadable/ucm_484095.pdf
Another link which was interesting was,
http://www.bloodpressureuk.org/BloodPressureandyou/Thebasics/Whatisnormal
A few ways to keep BP reading in check , from my experience & some which I have read up online & tried which have worked -
Walk Walk Walk, that like the best ! Keep an ideal weight , not more not less!
Cucumber & Pomegranate help.
You love chocolate, occasional bites of Dark chocolate also benefit!
Avoid excessive Carbohydrates, Alcohol, Tea , Coffee.
Balance your Potassium levels by controlled eating of, a banana in the morning daily, sweet potato, tomato ( always eat after removing the seed) ,dry fruits, prunes, raisins, musk lemon - to name a few.
Balance your Potassium levels by disciplined eating of , fish, tofu, milk , leafy vegetables - a few I know off.
Eating raw Garlic helps.
Try new things , see if it works for you. if it does , great- if not , avoid.
Since the discussion is on BP also , the following link has the information we all need to know about BP reading ,
http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@gsa/documents/downloadable/ucm_484095.pdf
Another link which was interesting was,
http://www.bloodpressureuk.org/BloodPressureandyou/Thebasics/Whatisnormal
A few ways to keep BP reading in check , from my experience & some which I have read up online & tried which have worked -
Walk Walk Walk, that like the best ! Keep an ideal weight , not more not less!
Cucumber & Pomegranate help.
You love chocolate, occasional bites of Dark chocolate also benefit!
Avoid excessive Carbohydrates, Alcohol, Tea , Coffee.
Balance your Potassium levels by controlled eating of, a banana in the morning daily, sweet potato, tomato ( always eat after removing the seed) ,dry fruits, prunes, raisins, musk lemon - to name a few.
Balance your Potassium levels by disciplined eating of , fish, tofu, milk , leafy vegetables - a few I know off.
Eating raw Garlic helps.
Try new things , see if it works for you. if it does , great- if not , avoid.
Tried and Tested :
* Whenever my BP has risen, I have normally taken a spoonful of honey ( at times 2) , which has helped bring the reading down.
* When BP hits a low, a well beaten coffee / cappuccino ( or expresso) , raise the levels.
* Drink minimum 3 ltr of water in during the day , with atleast , 2-3 glass in the morning on an empty stomach. This helps keep the Swelling in check.
Lessons Learnt :
* With passage of time, Do not take it easy , where blood reports are concerned. It should be done, atleast once , if not twice in a year, to monitor all readings.
* Every so often , do a 3 time reading of your BP for 3-4 days. That will be an indicator on any abnormalities. High or Low BP reading , can lead to many Disorder's.
* It is essential that you have a very good General Practitioner , who is well versed on an overall medical knowledge & experience. GP shall pick up minute aberration's (which might be missed by a specialized physician) , from the reports & guide you accordingly.
* Women must monitor their BP after 45 year. The body transition (Menopause) needs to be monitored. ( This is a must for every woman. That they are on Dialysis or post transplant, have to be more vigilant).
* Maintain your body weight. This can also lead to swelling. It has taken me some time to figure out my ideal weight. One or Two kg less, is not problem. However , one kg more than this weight & i get swelling. This is another discovery, I have made, with the numerous permutation and combination, to understand the reason for my swelling.
* Maintain your body weight. This can also lead to swelling. It has taken me some time to figure out my ideal weight. One or Two kg less, is not problem. However , one kg more than this weight & i get swelling. This is another discovery, I have made, with the numerous permutation and combination, to understand the reason for my swelling.
Either one , or, a combination of BP, Dehydration (lack of Water ), excess salt, Body Weight & stress on the feet leads to swelling on my feet.What i have penned, is my experience. Cause & symptom for every individual,of the most minor deviant , physically or blood report ,can be the most unassuming. Be watchful & be attentive towards your body!
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