grubby

Now I am concerned with other health issues ("when it's not one thing, it's another"). I've been losing weight which is good (now down over 50 lbs from 2014), but at the same time I've noticed my heart rate has been acting rather weird lately.

It seems like a faster pulse than usual, and I can visibly "see" each pulse on the sides of my neck. Also when I checked my blood pressure recently at one of those self-service kiosks in the grocery store I got strange readings. One reading was 109/89, another reading the next week was 113/86. The machine also quoted me at 91 beats per minute. The machine's assessment was simply "At risk". I went home and Googled these numbers, but did not find much information. Apparently it is unusual or "rare" for just the bottom number to be high, as most websites focus almost entirely on the top (systolic) number with little or no mention given to the bottom number.

I have continued my somewhat-heavy coffee habit throughout my sobriety, it really has been a "crutch" for me on this journey. I am fairly certain that caffeine is a suspect with regards to these numbers.

I am still mostly sedentary, which is another possible cause of these latest developments. My knees have been getting a lot better and I am walking easier than last year but I still can't power-walk or do cardio such as that. Perhaps I will need to get a stationary exercise bike or something.

I am male 27 years old and have a BMI of about 21, around six four in height. I am not asking for medical advice but, what do you make of these strange numbers?? Something to worry about? Your comments are most appreciated since this has been stressing me out a lot during the last 2 weeks.

And all this time I thought blood pressure was mostly the realm of the older than 50 crowd, but I guess it doesn't discriminate. I'm sure the toxic environment we live in also plays a major role what with all the chemicals everywhere.

As a side note, I am currently well over 480 days clean off of alcohol, having quit in Feb 2014. Still going strong thankfully

Will have 17 months clean on July 17, i can't thank you guys enough for the support throughout this ordeal.

Soberwolf

Congrats Grubby great post

TheRepairman

Not a MD but from my personal experience. BP is only one indication and individual readings are just that. Because I had occasional high BP. My PCM had me keep a 30 day log using the local kiosk machine and a weekly visit to prime care checkin. Results were logged in twice a day, and I had to make notes of what I ate, any excercise or meds. My H/R was all over the place during this 30 day period. I normally have a resting H/R in the 60 BPM or so. I logged everything from 65-94 and this was just from walking from the car to the machine. emotions, food, meds can affect H/R so in the end they were more concerned with the BP. If it concerns you, I would see you PCM for rofessional guidance.

Hawkeye13

I don't know what's up with your BP, but I do know that beginning a regular exercise program
and cutting out processed foods and sugar, focusing on quality protein (grass fed) and veggies, really helped my BP.

I also have found Yoga and Meditation really helpful in managing stress and that in turn also helped BP.

What about adding some more proactive things into your lifestyle now that you've really dialed in on the not drinking?

Great job on your sobriety

Dee74

Hi Grubby. I became really health conscious when I got sober - unfortunately it manifested as hypochondria for me.

I'm not saying that applies to you too...but really, the only way to allay your fears is do what I did and see your Dr

D

TroubledJoe

If you're at all concerned about any of this medical stuff (which you obviously are, or you wouldn't have posted) the best advice is to see a doctor and put your mind at ease.

I can tell you from experience that anxiety over this kind of thing can make it all much worse, and no one needs that kind of stress in their life.

Just be honest with your doctor, they know what's best for you.

Oh, and well done on your impressive weight loss and continued sobriety

LostLilly

I agree with D. I suffer anxiety of all sorts and have had more than my share of health anxiety. When you are anxious your BP and heart rate can go up. Not a doc but I would be very happy with those BP numbers! Granted I have over a decade on you and just started this journey so mine would be crazy. Some people are just naturally smaller boned, my BMI is even lower than yours. Maybe try to test again when you are very relaxed?

ScottFromWI

I had health anxiety ( still do to a certain extent ) after quitting. The worst thing you can do is to start googling symptoms. No matter what symptom you try to research you will find some kind of bad news and it will make you feel even more anxious. Pulse checking and worrying about it was one of my main anxious habits too.

It sounds line you've had a lot of physical changes going on, why not get a full physical from your doc to ease your fears? And if the anxiety continues after that, consider seeing a therapist, you would be surprised how powerful our mind is at somatizing our thoughts into physical symtoms.

The caffeine thing was huge for me too, I became hyper sensitive to it after quitting alcohol and had to cut way back on my consumption.

zjw

aside from seeing your doctor I'd say nixing the caffine and going for a walk each day is a good place to start. you dont have to power walk you can just go for a stroll for 30 minutes. I'd also watch you sodium intake. eat fruits and veggies etc..

I was drinking over a pot of coffee a day when i quit drinking i had no idea how bad this was till i did some research i then quit it all togther for a while. Now i go back and forth every now and then i have a month or so of taking 100mg caffine pills each day but it never ends up well I always end up with high anxiety etc.. and I have better engery and a more consistent form of it without caffine. and caffine will make my heart beat irregularly as well.

Sounds like you got a low BMI i mean not low in a bad way but you dont sound like your obese with a number like that. In time walking or something shouldnt be too hard. I use a rowing machine on days that i dont run and really enjoy it its pretty low impact and I almost find it relaxing to use it while watching tv.

grubby

I noticed that about Google, one example is simply searching "coffee blood pressure". You get about half articles saying it increases blood pressure and half articles saying it decreases blood pressure. It's hard to know who's telling the truth.

Same thing with the blood pressure stuff, on the one hand some places say "nothing to worry about" or "harmless", but on the other hand some places say "it is high, get help immediately".

With regards to seeing a doctor, I haven't done so because it may be awful expensive - don't have insurance currently. If I recall, seeing a cardiologist costs $150 just for the visit and then anywhere from $200-$1000 on top of that for the tests/scans. I can't really spare $1k+ at this time. I have more money coming in the future, but until then I am on a budget of sorts.

Once I get another payout I'll see about getting some kind of health insurance plan. I'm tired of being in the dark regarding my body due to lack of insurance. With health insurance I should be able to finally get those super expensive scans done to see if anything is awry or if it is just anxiety yet again.

I probably need some dental work as well, but once again, can't afford to drop $1k-$2k.

I didn't even notice all this heart stuff until about 2 weeks ago when I was sitting in my car. I was looking at the mirror to check on a pimple, then by chance out of the corner of my eye I notice the side of my neck was "thumping" slightly. I adjusted the mirror downward to have a closer look, then notice both sides of the neck were "thumping" slightly with each heart beat. Then I placed my fingers on these neck arteries and it has been on my mind constantly ever since.

I think you guys are right, there is always that risk of becoming a hypochondriac but to be honest I can't help it with everything that's happened. Quitting was a big wake up call for me, so I have been paying extra close attention to health ever since.

Anna

It's good that you're paying attention to your health, but I also had a tendency to focus on a particular issue from time to time. It may be part of the addictive personality things, I'm not sure. Do talk to your dr if you're concerned and continue to focus on taking care of yourself. Congratulations on your recovery.

grubby

Speaking of which, what do you guys recommend as far as the coffee habit?

Taper off? Or quit cold-turkey?

I would like to resume caffeine at some point in the future, it's just this whole blood pressure thing that has gotten my attention all of a sudden. Once it is fixed or back to "normal", I should be able to return to caffeine although at much lower doses. I'll probably switch to a light dose such as Green tea. Green tea is healthier anyways.

As I understand it, coffee withdrawal is fairly mild and not life-threatening (compared to alcohol). I have drank caffeinated beverages in some form or another since age 17.

As far as actual coffee consumption goes, I would say this habit started in late 2009 or some time in 2010. Can't remember when exactly.

All I know is I have been drinking coffee first thing in the morning every single day ever since. So I would estimate 5 years or so of regular coffee consumption.

ScottFromWI

I cut way back on caffeine, i usually limit myself to 2 cups of half caf coffee in her morning and non the rest of the day. It really helps a lot. If I drink a full cup of regular coffee I can feel it very quickly and get jittery/anxious much more easily.

grubby

What do you mean by half caf? The 5% decaf coffee?

Or just simply 50% of a regular cup in terms of volume?

thomas11

Hi grubby, I'm not sure what units you are measuring your BP with but I believe they are pretty close to normal, even good. I wouldn't put too much stock into a BP machine at a kiosk either. When drinking heavily my BP was like 180/114. BP is a fickle health factor. Your resting heart rate may have been up just from anxiety. I believe normal is around 72-80. Also, seeing your heartbeat is likely nothing to worry about. You've lost alot of weight so those veins and arteries are closer to the surface of your skin and may be visible. When I was athletic I could see my heartbeat in the veins in my arms, my neck, look down at my chest. Everywhere. With that being said, it sounds like its causing you some anxiety. When you get the $$ maybe go in and get your clean bill of health so you can relax a bit. And what an awesome job on losing so much weight and staying sober. Congratulations man.

grubby

Thanks

Despite it's drawbacks, I have no doubt that my regular black coffee intake has in part contributed to my weight loss. I've read that caffeine is a mild metabolism booster and it wouldn't surprise me if it's true. I never have sugar or milk added, always just drink it straight and black.

Basically what I changed for the losing weight was this:

- Quit all alcohol obviously
- I use a water filter to filter every drop of water I drink
- Absolutely no soda at all, it has no benefits whatsoever and the fructose syrup they add to it is like liquid fat
- Cut down on sugar in general, I avoid it where I can
- Significantly cut down on breads and white stuff
- Been taking an herbal testosterone booster last few months, seems to be having a positive effect, my abdominal fat is slightly but visibly smaller.

Strangely, very little exercise due to my bad knees. I think I've averaged 1 hour of walking a week. I guess it's true what they say "weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise". If I had to pick one from the above it would have to be quitting soda, that stuff is poison. With soda given to kids starting at an early age it's no wonder this country is diabetes central.