high blood pressure and gout

[lorihadams]

I have a question for anyone that can help. Granny is on medication for high blood pressure and she is swelling up like crazy. Gout runs in the family and we are afraid that she is having an attack. Her feet are so swollen that all she can wear is crocs or flip flops. She is also having burning sensations in her feet and has suddenly developed headaches...which she never has. She has osteoporosis and degenerative disc disease in her lower back. I am trying to get her to drink more water and I have gotten her some unfiltered unpasteurized acv to start taking every day. What can we do to get her off of this stupid blood pressure medication that is making her so miserable?

 

[Beekissed]

Not a doc here, but I would venture to say that your granny is suffering from congestive heart failure if both her feet are swelling. Usually gout affects one joint/extremity and is pretty localized to the area around these joints.

I would limit the fluid intake right now, elevate those feet when sitting, encourage walking to recirculate venous fluids, and not worry at this juncture about her high blood pressure, except consulting her physician. It sounds like she has a multitude of circulatory problems and ACV won't be a quick fix for her right now.

You haven't said how old she is and in what kind of condition but, depending on your goals for her care and the outcome you expect to achieve, this might be better handled by her physician. I know, folks, you never expected to hear that from me, but one has to be very determined to effect change when it comes to turning around bad health, especially in the elderly. Jumping into it, in a case like this, is pretty much setting one up for failure.


Lori, if you~and she~ are serious about alleviating these symptoms at home and she is in reasonably good physical condition besides her heart(which it doesn't sound like) it would be a slow and steady approach to better health. For now, I would concentrate on getting the edema down. This will help some of the pain in her legs. While she is sitting, she might try pedal flexion~flexing at the ankles repeatedly. It sounds as if her blood pressure meds are not working right now and she may need them changed or adjusted. Not a bad idea to get a diuretic while you are at it.

Sorry I can't advise you on any homeopathic approaches, but I know from experience that one has to approach that type of medicine with some good research, a good plan, and a determined mind in order to achieve good results~and the realistic expectationand knowledge that someone doesn't get in this shape overnight and has taken years to come to this point. Administering ACV and trying to manage it at home to alleviate acute symptoms probably won't effect much change at this point.

ACV is a good idea at any time, but I doubt you will turn her around with just this.

Let us know how this turns out?

 

[lorihadams]

She has been pretty good lately...she is in her mid 70s and used to be very active (walked about 6-10 miles a day until in her 60s). I have been thinking for a long time that she is dehydrated and that is the root of her problems. She hardly drinks anything and only goes to the bathroom once or twice a day. She also stays constipated and she can't eat very much at a time because it makes her feel like she will gag. There are times when it is so bad that she will actually have to run to the bathroom and throw up. Her sister and her mother also had this problem. She tries to be active but she is scared now to go walking for fear that she will get too far from the house and not be able to get back. On the other hand, she will go shopping all day long and not complain...

So, physically she has her good days and bad days. She complains that if she drinks too much water it makes her bloated. I can't get it through her thick skull that that is what happens when you are dehydrated and you suddenly give your body what it is craving...it holds on to it. I tried to tell her that if she would keep it up that the bloat will go away and that the constipation will probably ease up too. I think that the dehydration will be at the root of her problems...if it is gout then the dehydration is affecting her liver and kidney function and its ability to eliminate toxins from her system.

Some of the symptoms she is suffering are listed side effects of the blood pressure meds...headache, fatigue, the gagging sensation. She recently had a bad reaction to lipitor (it is evil and no one take this drug) and had to go to the emergency room as a result. She swelled up until she was almost unrecognizable and broke out in a rash. She called her doctor today and got no answer so we are hoping to talk to him tomorrow.

She is also a sweets/carb junkie and I am trying to change that. She is such an impulse buyer that I hate going to the grocery store with her cause she just buys junk and I can't make her understand that all that stuff is just making things worse. I keep telling her to read the labels on the stuff that she is eating and she would be surprised to learn how much sodium and sugar is in all that processed pre-packaged "convenience food".

I don't know what to do...it's scary and her doctor is very much a "take this pill and see if this works" kind of man.

 

[Wifezilla]

She is also having burning sensations in her feet and has suddenly developed headaches

High blood pressure will give you headaches and the tingling/burning is often associated with nerve damage due to high blood sugar/diabetes.

Get granny to a doctor and get her OFF of sugars, wheat, corn, potatoes or anything else that causes blood sugar and insulin spikes. If she is taking meds, she needs to see the doctor and talk about doing this with the doc so med levels can be adjusted.

I used to have hypertension.... 149/95. My bp readings now since I went low carb are 101/62.

 

[freemotion]

LGI diet will also lower bp in many people and reverse diabetes and some cardiovascular symptoms, often a big impact in as little as 2-3 weeks if they are compliant. I would be happy to coach you if she is willing. It is compatible with heart and diabetic dietary restrictions and is taught to docs in a CME course I was able to attend.

It is lower in carbs than the typical American diet but not the classic low carb diet. Very high in veggies. She'll poop again for sure.

She needs an MD quick, though, first.


edited for accuracy.....

 

[Wifezilla]

Exactly. Her junk food addiction is killing her, and yes, getting her off it is going to be like getting a heroin addict or alcoholic to change.

 

[shareneh]

Sounds like your granny is suffering some complicated stuff. I feel for you Lori, I know what it's like to watch someone with health problems and the docs don't care, just throw pills at them until the problem gets deadly.

My aunt had these symptoms and we took her to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN, 15,000.00 later they still couldn't tell her what was wrong.

She finally went to a doctor in Fargo after she lost 60lbs and most of her functions. She had a blocked arterty for her digestive system. That's all, she had laproscopic surgery to open the vein and got better instantly.

Don't lose hope, try to find a doctor who will listen to her.

Good Luck.

Sharene

 

[PamsPride]

What is an LGI diet?

 

[freemotion]

Low glycemic index. In a published pilot study, it blew Weight Watchers, Atkins, Ornish, and the Zone out of the water, and all patients on meds reduced or eliminated meds within the 12 week study period. It is the only clinically-proven weight management and healthy lifestyle system (Transitions Lifestyle was the system studied) available in this country.

With the dramatically improved health of the patients, it is no wonder that most docs don't even know about it. Big Pharma has it's sticky fingers in all the major med schools and on the decision-making board of the FDA.

My husband was in the pilot study, and one of the investigators is a friend of mine, so I know the program inside-out. I teach it via teleconference and in doctor's offices. It is very healthy and emphasizes veggies and real food and lots and lots of education about all areas of eating, excercise, preserving your metabolism, how to cheat on occasion without wrecking all your progress, etc.

My dh lost over 26 pounds, 6 inches off his waist, bp lowered significantly in 2 weeks, total cholesterol lowered over 100 pts in 12 weeks w/o meds. Increased energy, mental clarity, and lots of food. We eat this way all the time now with much improved health.

A lot of info on the internet is inaccurate and misleading and outdated.

I love introducing doctors to it and telling them how to get a couple staff members trained to teach it, usually by teaching them in my teleconference first so they can experience the benefits firsthand. Most medical staff members that I have seen are overweight and unhealthy! Then when they are "wowed," they can go get the training to run groups themselves. So if anyone out there wants to get this through their doctor's office, I can arrange that! Just get permission for me to call the office and speak to the doctor, or even the office manager. If I call without permission, the lionesses keep me out. They get a hundred wacko's a day trying to sell them this juice or that powder.

And I don't bribe them like the pill-pushers do. Won't. Unethical.

Well, you asked for it.....this is one of my favorite subjects!

 

[PamsPride]

Thanks! What all does the diet consist of? I am looking to lose 30 pounds.