Garlic and lemon are your friend. Hot sauce has a lot of sodium, I think, but I vaguely recall that cayenne and other hot peppers help with BP.

Or at least they offer a ton of flavor without the fat and sodium.

ION, Dan's Father's Day present finally got here -- an Axe Cop webcomic t-shirt, and he was GIDDY. And surpised. I win Geek Wife award for today -- WOO!

Ugh, just got back to the doctor and my BP is high, REALLY high: 156/110. Gotta go back in 2 weeks to get it retaken. Tom's BP was high too, maybe just Louisiana cooking catching up to us? Anyway, must avoid fried foods and watch sodium intake for the next couple weeks- any other tips?

Do you still take wellbutrin (I can't remember)? I know that it increased my BP. For me (for a while), it was worth it to just medicate the high BP in order to keep taking a drug that helped me to not want to jump off a bridge. A really low dose of BP meds got mine under control in no time at all.

ION, I am flat on my back on a heating pad instead of playing in the surf. I woke up with a normal back, walked up the stairs for breakfast, bent at the waist to do something, and WHAM, horrible painful pinchy holy-shit back pain from hell. I burst into tears and everything. So that was nice and humiliating.

I took handfuls of ibuprofen and the last flexiril I had stashed away, along with 1/2 a percocet. Tim went to buy a heating pad, so now I'm char-broiling my back.

I called my insurance to find out what Urgent Care to go to, if that becomes necessary. Answer: they don't cover SHIT in North Carolina, so it will all be out of pocket. I am both enraged and unsurprised.

My plan is that if it still hurts in this pinchy holy-shit way tomorrow, I will call my doctor, explain the being-on-vacation-with-shitty-insurance situation, and see if he trusts my judgment enough to call in a flexiril Rx to a CVS down here. I *think* he will, though I know it's an unusual situation.

I'm mostly embarrassed that I burst into tears in front of the whole family (except the 2 teenage nephews, who were already out in the kayak).

Fingers crossed the heating pad will get whatever is being ornery in my back to CHILL THE FUCK OUT.

Don't be embarrassed, Steph. In a wierd way, it's good that they see you really in pain, so they leave you alone :)

Yeah, I'm still on the Wellbutrin. So you took the BP meds for a short period of time and then once it got under control, you stopped without making other adjustments? Or did you stop the Wellbutrin in the meanwhile.

Also, OMG TEPPY'S BACK. Do not do this! I'm so sorry.

Yeah, I'm still on the Wellbutrin. So you took the BP meds for a short period of time and then once it got under control, you stopped without making other adjustments? Or did you stop the Wellbutrin in the meanwhile.

I had to stay on the BP meds, though I can't say for sure that that was because of the Wellbutrin, or because of my family history of all kinds of cardiovascular stuff. I do know that when I took Wellbutrin the first time, a few years ago, when I stopped it (the Wellbutrin), eventually I stopped the BP meds because my BP normalized and the meds were making it too low.

So far, since I stopped Wellbutrin (again) a little over a month ago, I'm still on BP meds. Though, to be fair, I haven't been to the doctor since then, so I haven't had my BP measured (I don't really trust the accuracy of the machines in CVS and whatnot).

Also, OMG TEPPY'S BACK. Do not do this! I'm so sorry.

I insisted to Tim that it's all because I just turned 40, that I was in perfect health until then. PERFECT, I say.

He told me the percocet was making me crazy in the head.

I haven't been to the doctor since then, so I haven't had my BP measured (I don't really trust the accuracy of the machines in CVS and whatnot).

My doctor told me to try to measure (with the same machine) at one of these at different points during the day between now and the next appointment.

My doctor told me to try to measure (with the same machine) at one of these at different points during the day between now and the next appointment.

That will at least give you a pattern of measurements, and, honestly, it's the best option when the other choices would be (1) buying your own equipment or (2) not measuring. I think they err towards high, although it might just be that my own BP trends high and I don't want to admit it. But I think a reading done by a human with a BP cuff and a stethoscope is always going to be more accurate.

Finally, I feel really strongly that plus-sized people should make sure to ask the nurse/doctor/PA to use an extra-large cuff for the BP reading. Using a standard-size cuff on a plus-sized arm tends to give false high readings.

Using a standard-size cuff on a plus-sized arm tends to give false high readings.

Yesyesyes!! When I went into my PCP's office for my checkup in May, the nurse used the standard sized cuff and it said that my BP was some outrageously high number. I had just donated blood the day before, and it was about 40 points lower than, so I asked if they'd try again with the other cuff, and it came out pretty equal to what the blood people read.

Finally, I feel really strongly that plus-sized people should make sure to ask the nurse/doctor/PA to use an extra-large cuff for the BP reading. Using a standard-size cuff on a plus-sized arm tends to give false high readings.

I did mention it, and it seemed like she did. I mean, it fit around my arm, which the standard one doesn't really.

So last week (or so) I was trying to avoid stepping on a cat and tripped over my pedestal fan and broke the blade. Everything else was fine and I didn't want to chuck.

Turns out the maker, Lasko, sells replacement parts, so I bought a new blade and it was here, just in time for a hot day. Although the shipping was the blade so it was about half the cost of a new fan. But I feel better not throwing away perfectly good stuff.