Cigars and High Blood Pressure
Rnaval
Posts: 4 ✭
I have been smoking on an average 3-5 cigars a day for about 10 years. Before that I was a cigarette smoker for 20 years.
I recently discovered that my blood pressure level was very high 211 over 110. That’s at a hypertension critical level where I’m at risk of a stroke or heart failure. I immediately checked into ER and got it treated. Thankfully, no issues were reported on the tests they ran, cat scan, ekg, blood and urine test. I am working now with a cardiologist to figure out the root cause. I’m otherwise healthy, actively play racquetball twice a week, not overweight and no stress in my life. So what caused this? I think it’s the nicotine.
My system somehow can’t handle it. I’ve been testing this out for a few days now. In the morning after my breakfast, I checked my bp, it was 132/83. I was feeling great. I then smoked half a cigar, checked 10 minutes later and it was 175/93. Slight headache and short breaths had returned, that’s something I have gotten used to with smoking cigars. One hour later, it’s better at 148/82. If cigars truly are the root cause then I have no choice but to quit or only smoke occasionally.
Anyone else have similar experience with cigars? Would love to hear from you.
I recently discovered that my blood pressure level was very high 211 over 110. That’s at a hypertension critical level where I’m at risk of a stroke or heart failure. I immediately checked into ER and got it treated. Thankfully, no issues were reported on the tests they ran, cat scan, ekg, blood and urine test. I am working now with a cardiologist to figure out the root cause. I’m otherwise healthy, actively play racquetball twice a week, not overweight and no stress in my life. So what caused this? I think it’s the nicotine.
My system somehow can’t handle it. I’ve been testing this out for a few days now. In the morning after my breakfast, I checked my bp, it was 132/83. I was feeling great. I then smoked half a cigar, checked 10 minutes later and it was 175/93. Slight headache and short breaths had returned, that’s something I have gotten used to with smoking cigars. One hour later, it’s better at 148/82. If cigars truly are the root cause then I have no choice but to quit or only smoke occasionally.
Anyone else have similar experience with cigars? Would love to hear from you.
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Comments
Quite the opposite for me.
So you are saying that you, all the sudden, have higher blood pressure and you think it's the cigars. Well, then you should quit smoking cigars.
If you are gonna panic every time you smoke cigars, then you aren't enjoying the time, so you should quit.
Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.
Peter is trying to kill everyone on here with a one two punch!!!
Teddy Roosevelt is right.....
This topic rings my bell. I smoke on avg four or five a week. Avoid doctors like the money grubbing plague that they are. Play handball thrice a week. Blurry vision has hampered my game for some time now. Went to the dentist last month. They take BP before drilling (no idea why). The gal says "wow that's high". I glance over & see 244 over 145. When I come home, I fire up the wife's cuff and get similar. Google up high BP & blurry vision -- I get articles about stroke. Drop by the local MedExpress to get some BP pills to tide me over until I can get an appt with a cardiologist. I knew I was in trouble when the doc strolls in asking "Who drove you here?" I answered "No. I am absolutely NOT going to the ER down the road here." Our local hosp is rated the nation's worst delay. Here's the sign on the patient entry door
at the ER:
Here's an example:
My old lady went to MedExpress with severe chest probs. They bundled her into an ambulance which toted her down the road to Christiana. ER put her on a rolling bed & set that bed in the hall. Eleven hours later, I fetched her home outta the hall. Nothing had been done. Not a single godammit. Next day, took her to St. Francis downtown. Here's the sign on their door:
Left her off at the outside door. Feller there jumped right out and took her by the elbow to walk her in. I drove round the circle and parked at the first slot in the parking lot. Walked back forty yards to the door. They already had her in a room... drawing blood, EKG cart gal waiting at the door, X-ray cart gal in line behind her. I schidt you not. That fast. Faster'n I could park. Had her in a room upstairs within the hour. Pulmonary embolism. No **** around. She was in a hospital bed before the gal came in to take the insurance info! That's the SAINT part of "St. Francis". Makes you want to go eat a cracker, for God's sake.
Christiana has a buttload of money. Constantly building huge new wings -- cancer, maternity, research, etc. etc. So much bucks they bought up three other local hospitals and built a new one mid-state. Bought up Wilminton hosp, for instance, and turned it into a knee & hip replacement assembly line. Swear to god -- the whole building. Got all kindsa bucks. What they don't have? They don't have a saint.
So anyhoo, back to the subject, I told the doc they need to stop sending people down the road, cause that hosp ER does not work. Made me sign a paper but would not help.
When I came home, I cancelled handball, began yoga breathing, have not sparked a gar since. That home remedy knocked my numbers down 30 points, top & bottom. Got a fistful of pills about a week ago. They knocked my numbers down another 20. Typical readings now might look more like 170/110. Echo cardiogram scheduled this afternoon. An atrial fibrillation appears to be (pardon the expression) at the heart of the matter. So...
Once things settle down, I plan to start experimenting with the gar angle. Let me know how it works out for you.
I will say this: my readings will differ dramatically time to time. Even if I fire off three readings within five minutes, they may be 10 or 20 points apart. Swings depending what the afib is doing, according to the cariologist. The heart rate varies a bunch too.
Here's three inside 5 minutes on Tuesday:
174/108
148/94
172/105
So take the average of several readings. It's not engraved in stone.
I don’t really know how long I’ve had this reaction to cigars, but I hope to find a way to keep smoking cigars (maybe to a much less amount) and keep my bp down to a reasonable level.
Do any of you guys with the BP problems inhale what you’re smoking?
That was back in the 90's and I haven't set foot in there since.
Mostly because verbal abuse can be interpreted a thousand different ways and just the tone of your voice could be considered abuse by some people.
And when some moron sticks you 20 times trying to find the vein to draw blood, a person's patience can be pushed to it's limit.
Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.
What's wrong with these people? Is that what they went into medicine for?
It's not just me. This place is notorious. Their excuse, of course, is that "we have all these poor people coming in with the flu." OK, well, you know that. Part of the job. Saint Francis is within walking distance of several downtown slums. You go in the ER door, there's a door to a MedExpress on your left. That's their solution. Gave the clinic a space right beside the ER. Simple. You got the boogernose, you got a sore throat, your child has fever, go thru that door, It ain't rocket surgery. Got a problem, fix it. A nasty sign is not a fix.
All this is way off topic. Sorry. These people just steam me up.
Pressure this morning 191 over 89. Then I jumped onto this rant. Now it's 202 over 114. I need a gar and a Penn State win. Tons of projects today: mow the lawns (if it dries off), fix the toilet seat that refuses to bolt down tight, get the window AC units out of the windows and into the attic, take my coin rolls to the bank (coin jug had collected about $350 in pocket change). Right now, gonna take the RedHead out to breakfast (we have a new great-grandbaby & she will need to show me facebook pictures). Get back, I'll clean up the smoking porch. Have to roll a couple gars, too. I find that handiwork is super good for reducing the BP. That, and Modelo Especial.
So let us know, anyone who experiments, how or whether gars affect your BP prob.
I had to pay cash for the pills until Obamacare. Now for the first time in my life I dont have to pay cash.
Cigars dont seem to have any effect on my BP so long as I take my meds everyday. But I only smoke between 1 and 3. And usually only 2
What you can't forgive......you will become.
It'll be a good experiment to check my BP before and after a stick... good luck on my brain remembering to check it tho'.
But when I drink 2 triple shot lattes it's much higher lol.
What you can't forgive......you will become.
I should find my BP cuff now that I've had three 14g straight shots and a cigar for breakfast.
Things like thistle tea or hibiscus tea have been known to help blood pressure.
Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.
Smoke 3 to 5 a day.
I eat a lot of fruit. And veggies, usually left overs in some kind of soup, stew or in some sort of Campbells(?) with rice or noodles.
I will eat beef all day if given the chance.
I drink a lot of well water, tested to be better then(than?) the store bought stuff.
Been using fake salt for years. 2 slices of Sara lee bread a day.
2 cups (mugs) of coffee every morning.
Go through a lot of tuna fish, bread eating goes up accordingly.
No exercise, I am lazy and suffer peripheral neuropathy.
Sleep 6 to 8 hours every night. A few of really no sleeping naps but relaxing.
My dogs have a very calming affect(effect?) on me. Everyone should have a pet.
I take the time a few times a day to take slow deep breaths in the nose out the mouth, very relaxing.
I use a home on the rest BP monitor 3 times a day, keep a log and it goes to the doctor when I do.
After reading everyone’s feedback and also monitoring my bp daily for the last week, I’m finding out that cigars may only temporarily spike the bp by 10-20 points as in my case. Caffeine and feeling hungry also spike my bp a little. As per my cardiologist, high bp is a silent killer and reducing High bp requires a lifestyle change which is what I’m actively doing.
I’ve completely cut out salt, sodium and sugar in my diet and taken up moderate exercise every 2 days. Instead of sugar, I’ve switched to date syrup, instead of white bread, I switched to Dave’s Killer Bread, it’s very low sodium. I’ve switched from red meats to salmon, It’s high in Omega-3. I’ve added fruits, flax seed and avocados to my diet along with a green juice every day. I’ve also cut down to one cigar a day.
I’m on a total health kick and my bp is at 130/80 now and hope to come off the high bp medication someday.