Blood Pressure

[Groundskprwilly]

Morning,

I’m looking for some relaxation techniques for lowering blood pressure during my medical. I get to that office and it’s worse than a check ride. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks

 

[adrianh11]

Try exercising for an hour or two before your appointment. If you avoid coffee and excess fluid intake your blood pressure should read a little lower.

cheers

 

[mar]

First, the obvious...

What is your blood pressure? Maybe you're worried about nothing.

My AME told me to shoot for 120/70. I'm a little high. Apparently if you're approaching 140/90 then you might have cause for some real concern.

Second, try to get an appointment in the morning. Most people have lower BP in the morning.

Avoid nicotine (always) and alcohol (the night before). Exercise regularly. Eat right, etc, etc, always wear your seat belt...

Practice visualization/relaxation techniques. Try the bookstore.

Also try some aspirin a couple hours before the appointment. It's a blood thinner and may help lower your BP a few points.

Buy a home BP kit to monitor your BP. Take measurements morn, afternoon and night. Get to know yourself and what affects your BP.

Good luck.

 

[flytheblue]

I dont eat before I go to the doctor, and that seems to keep my blood pressure lower than where it normally is...I know it's going to go up due to the "white coat syndrome" along with my pulse rate.
Ive heard that your blood pressure can be as high as 155/95 before they get concerned about it, and those numbers will be averaged out over 3 times.

 

[Groundskprwilly]

Thanks for all the advice. The doctor has never said anything about my BP, but it would be nice to be more relaxed during the medical...it's the "white coat" thing.

Thanks again.

 

[calfo]

It's not the white coat... it's the rubber glove!

 

[thesource]

Hey one thing to add. Someone else mentioned to excersize for a couple of hours before your medical.
I'm not attacking you but would like to point out that strenuous(sp)? excersize can force large amounts of albumin (protien) through the membrane in your kidneys and show up on your urine test.
This is a disqualifing condition and requires followup testing and a report to the FAA. It is not serious if the followup shows no underlying condition, thats why the followup.
It can lead to a legenthy delay in recieving your medical as you know the FAA can be alittle slow.
How do I know this? It happened to me. Check with your doctor for medical advise, please don't rely on message boards for health advise!

 

[sstearns2]

I have the same problem. I got an electonic wrist cuff that measures blood pressure and records the readings. My AME just uses the readings from home when my blood pressure is high in the office.

Scott

 

[f9driver]

Blood Psi

The age old treatment for high blood pressure is to go in with a hang-over from the night before. This is not recommended if you have trouble with the eye test. lol

 

[Palerider957]

www.aopa.org

AOPA has an extensive aeromedical site with a ton of BP related info.

 

[Slave2theGrind]

I just got this off the FAA website!! ENJOY!!!

Background
Hypertension (or high blood pressure) is a condition where the pressure of the blood flowing through the arteries of the body is higher than it should be. Much like the pressure of the air in a tire, if the pressure of the blood is too high it can damage the arteries and organs of the body. Just like the tire, if the pressure suddenly becomes very high, catastrophic events can happen. Similarly, if the pressure remains somewhat elevated for a long enough period of time, premature wear and failure can occur.
Hypertension has its worst effects on the heart, kidneys, eyes, and brain. High blood pressure is a risk factor for heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, hemorrhages of the retina of the eye, and generalized atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries all over the body).
It is easy to understand, then, why we are concerned about pilots who have high blood pressure. We don’t like to see aviators flying when they are at increased risk for these conditions. Fortunately, hypertension is easy to treat. For many people, simply achieving an appropriate weight, exercising regularly, and watching dietary salt will control their mild hypertension. Other individuals may be required to take medications to reduce their blood pressure. Either way, hypertension and its treatment should have little effect on one’s ability to be medically certified to fly.
Measuring Blood Pressure
Blood pressure can be measured with the individual lying down, sitting, or standing. Regardless of the position, the blood pressure recording will always consist of two numbers written like a fraction with the top number called the systolic pressure and the bottom number called the diastolic pressure. In the example 120/80, the systolic pressure is 120 and the diastolic pressure is 80. These numbers are in units of "millimeters of mercury". (That means that a pressure of 120 is enough to support a column of mercury 120 millimeters high.) One can think about the systolic pressure as representing the peak pressure during the heart’s contraction and the diastolic pressure as representing the resting or baseline pressure within the blood stream between contractions.
Most doctors today believe that people who consistently run blood pressures higher than 140/90 are at increased risk for the complications noted above and should be considered for treatment. Remember, however, that blood pressure is variable and occasional readings above this level are to be expected. It is a preponderance of readings above 140/90 that defines hypertension.
Aerospace Medical Disposition
If an individual with no known history of hypertension is found during the FAA exam to have blood pressure readings consistently higher than 155/95 then further investigation is required. Initially, this should consist of recording the blood pressure twice a day (morning and evening) for three consecutive days. If at least 4 of these 6 readings are 155/95 or less and the applicant is otherwise qualified, then no further action is required and the certificate can be issued.
If the three-day blood pressure checks confirm the presence of hypertension, then treatment of some kind will generally be required for certification. Once a person is on a stable treatment plan and their blood pressure is adequately controlled without significant adverse effects, certification can be considered. When the FAA is notified for the first time about an aviator who has initiated treatment for high blood pressure, the following items will need to be reviewed and cleared by an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME):
a. Complete review of pertinent history including personal, social, and family history related to hypertension and risk factor analysis for complications;
b. Statement from treating physician describing the effects of treatment and any risk factor modification program;
c. Representative blood pressure readings;
d. Laboratory testing to include electrolyte, lipid profile, and glucose;
e. Resting ECG.
If the above is acceptable, the AME may issue the medical certificate, good for its normal duration.
For an individual who has already reported the hypertension and received an initial clearance, the follow-up requirements at the next and subsequent FAA medical exams are very simple. All that is required is a statement from the treating physician that the individual is in good health and having no blood pressure related problems and including some sample blood pressure readings.

 

[TopGun-MAV]

my experience with with medical exams has been exactly the opposite. i usually talk my way through. be nice. talk to the nurses and the doctor. this way your not thinking of the actual exam. Just remember the mavericks advice and you'll do just fine.

GO THE MAV!!

 

[Pickle]

I can't believe it!!!

Nobody came up with this one!! Why don't you just "mix a batch" right before going in??

 

[Crizz]

Does anyone else have problems with the eye test in the little black box? I can see the chart on the wall just find 20/20, but that dam little black box makes my eyes go haywire.

 

[juventus]

Yeah what s up with that little box ,I have 20/20 on a normal alphanumeric test I had to get glasses to pass the box test.

 

[Dirty Sanchez]

Try taking NiteWorks for a few weeks before your interview. It significantly lowers your blood pressure. You can get it off of EBay for alot cheaper than a distributor.

Or, find a good AME. Mine takes my BP while I am sitting down with my arm raised (he holds it between his arm and his side). It is always good...

 

[Pluto]

I had marginally high bp (135-145/75-85) when I got out of the military and as a result was put on medication for hypertension. I wanted to be drug free for the civilian medical and for any potential new-hire screening. What worked for me was losing 25 pounds, doing a lot of cardio, and following a diet called DASH,(google search for it). The lifestyle changes helped but I would occasionally spike high when the annual flight physical came around, (probably white-coat or rubber glove related). Look for Andrew Wuehl's book on health, title is something like "8 weeks to optimum health" I think. He is the bald and bearded weirdo who is on TV occasionally hawking books. He has a couple of yoga-type breathing exercises that work well, I also monitor BP at home on a cuff and they actually work. Good luck and remember that all flight surgeons and AME's are out to screw you out of your license. Just try NOT to remember that when you are sitting in their office waiting for your turn.