I have been having constant backaches and stiff necks. Migraine attacks hit me more frequently too. Sometimes, whenever I stand up, I get dizzy spells which only subside after I close my eyes and calm myself down. Worse still, I keep getting these weird chest pains when sleeping! Yesterday morning, out of the blue, I had a high fever. To be frank, I didn't care so much about the fever. I thought maybe it was just heatiness, so I woke up as usual and prepared for work. After showering, I almost fainted in the bathroom. Thank God my bathroom is small and I could just lean on the wall to compose myself.
I was freaked out and decided to give work a miss, and of course consult a doctor.
The doctor said I wasn't eating enough and that I was low on iron, hence I have low blood pressure. This is such a foreign term to me. My family history is mostly plagued with high blood pressure/heart attacks/high cholesterol, so I was shocked to find out that I was the complete opposite.
On the way home, I was curious. I have always been researching on high blood pressure and high cholesterol because I was expecting myself to get them. But low blood pressure? Really??
Google really is a magical place and I realised I did have all the symptoms of having low blood pressure.
Hence, it's time to share this newly-acquired knowledge with all you readers!
What are the symptoms of low blood pressure? (Taken from: http://voices.yahoo.com/10-common-symptoms-low-blood-pressure-4843936.html)
- Dizziness and lightheartedness
- Fainting spells
- Chest pains
- Black/maroon stools
- Irregular heartbeat
- Headache
- Back pain/stiff neck
- Consistent high fever
- Wheezing
- Burning sensation in the urine
I had almost all the above symptoms and I stupidly ignored them. What an idiot. :(
The doctor also said that it was good that I consulted him early because if I continued ignoring the symptoms, low blood pressure can lead to brain damage (?!) since the first organ to malfunction for serious low blood pressure is the brain. Freaked me out quite a bit, but I'm glad I have some meds to get my blood pressure back on track now.
I read online and apparently some people are born with low blood pressure, which can be good because that reduces the chances of stroke or heart attacks (associated with high blood pressure). However, prolonged symptoms of a more serious low blood pressure cannot be ignored.
There are medication available to treat low blood pressure, but the doctor advised me to go the natural way. He gave me some iron tablets though since I was really low on that.
Natural ways to treat low blood pressure (as advised by the very kind doctor):
- Hydrate yourself sufficiently.
- Cut the coffee. I told him I was on at least 3 servings last time and I got a scolding (LOL). Now I drink once a day or once every two days, so that's remarkable improvement.
- Eat more. I don't really eat breakfast (except for coffee and the occasional milo), so yes serves me right.
- Eat more red meat. This is to increase the iron levels in the body naturally.
- Sleep more.
- Exercise regularly, but don't exercise too much.
- Cut down on alcoholic drinks.
- Avoid prolonged exposure to hot water, especially in the shower.
It's still bewildering to me how I can be diagnosed with low blood pressure. However, looking at my diet, I can see why I have low blood pressure.
Hopefully, my migraines and dizziness will go away soon because it's affecting my work and my everyday life! GO AWAY YOU, GO AWAY!
Stay health guys! :) Have a find weekend!
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