Rebecca: "You feel better about yourself when you’re proactive"

Rebecca Fitzsimons is a retired French and English teacher from Clontarf in Dublin who was very surprised to learn that she had stage one hypertension late last year.

Often high blood pressure (also known as hypertension) comes with no symptoms so the only way you can make sure your blood pressure is fine is by getting it checked regularly. Rebecca had no symptoms.  “I had nothing. I didn’t even get a headache. And I’m very active.”

Rebecca was generally well.  Blood pressure, in particular, was not something she had ever needed to think about. “All my life I’ve had more or less normal to slightly lower blood pressure. Never an issue, never fainted in my life. So I was a healthy specimen. Never had a concern about blood pressure.”

During a routine check-up with her GP late last year she was told, “your blood pressure is on the top end of normal, kind of edging towards stage one hypertension.’” At first, she wasn’t alarmed. “Well, I just thought that’s weird. I thought maybe I’m a bit tired… maybe that’s why it’s a bit raised.”

Blood pressure varies with age and depends on how active you are before it is checked. If you are nervous or anxious when your blood pressure is checked, the measurement can be higher than usual because your heart is beating faster. One high reading does not always mean that you have high blood pressure. If you do have a high reading at first, your doctor will usually want to check your blood pressure several times.

But Rebecca’s GP was concerned and said that they would keep an eye on it. The next month Rebecca had a follow up appointment, and her blood pressure was checked again.

At that point Rebecca took it more seriously. She is seventy-one and there is a history of heart health issues in her wider family. Her mother had a stroke in her eighties which left her paralysed on one side. Her paternal aunt passed away from a sudden heart attack at 69. “More scarily my brother is a doctor, and he had a huge heart attack at 54 and another one four years later.”

There is often no single cause of high blood pressure. A number of factors combine to raise blood pressure, and high blood pressure can run in families.

If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, it means that your blood pressure is consistently higher than it should be. For most people, high blood pressure is 140/90 or more. This measurement will be lower if you have other conditions like diabetes or kidney disease or if you’ve had a stroke or already have heart disease. The higher your blood pressure, the greater your risk of heart attack and stroke, heart failure, kidney failure, dementia and some forms of blindness.

Knowing your blood pressure is key. Once detected, high blood pressure is easily treated. In mild or borderline cases, your doctor may recommend making heart healthy changes to your lifestyle to include eating for a healthy heart, aiming for your best weight, moving more, quitting smoking and vaping, drinking less alcohol and managing stress.

In consultation with her GP, Rebecca decided to make some diet and lifestyle changes. She was advised to aim for a healthier weight so embraced dietary changes wholeheartedly, drawing on a Mediterranean approach and eliminating late night eating. “If you don’t buy junk food, you won’t eat junk food! If it’s not in the house, you won’t eat it.”

Rebecca found the heart healthy recipes on the Irish Heart Foundation’s website to be invaluable. “I’m looking back into your recipes now coming into the summer. It’s great to click on my iPad and conjure up a recipe and make something tasty and a bit different. It keeps you more interested in your food.” Her mealtime routine is now carefully structured, from morning smoothies to early dinners and healthy snacks such as the high-fibre spiced orange muffins.

Rebecca also bought a blood pressure monitor and began logging her readings almost daily.

Rebecca is being monitored by her GP and is keeping note of her blood pressure readings for review at her next appointment.  Most people who are diagnosed with high blood pressure will need to take medications.  So far lifestyle intervention is working for Rebecca, and she has not needed medication but will follow her doctor’s advice if that changes. “I’ve shed a stone and I feel the better of it. I’m not eating at night, and I am getting to bed a little earlier. And the blood pressure is amazing… I have come totally out of the hypertension.”

While retired, Rebecca is busier than ever. “My real love is art. I have three exhibitions a year and my first one in the Red Stables in St. Anne’s Park, the last week of July, is going to be in aid of the Irish Heart Foundation.” When not painting she is an avid gardener and plans to travel to Vietnam later this year.

Ultimately, Rebecca’s hope is that others will recognise themselves in her story. “I’m just delighted if somebody could be alerted… and they say, ‘oh my God, maybe I should get that checked.’”

Because, if there is one thing she has learned, it is this: “You feel better about yourself when you’re proactive, when you take action.”

Be sure to get your blood pressure checked regularly and ask what your reading is. If you are under 40, it’s best to have your blood pressure checked once every 3 years. If you are over 40, you need to get your blood pressure checked once a year. If your blood pressure is found to be raised or high, you’ll need to get it checked more often by a doctor or nurse.

Many pharmacies are now offering blood pressure checks, and some do 24-hour blood pressure monitoring. Sometimes your doctor will suggest you buy a reliable blood pressure monitor, and like Rebecca, you can measure your blood pressure regularly at home.