Mr. XY is a 48 year old gentleman who works as a chef in one of the Italian restaurants. He loves food and loves to feed.
Few months ago, he started feeling dizzy and had a headache. He checked his blood pressure with one of the pharmacy machines and was alarmed by looking at his blood pressure readings. His top number was 170 and the bottom number was 105. He immediately made appointment with his primary care physician for further evaluation. He had not been seen his doctor for more than two years. During the appointment his doctor confirmed that he has high blood pressure and has gained thirty pounds since the last visit. He examined him, did some labs which came out well and advised to change his diet and lifestyle. His doctor recommended low sodium DASH diet (rich in fruits, veggies, low fat dairy, legumes), aerobic exercise, weight management and put him on two blood pressure medications – lisinopril and amlodipine.
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After few days he saw his doctor again. His blood pressure was better but still not at goal. The top number was around 140 to 150 and bottom number around 90 to 95. Therefore, his doctor adjusted the dose and over next few days had to add a third medication. With three medications, his blood pressure improved however did not reach the goal. His doctor suspected some other issue that was not allowing his blood pressure to go low enough. He did further testing including a sleep study as he complained of daytime sleepiness and snoring at night. The sleep study found that he had severe sleep apnea which is a condition where there is obstruction in the upper airway while sleeping which in turn can put stress on the heart and lungs and can increase the blood pressure as well.
After the positive sleep study, Mr. XY received Auto pap treatment (special mask to deliver air and prevent obstruction while sleeping). His snoring stopped, quality of sleep and energy levels improved significantly. He was able to focus much better at work.
Over the next 6 months, he worked on his diet, worked out regularly and lost thirty-five pounds. As a result, he was able to come off two blood pressure meds and was able to keep his blood pressure at goal with just one med.
He started innovating at work and revised his recipes with healthier ingredients because he is still a foody and loves to feed!
Note: Inspired from true patient encounters from clinical practice for educational purpose only. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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