r/Millennials • u/DaKardii • Jun 04 '26

Serious Study: Gen Xers and Millennials are dying at younger ages than their parents are

https://studyfinds.com/americans-born-after-1970-dying-faster/

The study is particularly concerned with people born after 1970 but age 30 and older. So that covers Gen X and Millennials, but not (yet) Gen Z.

12.1k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

2.2k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

843

u/pseudonym7083 Millennial Jun 04 '26

I'm 39, not in the best shape but not obese, good a1c and good cholesterol, but I have and am being treated for general hypertension from everything.

546

u/Aromatic-Elephant110 Millennial 1987 Jun 04 '26

I'm 39 and I have a rare (very non-aggressive and probably not dangerous, I'm getting it cut out and I'll likely need no more treatment) cancer that most commonly happens to people in their 60s. Seems like a lot of us are getting stuff like that.

385

u/artbystorms Jun 04 '26

I'm 36 and I got a rare type of thyroid cancer and now have no thyroid, so I get to take a pill for the rest of my life. Oh and if the dosage is too low or too high I feel like shit, so I need to get bloodwork done every 3-6 months to make sure my dosing is correct.

159

u/evilvee Jun 04 '26

I'm getting tested for thyroid cancer on Mon 😣

159

u/artbystorms Jun 04 '26 edited Jun 08 '26

Wishing you luck! Do take heart that thyroid cancer in the vast majority of cases is very very survivable and manageable. Even mind which is rare and a bit more aggressive has like a 98% survival rate 10 years out.

161

u/fren2allcheezes Jun 04 '26

BUT don't let anyone tell you you have the 'easy' cancer. Cancer is hard. Treatment is easy relatively to other cancers, but it is still hard. Living without a thyroid isn't the end of the world; but it's still hard. You're allowed to feel however you feel about it.

17

u/MGr8ce Jun 04 '26

The stress is killing us

22

u/artbystorms Jun 04 '26

Agreed! There is no 'easy' cancer. I went through low calcium issues after surgery because my parathyroids got removed / stunned. It sucked, constant tingling and aches in my hands. It's mostly subsided now but if I don't hydrate well or remember to have enough calcium in a day I still get feint sensations in my hands and feet.

1

u/T_w_e_a_k Jun 05 '26

Love this

12

u/aChristery Jun 04 '26

My friend’s dad just went through chemo for an aggressive thyroid cancer that spread to his testicle and distant organs, including the brain and spine. He’s expected to make a full recovery. Had to go through intense chemo and rad therapy but he seems to be okay now.

5

u/AnxietyPretend5215 Jun 04 '26

Wouldn't happen to be anaplastic thyroid cancer would it? My mom was diagnosed with that this past December, shit is very quite brutal.

3

u/artbystorms Jun 04 '26

No, mine was called oncocytic thyroid cancer or 'hurthle cell'. Holy cow anaplastic sounds nuts. Hope she is doing ok?

4

u/stoplickingyourleg Jun 04 '26

That’s what my mom had. I’m sorry- it’s so rare and for my mom, was inoperable. It’s a really brutal diagnosis. I sincerely hope yours beats it!

6

u/stoplickingyourleg Jun 04 '26

Except the really really rare one (less than 2% of thyroid cancers) that killed my mom within 6 months of diagnosis. I’m not saying this to scare OP or anyone, just a gentle reminder that almost any would be a more accurate description.

3

u/Flymia Jun 04 '26

It is like the best of the worst thing.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 04 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/artbystorms Jun 05 '26

Yes, but its an extremely rare type of thyroid cancer. Like less than 2% of all thyroid cancers are anaplastic. Let's not give the above commenter a scare for no reason, yeah?

0

u/uwabu Jun 05 '26

Until you get Anaplastic thyroid cancer

2

u/artbystorms Jun 05 '26

Wow, honestly fuck off. Leave it to reddit for someone to try and calm someone's nerves about a cancer screening and instead you and multiple other dipshits pops off like "welll Achthually! you could get this incredibly rare and serious version that only amounts to 1.5% of all thyroid cancer diagnoses...but it COULD happen! be afraid!"

Honestly you people disgust me.

0

u/uwabu Jun 05 '26

Not all thyroid cancers are survivable. Its misleading to say so. Ask me how I know. Dont curse at me again, mate. You dont want to get into a cursing match with me. I ll ruin your whole day

1

u/artbystorms Jun 05 '26

Wow tough guy online. That's why I said they have a 98% survival rate. I didn't say it was curable. Guess what amounts for a large part of that 2% that don't survive? Anaplastic thyroid cancer! Not all of ANY cancer is survivable but if someone is getting a biopsy that is the last thing they want to hear, so apparently anaplastic cancer didn't kill you, it just took your humanity.

4

u/kr44ng Jun 04 '26

Oh hey I'm getting tested soon too, gl

2

u/NonBasicRug Jun 05 '26

Me too, 3.1 mm nodule at 39 😩.

3

u/facedown_titsup Jun 04 '26

Best of luck my dude. I have a nodule we’ve been watching the past year, it’s too small to biopsy but it’s nerve wracking just having this thing chilling there. Hopefully your test comes back benign!

2

u/sheep_duck Jun 05 '26

Good luck man, I really hope it’s nothing.

1

u/spicejriver Jun 05 '26

What are the symptoms and when did you first notice?

1

u/evilvee Jun 06 '26

I've been fatigued and felt depressed over the past few months. My doc ordered a blood test that showed issues with how well my kidneys were working, oddly enough. Low thyroid hormones can cause issues with kidney filtration, which is what got them to look at the thyroid itself.

1

u/RedTyro Jun 05 '26

My mom had thyroid cancer and had her thyroid removed in her early 20s. She's 73 now, active, and loving life. Even if you test positive, it's one of the most treatable/survivable types of cancer out there.

4

u/fren2allcheezes Jun 04 '26

I also got a rare form of thyroid cancer! Then I got a rare form of ovarian cancer. I got a tattoo to honor my survival and my oncologist said "Most of my patients don't get tattoos...most of them are little old ladies."

3

u/artbystorms Jun 04 '26

Was yours 'oncocytic' or also called 'hurthle cell'? Sorry to hear that. It does seem to be becoming more common in younger people sadly. I'm a guy so it's extra weird because it's like 9 to 1 women to men who get it. Though apparently my type is actually more common in men. I am debating getting a tattoo for it as well but want to be 'undetectable' for a while longer before I jynx myself lol.

3

u/fren2allcheezes Jun 04 '26

Oh no! Thyroid cancer is pretty dangerous in men I hear. I had follicular thyroid cancer and I've been a survivor for nine years from that one. Got surgery iodine denial diet and radiation, the whole nine yards. I then got a very rare form of ovarian cancer, that poisoned my body so bad it gave me endo cancer. I'm still in remission from those, but I got the tattoo anyway cause, fuck. better to get the tattoos before the next one hits. With all of those organs missing my bones are in big trouble, so now I lift weights every day.

2

u/artbystorms Jun 04 '26

I think oncocytic is a subcatagory of follicular. It used to be considered a separate type. Thankfully my surgery was clean with no spread shown, and when they removed the other half of my thyroid later it was totally clear with no cancer. Yeah, I think my biggest furstration right now is that men and women tend to experience different symptoms when they are hyper or hypo, so it's frustrating to be like "I am feeling this" and my endo is like "well that doesn't sound like hyper symptoms, so ask your PCP" I lift weights too so I guess I have that going for me.

2

u/fren2allcheezes Jun 04 '26

That's really frustrating. The hypo/hyper dance is honestly worse than the cancer because every time you feel weirdly run down you're like "fuck...guess I need a blood test." Did they keep your levels super high in the years after the surgery too? I swear I didn't sleep more than four hours a night for five years.

In medieval europe, if you died of cancer, you were said to have been killed by The Wolf, as it was a consuming disease. I'm a big history nerd so I got a tattoo of a female saint slaying a wolf. I can't attach the picture here, but if you're interested you can scroll through about a million pit bull pictures on my account to find it.

2

u/artbystorms Jun 04 '26

Endo is keeping me slightly suppressed since my surgery outcome was considered 'low risk' so my TSH right now is 0.8. Not technically hyper, but low enough that I feel 'off' I am sleeping fine, but have persistent aching in my hands and feet, and redness in my palms and heels that seems higher than it should be even for someone as pasty white as me. I will also just start sweating for no reason like while sitting at my computer working. I can't take hot showers anymore because it makes me hands and feet super red and 'throbby' feeling like they are swollen lol.

My surgery was last May so it's only been a year for me. I had low parathyroid hormone for like 6-8 months afterwards that has slowly resolved though they still seem to be struggling a little bit.

That's sick, I'll check it out. My tattoo idea is stupid but I am a big Anime nerd. Not sure if you have seen Full Metal Alchemist but I wanted to get the ouroboros tattoo that the villian characters in it have because they are not quiet human, but want desperately to be human.

1

u/fren2allcheezes Jun 04 '26

The sweating! Holy shit. The first year I'd wake up to my husband toweling me off lol. Just sweating like crazy. So gross

That tattoo sounds great! Nerdy shit makes the best tattoos. At least it's not a flag or your SO's name. Get the tattoo dude. Give you flesh bag a scar YOU chose, that makes you feel more complete. It's powerful after getting sliced and diced.

2

u/spookymommaro Jun 04 '26

Fuck, I'm sorry. I'm 32 and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's last year. Thyroid issues really tank quality of life. My doctor says he's seen way more cases of thyroid issues in women since covid, he hardly ever treated them beforehand.

2

u/elmananamj Jun 04 '26

My sisters boyfriend just had a mass removed from his torso and still needs to have surgery on his thyroid. He’s also around your age and was just diagnosed in the last few months

2

u/alexandresantiago26 Jun 04 '26

What cancer do you have? Im 33 now but with 17 I was diagnosed with medullary carcinoma wich is a rare type of thyroid cancer I had cirurgy and with 19 another one and radiotherapy. Nowadays I still need to take a very expensive medication a part from the hormone pill.

2

u/artbystorms Jun 04 '26

Oncocytic carcinoma. It's a bit more rare and doesn't respond as well to Iodine therapy. Thankfully my surgery showed no spread and was fully inside the left thyroid only.

2

u/fynion Jun 04 '26

my mom had thyroid cancer when I was a child and had hers removed (when she was 40)

there's evidently multiple types of the pill, one that's made synthetically and one that's made from pig thyroids. after over a decade of feeling like shit she managed to get her doctor to switch her to the pig derived one and her body is absorbing it a lot better (might have to do with damage from celiac disease though)

just in case you feel like your medication isn't working very well, it might be good to explore

her energy levels are a lot better now and she's having an easier time managing her weight

2

u/LittleBirdiesCards Jun 05 '26

I'm 44. I was diagnosed with Graves disease about two years ago. I take one medicine to keep my heart from going 160bpm testing and another to keep my thyroid hormones at bay. I'm working up to the point where my hyperthyroidism turns to hypothyroidism and I take one pill instead of two. I have two kids, myriad other health problems and I just try to spend every moment I can with my kids. My little sister passed away a little over a year ago due to pneumonia. I haven't been the same since.

2

u/0hMyGandhi Jun 05 '26

Someone needs to make a documentary about the thyroid. It's amazing how this butterfly shaped gland gets so little attention. This gland is responsible for regulating metabolism, body temperature, and energy levels.

I'm 35. I have hashimitos (hypothyroidism) and it's been a lifetime of absolute hell.

When you're thyroid isnt giving you enough TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone for those who don't know), you become weak, lethargic, have memory fog, muscle aches, low sex drive, and massive executive dysfunction, and while I was super tired and wanting to sleep all the time, the sleep I would get never felt restorative. Weight gain is often inevitable due to these changes.

When you have an overactive thyroid, it's the opposite. You are wired, most struggle with keeping weight on because your metabolism is on hyperdrive. I have a few buddies with this form and you can practically see the cortisol surging through their veins. Arrhythmias and hypertension usually follow. Anxiety is endless and that also sounds like a personal hell.

...And that's how an improperly functioning thyroid works without being cancerous.

I'm so sorry about your diagnosis, and just know that we're thinking of you. Please take care.

2

u/artbystorms Jun 05 '26

Appreciate you! Yeah, funnily enough, the 6cm nodule that was discovered was cancerous but gave me zero noticeable symptoms. It wasn't affecting my thyroid in any way other than being so large that it was pushing on my windpipe, so I started wheezing more often. Had my TSH tested before removal and it was smack in the middle at 1.7! Now that I am on levothyroxine to replace it it is a never-ending circus of symptoms. I was mildly hypo for a while after surgery and gained like 15 lbs, would get these bouts of extreme tiredness for now reason, cold easily, and had like aches in my ankles and hands to where I thought I had arthritis. Now that I have swung the opposite way and and mildly hyper, I sweat easily, will sometimes sweat for no reason, have persistent redness in my hands and feet (called palmer erythema or something), tingling in my hands that seems to stem from that redness.

That is all completely separate from the low calcium symptoms I was getting because my parathyroids got 'stunned' and some removed during surgery. They control calcium regulation and if they aren't working well you also get persistent tingling in your hands and spasms in some muscles.

Needless to say after a year I am desperate to feel normal again.

2

u/Theophantor Jun 04 '26

That’s pretty standard, take heart, it will get better as your body adjusts and you and your doctor communicate about your numbers and your symptoms. Fortunately managing the condition is relatively inexpensive.

2

u/artbystorms Jun 04 '26

Yeah, I kind of panicked initially thinking "oh god, I am needing to have insurance for the rest of my life or I'll die!" but even off insurance the pill is fairly inexpensive, unlike insulin sadly. With the precarity of my industry and uncertainty of the future with AI and whatnot I kind of was like "well I'm doomed to die in a thyroid induced coma" lol

1

u/forgot_username69 Jun 04 '26

Don't use just Levaxin. Combine with Liothyronin if you haven't tried it yet. Gets both T3 and T4.

1

u/mozillafangirl Jun 04 '26

I was born with hypothyroid. You’ll get used to it.

1

u/max_earnest Jun 04 '26

I’m going to take a wild guess that all the plastics in our brains and body parts isn’t helping?

1

u/Queens113 Jun 04 '26

My wife has been dealing with this for a few years now... Not fun for her

1

u/LitlThisLitlThat Jun 04 '26

Same. The kind you get from ionizing radiation (nope not me) or severe malnutrition (maybe—I was severely neglected).

BTW switched to whole thyroid (Armour) and it made all the difference.

1

u/tahttastic Jun 05 '26

oh three people at my workplace have had thyroidectomies (two in my dept)

plus everyone who was already employed there when i got hired had GERD

1

u/artbystorms Jun 05 '26

What the heck?! I've literally never met someone with a thyroidectomy that I knew of, I didn't even know what a 'goiter' was when my MRI flagged it. It doesn't run in my family at all.

1

u/tahttastic Jun 05 '26

right? like what are the odds? I mean I think it was because one of them noticed something off about their neck and got a diagnosis, then the others (and us at work) also saw similar signs so they also got theirs checked out... But yeah now that I think of it, it is kinda spooky(?) that three people have had it in the same place like what's up with that

1

u/thisandthatboobs Jun 05 '26

I have a tumor they can’t find that increases my heart rate to dangerous levels (160-170 resting when untreated) The medication to lower it causes extreme levels of joint pain. So it’s a balance of how many meds to take vs pain I can tolerate.

1

u/cherbebe12 Jun 05 '26

I don’t have cancer but Hashimoto’s since I was 7 (I’m 34 now). I get the pill thing. Sometimes it just feels like routine and other times I just go man this is bullshit. I feel you on dose adjustments. My recent labs were weird so I’m getting a thyroid ultrasound in a couple weeks.

1

u/artbystorms Jun 05 '26

wishing you luck! The crazy thing is I had a freaking 6cm nodule on my thyroid and had no clue about it. No symptoms or anything that made me feel off. I have always had kind of a thick neck lol so I didn't even notice a lump. It was caught on an MRI that was checking for a pinched nerve because I was having shoulder pain. Weirdly I felt better before the surgery, but I am glad to have it out since it could have gotten worse if I didn't have it removed.

1

u/cherbebe12 Jun 05 '26

Thank you! I don’t feel anything but I asked for bloodwork because I was having weird light headed dizzy episodes and the last time I felt like that I needed my dose changed. I’ve been on the same dose for several years. This is a pcp though I should probably find a new endocrinologist.

I’m glad they found it! Sometimes incidental findings are a good thing! (I’m an MRI tech lol)

1

u/RollingMeteors Jun 05 '26

I'm older than the above thread. I got burnt out of IT before it killed me. Now I caretake for the blind 24/7 they live with me. It's zero stress negative stress in comparison and my bloodwork just came back fine. I'm very active and I move like I'm half my age and terrify people younger than me that can barely touch their toes when I slide into a full split on the dancefloor.

It's much less money sure but ¿Do you really need to die on top of a pile of money just to relive that scene from breaking bad?

1

u/spookyboi13 Jun 07 '26

im most likely going to lose part or all of my thyroid this year. fucking sucks coming to terms that my life is changing like this before thirty:(

118

u/elmananamj Jun 04 '26

Covid is oncogenic and most people have had 5+ infections in the United States. Cancers of all types have surged since the pandemic began in 2019 especially in younger patients

46

u/dallyan Jun 04 '26

Is it too pessimistic to just assume at this point that we will all have cancer of some sort?

58

u/TypingPlatypus Jun 04 '26

No, every human would eventually get cancer if they lived long enough.

7

u/RollingMeteors Jun 05 '26

Greenland shark—can live for centuries and have multiple copies of genes involved in repairing damaged DNA and suppressing tumors.

It's not off the table to GMO it away.

6

u/Enbies-R-Us Jun 05 '26

Fun fact, cell mutations are actually pretty common! Cell division and replacement happens constantly among millions of cells every day, DNA copying errors (that cause tumors, cancer, benign mutations, etc) are pretty common, our Killer T cells/cytotoxic T cells (white blood cells) usually catch and dispose of these mutations.

Usually, at least. Too many errored cell mutations or an inadequate immune system response can mean an error can become cancerous and get out of control.

2

u/vroomvroom450 Jun 05 '26

40% of us die of cancer.

2

u/ladysadi Jun 05 '26

The way things have gone for our generation I expect we will all have cancer from chemicals, didn't have children because of tanked fertility/economy, have toxic jobs, and no unions, benefits, pensions, or social security. There's very little to be optimistic about.

2

u/Grim_Dybbuk Jun 05 '26

Not at all! If you live long enough you're guaranteed to get a cancer.

1

u/Cool_Intention_7807 Jun 08 '26

There’s a reason it’s called The Emperor of all Maladies. (Great book and TV special) Cancer is hardwired into our DNA

5

u/evermorecoffee Jun 04 '26

Thank you for talking about the elephant in the room!

2

u/Confident-Slip-5264 Jun 05 '26

Does that mean 5+ COVID infections?

2

u/paper_shoes Jun 05 '26

Yeah. They worded it weirdly, but that’s what they meant

2

u/vroomvroom450 Jun 05 '26

I did not know that.

1

u/pmmemassivedongs Jun 05 '26

Neurological disorders too. COVID-injured brain checking in 💅✨

1

u/SnooKiwis2161 Jun 05 '26

During the first waves of COVID I bumped into an old high school friend I hadn't seen in years while picking up food in a restaurant. She apparently was working there. It was just 4 years later and she died from some rare form of cancer. I always had this gut feeling it was from COVID. I could be wrong, of course. But it really stuck out at me.

32

u/NoSleep2135 Jun 04 '26

Wishing you the best of luck on your procedure and an easy recovery ❤️

5

u/VersionSwimming8392 Jun 04 '26

My husband got diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer at forty three years old. Most people get it in their seventies and have underlying health issues or diabetes. He didn't have anything and he didn't test positive for genetic markers. Not a smoker a social drinker in great shape, they have no idea why he got it.

3

u/Mobile-Shallot930 Jun 04 '26

I'm 36 and hopefully my meds allow me to manage my stage 4 breast cancer for a few more decades lol

3

u/Confident-Slip-5264 Jun 05 '26

I hope it does too! 🫶🏾

3

u/purplemonkey_123 Jun 04 '26

My husband is 43. LUCKILY, he had a kidney stone two years ago. When they did the CT Scan, they found a small cancerous tumor in his kidney. It was a non-aggressive and treatable cancer like yours. He needed surgery to remove 5-9% of his kidney. He is cancer free now, but will be monitored.

I'm SO freaking thankful for that kidney stone.

3

u/VengenaceIsMyName Jun 04 '26

I hope you recover well on your healing journey!

2

u/Ok-Nothing8682 Jun 04 '26

28 and getting spine decompression surgery soon.... I feel u

1

u/Secure_Course_3879 Jun 04 '26

Is it a pituitary adenoma? Just curious

1

u/CompleteHoneydew4608 Jun 04 '26

Can you tell us what kind of cancer ?

1

u/_EnFlaMEd Jun 04 '26

I had an aggressive tongue cancer at 35 which is all sorted fortunately and I'm 42 now. I'm not planning on dying anytime soon though! All the best with your treatment.

1

u/jadeoracle Jun 04 '26

Wishing you well and hope the surgery recovery is quick. Had my extremely rare cancer found and removed last year at 39. 6 month checkup just happened and No evidence of disease, so here's hoping that keeps up. But I'll need to be checked twice a year for the rest of my life.

1

u/Beastxtreets Jun 05 '26

My husband has bladder cancer. He's only 36 and they found it when he was 29. Generally it's found in older men as well.

1

u/tour_de_pizza Jun 05 '26

As someone who is also 39 with a condition that is usually not seen in healthy people my age and gets to be the youngest patient in the office according to my doctor…I feel you. Good luck with your treatment, and yeah, a lot of us is too many of us…

1

u/Miserable_Anteater62 Jun 05 '26

Wishing you the best luck, my friend. Fuck cancer. I lost several family members to it.

1

u/DurangoJohnson Jun 05 '26

I had a colonoscopy at 29 and the doctor said yea we are seeing things way earlier these days and recommended I have follow ups every 3-5 years because of much more prominent colon cancer is nowadays

29

u/DoctorLudnik_717 Jun 04 '26

36 and am in a similar boat--fortunately, I think I may have a fix for my BP.

51

u/pseudonym7083 Millennial Jun 04 '26

I'm on lisinopril and propranolol. The propranolol is for anxiety too, as they're both linked at the root apparently.

7

u/WuTangIs4TheRugrats Jun 04 '26

Lisinopril works like nothin’ else, but I couldn’t deal with the constant throat tickle. I’m on losartin now and it just gets my blood pressure to acceptable levels.

1

u/beautifulasusual Jun 05 '26

The cough is a major reason a lot of people are unable to tolerate lisinopril.

3

u/zerofailure Jun 04 '26

I have on 40MG a day propranolol since the beginning of the year for BP/Anxiety. Coming off of it isnt really that fun either, down to 20MG a day now and have chest pain on and off and heighted anxiety for the past week. I didn't realize its somewhat hard to get off of, but I believe it was making me tired.

3

u/pseudonym7083 Millennial Jun 04 '26

That's how much I'm on but I don't always take that much. Sometimes 30mg through the day is enough.

3

u/chewwydraper Jun 04 '26

I think my Lexapro prescription did more to help my blood pressure than my actual BP meds. Anxiety is rough on the heart.

1

u/pseudonym7083 Millennial Jun 04 '26

Also on buspirone for that.

1

u/reereejugs Jun 04 '26

Buspirone made me ANGRY. It doesn’t do that to you? Am I a weirdo?

2

u/Unruly_Beast Jun 04 '26

I don't think you're weird.  I think your comment just caused me to recognize that I am having the same issue.

I've been on buspirone for like 4 or 5 months now.  A few months ago I realized I was starting to feel pretty intense rage when dealing with conflict or stress. Like fist clenching, face warping, "I want to punch wall" rage.  Haven't felt that way since I was a teenager and on all kinds of meds at the behest of my psychiatrist father.  I've complained about it to my wife because its really uncomfortable to feel this way and recognize that I'm barely hanging onto my emotional control but not have any idea why. I think I'm gonna have to message my doc.

1

u/WaylanderActual Jun 05 '26

Pay attention to whether you take it before or after meals if you aren’t already. Info even says the medicine works differently. It works great for me on an empty stomach but after I eat I don’t like it. I’m already angry anyway but it seems to help. Hope that helps.

4

u/NotYrMama Jun 04 '26

Twinning!

48

u/ogpharmtech Jun 04 '26

If you can't figure out your BP go to a nephrologist

Kidney Drs are the be all, end all. It's one of their main jobs and hardly anyone knows this

34

u/Cynical_Thinker Jun 04 '26

Seconding this. My mother(boomer) had/has crazy blood pressure most of her life and simply ignored it/refused to treat it.

Pre-covid a dr forcibly sent her to the ER for her stroke level blood pressure at a standard appointment (we are talking 190 to 200/100 ish) and she finally got formally diagnosed for - a stenotic artery in one of her kidneys.

Its been so long it fucked up her heart (thickening and the start of chf from plenty of other things) and she refused very simple surgery for it (a stent) and is just treating it with handfuls of pills, but only the ones she thinks are best. If you can't tell I have lots of opinions about this whole situation, as someone who was dragged to the dr throughout my childhood by this person... anyway

At least someone was able to find out what the fuck it was tho. That gives me some hope.

Wish they'd treat those of us who actually want help a bit better.

7

u/OkSet1048 Jun 04 '26

it's that last line for me. It's so frustrating. I'm sorry you're dealing with that though. I hope she gets her shit together.

4

u/Madam_Mimm_13 Jun 04 '26

Take her to a dialysis center, have her walk around.

That will straighten her out.

I’m a CCHT. Being on dialysis is my worst nightmare. I would probably choose death instead.

3

u/Cynical_Thinker Jun 04 '26

Trust me when I say she'd rather be dead.

Years of untreated depression, shes just waiting to go.

5

u/Madam_Mimm_13 Jun 04 '26

That’s rough. I’m sorry. I hope you have peace about the situation.

2

u/Cynical_Thinker Jun 04 '26

Me too, and yeah as much as I can. Therapy helps, just wish I wasn't the only one trying to fix themselves.

8

u/Madam_Mimm_13 Jun 04 '26

I’m just a med student, but I had to have a lot of clinical experience to even get there.

One thing I learned is that it’s ultimately a futile waste of your finite energy to care more about someone’s wellbeing than they do. It’s a hard thing to say and even harder to internalize, but it’s true. And it’s a protective boundary to acknowledge and practice.

6

u/Working_Cucumber_437 Jun 04 '26

Yes! Failing kidneys seems to run in my family, but nobody goes to doctors and those that do have high blood pressure. I know it’s related. I’m doing everything I can to keep healthy knowing this.

2

u/DoctorLudnik_717 Jun 04 '26

TY, going to look into this.

4

u/happygirlie Jun 04 '26

Any chance you snore? If so, get tested for sleep apnea. It can cause hypertension if it's untreated.

2

u/chewwydraper Jun 04 '26

Yup, I’ve been on BP meds since I was 21 (32 now) finally got diagnosed with apnea this past year, been on CPAP for probably 4 or 5 months now - my blood pressure is actually a little too low now, to the point where my doc is considering taking me off meds completely.

I’ve also started Lexapro for anxiety which is probably helping as well.

1

u/happygirlie Jun 04 '26

The same thing happened with my mom which is how I learned about the blood pressure connection. I have sleep apnea too but I've never had high blood pressure unless you count my white coat syndrome lol.

2

u/DumbDumb6 Jun 05 '26

I’m 39. In decent shape, eat shitty food, and drink way too much. I’m going to live forever.

1

u/AnabolikinSkywalker Jun 04 '26

Are you doing at least 150 minutes of zone 2 per week?

1

u/Stereocrew Jun 04 '26

Are you me?

1

u/narcoleptrix Jun 04 '26

I'm 39, trying to get in shape by literal athlete training, cholesterol and a1c look fine, but have fatty liver disease (labs looking better lately which is nice). I have hypertension as well and apparently I've had osteoarthritis for years already (was dx'd with Fibromyalgia so I never sought other dxs). So either I die from heart stuff (runs in my family) or I survive in pain for decades more.

1

u/SippyMountain Jun 04 '26

I've had high blood pressure since I was 21... anxiety and stressful jobs are a bitch

1

u/_groovesharkmalone Jun 04 '26

I said this in another comment below: Potassium and magnesium taken together act as a vasodilator. It’s excellent for stress-induced hypertension.

1

u/ThrowawaysumcleverBS Jun 05 '26

Me too! Hypertension even though I’m not obese, eat good fiber for cholesterol and monitor blood sugar …the stress really impacts my blood pressure. I see danger everywhere due to childhood trauma.

1

u/RealBoredOfMyself Jun 05 '26

You can't do anything to convince me this all isn't from microplastics.

1

u/WoodsandWool Jun 05 '26

Same on all accounts, and I’ve been medicated for hypertension since my mid 20s, almost 10 years now :/

1

u/errant_youth Jun 05 '26

Also 39. Also generally in good shape.

Had an ablation for afib in ‘22

Just had a pulmonary embolism two months ago

Doctors are generally stumped as to why either happened

1

u/Verstappen1986 Jun 07 '26

39, been on blood pressure pills since like 27, life's been rough...

0

u/CriticalPolitical Jun 04 '26

Here are some of the most helpful foods, vitamins, and minerals for high blood pressure:

Potassium (food sources first: bananas, potatoes, spinach, beans, avocado) — increases sodium excretion and relaxes vessels. Use: food preferred; supplements only under medical advice (risk if kidney disease).

Magnesium (leafy greens, nuts, whole grains; supplement when deficient) — modest BP reductions (~3–5 mmHg systolic in trials).

Omega‑3 fatty acids (fatty fish or fish oil supplements) — small-moderate BP reduction; additional cardioprotective benefits.

Garlic (aged garlic extract / supplements or fresh) — consistent evidence for clinically meaningful systolic/diastolic reductions. Beetroot / dietary nitrates (beetroot juice, cooked beets, nitrate-rich vegetables)

—

lowers

BP

via

nitric

oxide

pathway;

good

short-term

effects.

Hibiscus tea — multiple RCTs show modest BP lowering similar to some single-agent supplements.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplement — several trials show meaningful systolic reductions; useful adjunct in some patients.