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Borderline High Blood Pressure and the Marines

FlaK

FlaK

0612 FireWire
Hello, I'm just wondering how restrictive the Marine Corps is on blood pressure. I'm awaiting my BUMED results and hoping for the best...but the waiting part is starting to get to me.

EDIT: I just thought of a better way to ask the question. Do any of you guys know anyone in the Marines with high or borderline high blood pressure.
 
X

XeroCool

Registered User
I am not in the military yet and am no physician but perhaps you could ask if the marines allow you to take Beta blockers or Alpha inhibitors or Diuretics. All of those help reduce blood pressure.

XeroCool
 
FlaK

FlaK

0612 FireWire
Interesting...

I'll look into that, as I've never really thought about any of this (heck, before the MEPS physical, I didn't even know I had high blood pressure). I have been taking an asprin, garlic, and calcium supplements to assist in lowering it, but I don't think it's been long enough to have a real effect.
 
ZoomByU

ZoomByU

Woo Woo
my bloob pressure was borderline when i went to meps. They had me take a blood pressure and pulse test three days out of a week taken by a nurse. the best way to control blood pressure is your diet. If you are like me you just get nervous for no reason when they start taking your blood pressure. I went from having 140/90 at MEPS to 118/78 when takin by my friends mom who is a nurse. I just watched what I ate which helped alot. Also I had a routine when I went in to get it taken, I relax on a exam table for about 5 minutes with my eyes closed and breathing deeply. This also helped with my pulse which in result lowered my pressure. I was cleared by medical after i completed the test.
 
S

Spin

SNA in Meridian
My blood pressure has been getting up there now and then (I'm 30 so I guess it comes with the territory). ZoomByU has the right idea ..... what u eat plays a big role. Take a lot of salty things out of your diet. Simple things like getting fresh or frozen vegetables rather than canned reduces sodium by a lot. Also, if your like me and like to drown everything in ketchup ... Hunts makes a "no sodium" ketchup that tastes just like regular ketchup. Execrcise to obviously. I've done these things and now my blood pressure is much better and I rarely have to even think about it.

Peace,

-Spin
 
Wedge

Wedge

Registered User
Does anyone know what happens to you if you get high blood pressure while in flight school. I am a Marine and I have to do the three day blood pressure test to average my scores. My question is, when the tests come back and my pressure is high will that kick me out of the flight program? I am a Marine so I hope I will at least get to do another MOS (if they boot me from the program). Losing my chance at wings will be hard, but losing my bars would kill me. And I do run and I don't eat that much and I am not overweight, for me it is inherited. My mother has and father had high blood pressure. Any info would help.
 
C

Carno

Insane
Wedge said:
Does anyone know what happens to you if you get high blood pressure while in flight school. I am a Marine and I have to do the three day blood pressure test to average my scores. My question is, when the tests come back and my pressure is high will that kick me out of the flight program? I am a Marine so I hope I will at least get to do another MOS (if they boot me from the program). Losing my chance at wings will be hard, but losing my bars would kill me. And I do run and I don't eat that much and I am not overweight, for me it is inherited. My mother has and father had high blood pressure. Any info would help.
Click to expand...
They'll probably just bleed you a little, so you don't have so much pressure in your blood stream.
 
Texan

Texan

Why enemy pilots dont sleep well
out of curiosity, anyone seen what happens to me: really low resting pulse (like 39 42bpm). When taking blood pressure as I'm just resting there, it's REALLY high (140/90 give or take). If I do 20 or 30 jumping jacks to get my pulse up, my blood pressure comes right down. at 60to 70 bpm, my blood pressure will be closer to 120/80.

just curious if anyone else has the same phoenomenon.

-Texan
 
feddoc

feddoc

Really old guy
Contributor
FLY_USMC

FLY_USMC

Well-Known Member
pilot
My blood pressure can go from like 148/90 to 110/70 just in the time it takes them to reset the machine. Like a lot of people, I just get nervous when I go to medical, what can I say. As for like NOMI, they are pretty dang friendly from what I remember, they'd let you rest a second to get your blood pressure down, at least that's what some guys told me, mind wasn't high enough to get a second go around. Look at it this way, supposedly high blood pressure and/or having a strong lower body help you pull g's better, according to the chunky flight physiologist.
 
B

baryon

Registered User
what i've heard from an older, retired AF f-16 pilot is that they don't discourage high blood pressure (within reason, of course). that's because when you go into a high-G turn, higher blood pressure will allow blood to pump to your brain more effectively than lower blood pressure. i.e., better to be a body-builder (? maybe) than a marathon runner.

crap, didn't read what fly_usmc said above. what he said.
 
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