Hello!!!!!
Sorry I haven't posted in a long while. We have been busy, with me working nights and Matt doing vocational rehab it has been quiet hectic. In the last month I have taken Matt to visit his physician for his yearly check up and discovered that his blood pressure is elevated. That day in the doctor's office I thought it was elevated because he was apprehensive about seeing the physician. As an ICU nurse I have seen elevated blood pressures that were danger level compared to Matt's so I tried not to worry. Our physician instructed me to check it daily for about two weeks and let him know how if was doing, especially if it remained elevated. So for the past week we have been checking it religously and it has been elevated. 140's-160's systolically, 90's-100 diastolically. Now after a week of running that high I have started to worry and wonder what could be causing this increase, and I have come up with nothing. So the only logical thing to try would be to start him on a low sodium diet and cut back on his caffiene intake.
Matt started the low sodium diet Monday and two days into it has been doing well. He has been eating fresh fruits(can't get him to eat the veggies), drinking water and sprite(no caffiene) and has decreased his amount of fried and salted foods.
I am hoping that this will do the job. I hate to think of him having to take bp medicaton at such a young age. I have never experienced hypertension with anyone his age before. I know that persons in their teens and twenties can have issues but it is usually related to heredity(family members w/bp problems at a young age, or some type of medical condition.
We are hopeful that the diet will decrease his pressure. He is already taking medication for with his autism and hate to start him on anymore meds unless it is necessary.
If there is anyone out there that has a child(young adult) with hypertension please leave me a comment and let me know what is working for you.

Oh and did I mention that since Matt has gone low sodium so has yours truly. Can't expect him to do it if I can't set and example.

Here are some of Matt's favorite low fat foods
Sweet potatos
banana
yogurt
baked Cheetos
grilled chicken

To anyone else that may be on a low salt diet good luck and remember low salt =140mg or less per serving of sodium.