Help! BP/white coat syndrome. So scared.

[Almost_there]

Hi guys, i’m hoping someone can put my mind at ease. I know it sounds ridiculous but here goes. I’ve got a terrible fear of taking bp, cos of course i panic and it’s always high i’m panicking about having a stroke/heart attack.
I’m 30 and quite fit/healthy and pregnant at the moment which means i have to get my bp checked every couple of weeks1 i have my first midwife appointment and i’m really freaking out that she’s gona freak out about my high bp when she checks it... To be honest i’m getting better, it used to be 155/105 when they checked now after breathing it goes down to 139/97 so i’m getting there but it’s usually with the doctor i know and this time it’s going to be someone totally new! i’m scared of her reaction...
This fear is coming from the reaction of one incensitive nurse who after me having an allergic reaction and having high bp as a result (apparently it’s normal after allergic reaction), she just totally freaked me out and sent me to er and told me i will have heart desease etc if i don’t take meds.
Anyways just want to calm down, i don’t know how to get over it, just dreading my midwife appointment....

[PinkRoxy]

I know how you feel except mine is quite odd because I worry that mine will be hgh but its usually healthy low but the worry of having it done is always still there for some odd reason.

The thing is if it is high they usually can give you stuff to help reduce it and while being pregnant I would imagine it would be quite normal for it to be a little higher than normal.

My mum had super high blood pressure one time that she had to get it checked further and got put on tablets and now its fine and she feels fine now and is healthy.

That was wrong what that nurse did to you and you shouldve made a complaint because they shouldnt of made you feel worse.

Anyway try not to worry about it and a good way is to sip plenty of water as that usually reduces blood pressure.

Good luck honey

[sunday]

Hi Allmostthere

i was Exactly like you when i was pregnant -so scared of the MW appts, just because of them taking my BP! In the end i bought my own machine so that i could take my BP at home -this meant that i was so used to having it taken that it helped me at the appts. I also used to take my home readings to show the MW to proove that my BP was ok! in the end it turned into a bit of a joke with the MW and actually she stopped taking my BP and just took dowm my own readings from home as she said those would be much more reliable -maybe you could do this? At first it is scary, but you will soon get used to taking it and then, if you are anything like me, will take it every 10mins or somthing!
They can easliy give you meds if it is too high for pregnancy which i have been on and didnt have any probs. HOpe this helps x

[cathycrumble]

I am exactly the same but I tried to take mine at home but can't I just cant relax. I was ok all through my pregnancys never even thougt about it. I have just develped this fear after a marraige break up and losing my job but it was being in hospital last year with a water infection i was nervous and this nurse kept saying ooo your bp highish and she scared me now I am totally scared of bp I take a pill for it and I asked for that while in hospital as I just couldnt relax. I just wish they could take it by having a blood test lol. I would have no worries then just hate the bp machine. What is anoying is just like pinkroxy mine is ok but I still worry. my last reading at the nurses office it was 135/80 I feel I just have bad anxiety and if it wasn't my bp it would be somthing else I would worry about.

Cathy xx

---------- Post added at 15:58 ---------- Previous post was at 15:53 ----------

Hi Allmostthere

i was Exactly like you when i was pregnant -so scared of the MW appts, just because of them taking my BP! In the end i bought my own machine so that i could take my BP at home -this meant that i was so used to having it taken that it helped me at the appts. I also used to take my home readings to show the MW to proove that my BP was ok! in the end it turned into a bit of a joke with the MW and actually she stopped taking my BP and just took dowm my own readings from home as she said those would be much more reliable -maybe you could do this? At first it is scary, but you will soon get used to taking it and then, if you are anything like me, will take it every 10mins or somthing!
They can easliy give you meds if it is too high for pregnancy which i have been on and didnt have any probs. HOpe this helps x

Sunday do you still take meds for your bp?

Cathy xx

[Almost_there]

thanks girls.
cathycrumble, 135/85 is not high at all!
I actually had bp monitor (at home) but found i was still stressed out taking it and then would panic if it wouldn't come down (and it wouldn't cos i'd panic, vicious circle)
i'm just hoping the mw will be understanding and just say "don't worry about it, will just measure yours compare to normal for YOU and not normal guidelines" if it makes sense...

[cathycrumble]

even though it was ok at gps I still have fear about taking it. so I took my bp before and it wouldnt come down I was just panicing I just don't know what to do to make myself confident and relaxed I am soo upset the lowest I got it to was 138/97 I am so miserable. I was shaking with fear. This BP fear is ruining my life. All I want to do is try and relax while having my BP taken I just cant seem to understand what the hell is wrong with me all day that is all i think about I am soo unhappy and I feel so sorry for my children seeing me like this. I just cant bear to see high numbers on the machine. Me and you are so alike

Cathy xx

[countrygirl]

My GP said that if someones pulse is very high due to anxiety then the bp will be high as well and the time to take it seriously is if someone has a normal pulse but high bp then its not due to anxiety.

My pulse at just the sight of a bp machine can reach 140bpm in an instant and once machine is out of sight its back to normal in minutes as well!

[katielou80]

i was like that too at the midwife. i work in maternity and now take bp. we do realise what your gong through....and we add on a bit for nerves, its usually the top number that goes up when your panicking. its sooooooooooooooo common xx chill

[Savannah]

It's very normal for bp to shoot up when anxious. I've had patients really nervous when I've taken their BP, so I think it's a common fear.

Maybe tell your midwife your bp is known to be on the high side when you panic, it may help relax you a bit that she's aware of it. Just let her know how nervous you are.

[Almost_there]

With me both numbers go up not just bottom or top number... I hope it's normal that it does that...:(