High Blood Pressure

[cashbyx]

I'm only 20 and my fiancé just picked me up from a friends house because I fell asleep there. When I got in the car I smoked a cigarette and as soon as I did I felt some indigestion so I got freaked out and I have an app that measures my pulse and blood pressure and I've never had a problem with my blood pressure in the past and it's always been normal if not a little on the low side but nothing the doctors were worried about and this app told me my blood pressure was 170/105 and I started to go into a panic because I did the dreaded G and it was telling me to go straight to the hospital but every time I've rechecked it its a little lower but still high. My anxiety is through the roof right now and I'm so scared. Should I go to the ER?

[Hypo]

ER for a one off high bp reading from an app when you were panicking? Nope.

That would be overkill.

People need to stop using these apps. They are not medical tools, they should not be used by people with HA or anyone at all really.

I do blood pressures all the time at work. If anyone is slightly stressed they will get a higher reading. I regularly see patients with a bp of 120 who go up to 170 when they are anxious or have even had a walk to the toilet. BP changes all the time, I can take two readings in a row and get different readings.

You are anxious, you will get a high reading.

Put the app down. Let your GP carry on monitoring your BP, unless a GP has told us to measure it with proper equipment there is no need to be monitoring it yourself.

By all means, go to the chemist and get a reading when you are less stressed or make an appointment with a nurse to do it if you are worried.

[Fishmanpa]

When I got in the car I smoked a cigarette

Not only put the app and self checking away but if you're concerned about heart health, BP etc, the last thing you want to do is smoke! I was was told in no uncertain terms that smoking contributed to my heart issues/disease as well as getting cancer. Did you know smoking increases blood pressure and causes your arteries to narrow? They don't put those warnings on the package for nothing!

Positive thoughts