Blood Pressure Again!!!

[Vinny]

Hi Everyone
I posted on here last week because I was so worried about my blood pressure. I went to the docs last night and he took my BP and the reading was 150/85. He looked back on my notes and it's never been as high as that before. He didn't seem concerned about it and never mentioned going back to have it checked again. I know I should be reassured because he said it was ok. He did say if I had diabetes or any other symptoms he would look at it differently!! The trouble is I've now come home worrying that maybe I do have diabetes, I'm nearly 52 and my Dad, sister and brother both got mid life diabetes so it is a possibility. My Dad and another sister also dies from sudden heart attacks so I'm worried the same will happen to me .
Please could any of you put my mind at rest, I really hate this worrying.

x

[Missy69]

Hiya Vinny,
I dont think that 150/85 is a worrying blood pressure at all, god i wish mine was that low ! I have always worried about my blood pressure, dont know why, just have. I went for a small op once and because my blood pressure was so high they couldnt do the op, they said to go to my g.p so he could investigate why it was so high. Which made me panic so much. My husband bought a blood pressure machine so i could check my blood preesure at home, were i would be more relaxed. So i did this and kept a reading for about a week. Then when my doctor came to see me i showed him the chart, he said my blood pressure was absolutely fine. If your doctor knows you suffer anxiety, then they know that more than lightly your blood pressure will be up whilst having it taken in the surgery. And you are only classed as having high blood pressure if it stays high whilst at rest, relaxed. So a one off high blood pressure is nothing to worry about. So maybe it would be worth you buying one of the machines, you can get them from boots, tesco at about £15. It certainly helped me to stop worrying about my blood pressure all the time. Also i think if he thought you may be diabetic he would have tested you there and then because it is quite fast and easy to check. Hope this has helped a little, Hope you feel better soon.
Take care Sarah x

[Cathy V]

Hi vinny, sorry you#re worrying abou this, but if your doc knows you family history im sure they'll keep an eye on you. 150 over 85 isnt a bad reading, mine can be much higher than this. The top number fluctuates anyway depending on mood or stress, its the bottom number they seem to be more concerned about and yours is good....mine can be 110 sometimes! Try not to worry about it too much.

Unfortunatley we are at the age where high bp can be the norm. I developed it last year at 54 for the first time in my life and was so shocked. It was 180 over 110 after a lifetime of normal. But both my parents had it so i guess now its my turn. My dad died of cancer so no connection with bp, and my mum is still taking propranolol after 20 years and has never had any problems.

Apologies if ive said all this to you before
Take care
Cathy xxx

[Jaco45er]

Hiya Vinny

150/85 ain't all that high. My BP can sit around there sometimes (I am 41), and there is also the "white coat syndrome" to consider. That is, your BP may rise purely because you was in at the GP surgery.

Technically 140/90 or above is considered high, and ideally we should aim to keep it below that figure. However, BP will rise and fall with activity, after eating/drinking and physical activity, so one reading of 150/85 without a history of high readings is probably of no concern to your GP.

To give you some idea of BP, a weight lifter can reach 120/220 when lifting weights and the body will cope with that. What is a concern is someone who has a constantly high BP over a given time.

I should say at this point I am no expert or health professional, but I have read alot of factual stuff regarding BP. I even have my own BP monitor that I used to wear more than a watch due to health anxiety. I swear, if you could have bought a designer BP monitor, I would have wore it like bling down the pub when I was completely obsessive .

BP takes a long time to do damage, and there is no guarantee that someone with high BP will die from it, it's just a risk factor.

Hope this helps.

Jaco

[Jaco45er]

Sorry Missy more or less said what I did, I was typing before she posted lol

[Missy69]

No prob jaco, you explained better than me, i read yours and felt better all over again !!!! LOL

[Southern_Belle]

Hi Vinny,

If your doctor knows your families history of diabetes then I would think you would be having a test once a year. If not, you need to either ask for it or change doctors. I think if you were elderly and you had that reading of BP you would be put on medication but you are still relatively young. I know that my mother recently had that same BP but she is 73 and they put her on the lowest dose of BP meds as a precaution.

If you are worried that you have diabetes I would watch your diet and get plenty of exercise which helps prevents the onset of Adult Diabetes II. Good luck and let us know what happens.

Take care,

Laura

[belle]

You're isn't high at all.

Mine on the otherhand is stupidly low. 90/56...!

[Southern_Belle]

Hmmmm, sorry I was posting when the others were and said the same thing as they did too,lol.