High blood pressure pregnancy

[Bastett]

Hi! I've been given all clear for all my self diagnosed diseases, no oral cancer, no throat cancer, no lymphoma, no leukemia and no breast cancer. So I've been very calm these days since last Friday's lymph node ultrasound.

BUT now with me being calm, my blood pressure has risen high. Normally I have 100/60 - lower than normal but it is fine for me. Starting yesterday I had headache that feels like my head is being pressed together, brain fog and pressure on my eyes. I measured my blood pressure and it was 150/90 yesterday and 155/95 today. Very high for me.

I read that hypertension is very risky in pregnancy and called my doctor. She seemed worried and now I have to take my BP every day 2 times and she put me on baby aspirin.

I am ok with that and try not to read too much into pre-eclampsia or other bad things. I am only 8 weeks and 3 days along.



I wanted to ask you if it is common to have blood pressure rising not when you are worried but when you become un-worried instead. My BP rose when I was calm and not stressed about my imagined illnesses. Can it be just my health anxiety causing it, because I had no other reasons to worry? Or maybe this time there is something wrong with me?


I have never had BP issues my whole life, like I said, it was low. Even when I was stressed.

[Fishmanpa]

Normally, one doesn't have a BP machine at home. I have heart disease and my cardiologist wants me to monitor it as I've had some low BP issues from the meds. You have to follow the directions carefully. Due to your anxiety and pregnancy, some fluctuations would be expected.

My machine (high quality/rated) says to get comfortable for at least 5-10 minutes before taking it and then do it three times with a minute or two between. Average it out and there you go.

As far as not feeling stressed?

Anxiety is like a campfire. When you're in the midst of a spiral the fire is burning bright and hot. When the flames die down, there's still a bed of red hot coals burning away just waiting for some more fuel. You may not feel anxious but your body is still on high alert and has a bed of hot anxiety coals inside just waiting to flare up. Just like a campfire, the hot coals of anxiety take a long time to finally go out.

Positive thoughts

[Bastett]

Normally, one doesn't have a BP machine at home. I have heart disease and my cardiologist wants me to monitor it as I've had some low BP issues from the meds. You have to follow the directions carefully. Due to your anxiety and pregnancy, some fluctuations would be expected.

My machine (high quality/rated) says to get comfortable for at least 5-10 minutes before taking it and then do it three times with a minute or two between. Average it out and there you go.

As far as not feeling stressed?



Positive thoughts

Thank you. I didn't have a machine at home, I measured it with a pharmacist and in doctor's cabinet. Now I will have to measure it daily so my husband will buy one for me.

As for your citation, I think it might be the reason. Because BP can be anxiety symptom too and what a better way to skyrocket a new bout of anxiety than to give me high BP.

---------- Post added at 16:07 ---------- Previous post was at 16:05 ----------

Strangely I am not even very worried about this BP thing, because as far as I know, it isn't a symptom of any cancer I've been worried about so it does not ring my anxiety bells that much. Stupid, I know, because that might be the thing that really can affect me badly. But I will follow the doctor's instructions and all should be fine. Why can't I act this way with all my other percieved illnesses?