blood pressure

[pinkynicca]

I went to the doc for sinus pressure that's a whole other scary obsession.. Every time they take my BP they say its a little high but not bad I'm scared of doctor offices. Past few weeks I've been having bad anxiety a lot of chest pressure and worries I went to the grocery store tonight and used the bp machine and it was 160/100. I was terrified it sent off a full blown panic attack I had to leave. I'm so lost and scared of heart issues every since I was younger. I'm a large guy 6`2 245 been as high as 320 trying to lose weight I'm 26 and feel like I'm constantly dying

[cassy1989]

Hello. Firstly well done on the weight loss must have been hard. I also have high blood pressure when I go to the drs but its just what they call white coat syndrome. Do your drs ever take it and then give you a few minutes to calm down and see what its like? My dr just takes me by surprise now when he takes it now, I will go there for some thing unrelated to anxiety or an appointment for my son and he will suddenly be taking my blood pressure but its some thing we have agreed on because I never know when he will do it and because of that he gets a true reading and its always normal. Have you thought about getting a bp machine for you to do at home? Xx

[pinkynicca]

Thank you for the reply I've been doing this to myself for a very long time but its like I forget all about it and its always scary like the first time.

[xtremx]

Hi pinkynicca.

I agree in part with cassy1989 and that is well done on the weight loss (please share you secert) and also the Thing that is called white coat syndrome were you BP is higher in the doctors due to stressing out.

But I have to urge you not to get a home BP machine I did that and it was the worse thing anyone can do who suffers fro any form of health anxiety..If anything having a BP machine at home will increase you BP because you will be taking it so often and the amount of numbers it will turn up will scare you.

I was checking mine maybe 40-60 times aday and Because second to second or BP changes it was ashock to me to see numbers like 180-110 and then at other times 90-60.

Blood pressure is one of them things that is best left to doctors and nurses to take as they understand it properly.

Sorry cassy1989 (I just think home BP machines are a very bad thing in untrained hands).

Anyway 160-100 would now be classed on the upper boarderline marker on the BP scale (they seem to reclass it every few years). Ask your doctor for a 24hour BP monitor and you will be suprised in how lower you BP really is..

My advice to you if you have not done so already is to cut down on salt intake and drink plenty of water everyday.
I did this and it brought down my BP from around 145/100 to a steady 120/78 it will take time but it will come down...

[majdle]

I also had an issue with BP, always scary numbers when I was at doc´s. and then I got on monitoring and it turned out that my high BP wasn´t really high. It was normal, but it would fly up with every panic attack I got. It seems like the body is responding real fast to my flippy mind...And unlike xtremx, I found at-home BP taking a good thing, because I wasn´t scared as I would be at doc´s.

[pepperutchie]

i also had this white coat syndrome and it always is ascary thing for me...i even had this obssession about my BP that i can feel its high and fear comes in and i would checked my BP 30 to 50 times a day,really hard to get over with.So might as well leave the BP readings to the nurse and your doctor and no need for you to monitor it at home.

[spacebunnyx]

Hi,

My BP goes through the roof as soon as I see a BP monitor at the doctors. I had an interesting experience the other day where I was hoping to get accepted on a drug trial for a fertility drug and they took my bp... of course it was high... so I got more worried ... it went higher... I started thing they would reject me because of it and it went higher still. I explained to the doc I have white coat syndrome and he totally understood. My fear actually stems from a time I was very unwell and had to get taken to hosp in an ambulance.. I had no control over my bp and I went in to hypertensive crisis.

I bought bought a bp monitor and actually found it useful. the first day I had it I took 50 readings! but now I use it maybe once a month.. and yes.. at home my bp is totally normal. doh!

[ricardo]

The White Coat syndrome is known by many and usually the doctor will take that into account when dealing especially with anxiety sufferers.
BP as mentioned above does vary from minute to minute but I see no harm in having a wrist machine at home as long as one is not obsessed with it.

My BP has always been on the higher lmit of normal and has increased in certain circumstances and decreased in others.

I was told to write down the readings and pulse rate over a two week period and I was told to take it when relaxed.

The readings were quite different at home and in the surgery that my doctor told me to bring in my wrist machine to the surgery and he took a reading himself with his arm machine and then immediately with my own wrist machine and he wasn't interested in the reading but just to see if they were comparable readings, which they almost where.
This satisfied both of us.

[Mr Brownstone]

160/100 isnt too bad if you were feeling stressed. And im also assuming that with it being in a grocery store, you probably didnt rest for a few mins before taking it, which you're supposed to do. Either way, if you can lose weight, i bet you it goes down. And it will go down fairly quickly.