Blood pressure [Archive]

mummyanxious

17-02-14, 09:04

So a few months ago people will remember I had been told by the dr I had low blood pressure. It made me feel rubbish. I eventually for some (silly I know) reason I bought a machine. I know I shouldn't have, I'm aware I've done wrong. I've had the lectures already.

But I've never had a low reading on it. Having had consistent low readings at the dr surgery over a month or so. A couple have been within normal limits but mainly it is high or on occasion I've had some 'go to a&e now' high readings.

I've worked myself up over it and realise I shouldn't have bought the thing and I will worry now. But I'd now like to use it to properly monitor and report back to my gp if the results show it constantly high.

It says do so many readings over so many days, at two times in the day. When is it recommended you do them? As soon as you wake? Or an period after getting up?

I just don't understand why it's so high now. Usually white cost happens at the surgery not the other way round?

With these pains I've been getting in my chest I've taken it a few times when I've had it and that's when I've had some higher readings so I've worried myself the pain is my blood pressure being high and having to pump harder.

Yes yes I realise I've worried myself about it :(

emlica

17-02-14, 09:24

White coat syndrome does usually happen at the surgery, BUT it's purely to do with how anxious people are about being at the GP. When you had your BP taken at the GP, you wouldn't have known that it was going to come out 'low' so, whether you were conscious of it or not, you were probably less anxious about it. But now, whenever you take it, you're going to be worried about what reading you're going to get, so it's going to be higher. There probably is a connection between the pains in your chest and your BP - but that connection is your anxiety!

mummyanxious

17-02-14, 09:37

Thing is I was under a massive amount of stress on all the occassions when I had my gp take my blood pressure. Which makes me believe I don't suffer white coat so these readings I am getting must be accurate. They wouldn't sell you these machines if they weren't accurate. I have had some normal readings but very few and they're normally high end of normal. Even if I've tried to relax prior to taking it by doing some deep breathing.

---------- Post added at 09:37 ---------- Previous post was at 09:35 ----------

Mornings are really bad for me. I always feel shakey and odd and fast heart etc and assumed it was because my bp was low but its actually high!

Alex94

17-02-14, 09:46

blood pressure in the morning (just after you wake up) is always higher than during the day.

Even if you don't have white coat syndrome (which, I believe, everybody has tbh) now you get anxious every time you check your BP. I bet that the moment you start to think about your BP it gets higher. It's all in your mind

emlica

17-02-14, 09:48

But not all stress will make your BP respond in the same way. You might have been under stress (incidentally - stress and anxiety aren't necessarily the same thing) at the time you went to the GP, but that doesn't mean you were specifically anxious ABOUT your BP. Which you are now. Although a lot of people with HA get more anxious at the GP, some are calmer - I'm calmer at the GP because I'm 'doing something about it' rather than just sitting worrying.

Also -

They wouldn't sell you these machines if they weren't accurate

Isn't really that solid as logic goes. 'They' sell the machines to make money. Also, however accurate the machine is, it's only that accurate if it's used 100% correctly - have you been TRAINED in how to take your own blood pressure? Really, get rid of the machine - it's not going to help you in the long run. If you're worried, get another appointment, have it taken again at the GP.

mummyanxious

17-02-14, 09:59

I just had a massive stress meltdown with the kids so out of interest I took it and it was 137/79. Just doesn't add up. The more stressed I am the lower my bp?? Is this bad??

Yes I know what you're saying, get rid of it. Might put it on eBay lol

---------- Post added at 09:59 ---------- Previous post was at 09:59 ----------

Alex that contradicts what someone said the other day that its low for the first hour after getting up? Confused :)

Alex94

17-02-14, 10:04

I'm saing what my dad, who'd been having hypertension for almost 20 years, says:)
Checked it myself, I always have low BP (about 100/60 or lower) but in the morning it's usually 120/80 or higher. It's pretty logical that it gets higher when you suddenly wake up after eight hours of sleeping.

mummyanxious

17-02-14, 10:11

I had high blood pressure when I was pregnant. And I'm pretty certain inrember the midwife saying the automatic machines weren't as accurate as the manual ones.? So hopefully that's just it.

emlica

17-02-14, 11:04

I think there's a difference between when you're literally first awake (likely to be low) and when you've got up and started doing things (higher). But I think everyone's different anyway.

The other dangerous thing with obsessively monitoring your own BP is that you really have to understand how to interpret the results properly. You seem to be saying that 137/79 is oddly low: it isn't at all.

mummyanxious

17-02-14, 12:01

I don't think that's low at all. I think that's higher end of normal but its come down from what it was.

Alex94

17-02-14, 12:22

with blood pressure the bottom reading is the most important. the norm for it is 80, so 79 isn't bad at all. If it was 137/100 then it would be a problem.

Fishmanpa

17-02-14, 12:52

with blood pressure the bottom reading is the most important. the norm for it is 80, so 79 isn't bad at all. If it was 137/100 then it would be a problem.

Not really a "problem" but just a higher than normal reading. A consistently higher than normal reading is an issue and can be controlled with medication. I was that way for years.

Positive thoughts

ohwell123

17-02-14, 13:30

I agree with fishmanpa and I also believe this blood pressure lark can become a problem on its own for HA

as soon as you get a good reading chuck the damn machine away because that good reading should prove to you you are fine and it is you alone controlling your BP through fear

I had readings of 170/110 when Id say I was calm in the drs office BUT the last two weeks before were chronic anxiety and a panic attack doc said what do you expect it to be ? its now come right down btw

im only prewarning you but this blood pressure machine will ruin your life much more than the heart attack you havent had will

tk care kris

Alex94

17-02-14, 13:49

Not really a "problem" but just a higher than normal reading. A consistently higher than normal reading is an issue and can be controlled with medication. I was that way for years.

Positive thoughts

that's what I meant, thank you Fishmanpa:)

robin321

17-02-14, 15:25

I had a huge fear of blood pressure. My reading was 160 over 110 at the docs.
I got a machine. It didn't ruin my life. I limited myself to taking it every few days, and I wrote down the results.
At first my reading would start at 155 over 100. But it would come down to low 140's, high 130's over 90ish. The funny thing was that each week, as I got more used to it, my readings would drop... my average went into 125 over 79 or so. My opening reading would be 133 over 90... I thought the machine was broken. I took it with me to the dr. I was still nervous at doc... but not as much. and my reading there matched my machine.
Summary - I got over my fear. I am not tied to the machine. And most important was accepting that high BP is ok. It isn't the end of the world and can be treated. Once I accepted this, once I got used to having it taken, it dropped.

Oh and the bottom number is hard to take on a home machine. You have to be very still or it will be high. It isn't really high, but it is the machine and how it takes it. If it doesn't hear a beat for some reason, it skews your results up. So don't let a one day reading bother you.

ohwell123

17-02-14, 15:33

hi robin321 perhaps I should have worded my post a bit better but im sure you know what I mean it will deff consume your life especially if the OP could have an OCD perspective otherwise there wouldnt be such a big NO NO advising not to buy them

I bought one and it just snowballed everything for me all because one day a nurse took my BP 140/90 and she gave me that look like somethings wrong wish id never have met her that day

there is absolutely nothing wrong with a bp of 140/90 but I didnt know that at the time from someone whos anxious

mummyanxious

18-02-14, 21:24

OK so since massively going off on one about this I took advice and shelved the machine. I haven't touched it until this evening. I have had a really bad day, complete rage, just awful. I thought oh my blood pressure must be through the roof today so I decided to use my machine just out of interest 'knowing' it would be high. Low and behold it was 126/83. Nowhere near what I was expecting. So maybe just maybe I was getting myself worked up about taking it.
Thank you for everyone who helped me :)

---------- Post added at 21:24 ---------- Previous post was at 21:23 ----------

Btw I am aware that's still a bit high on the bottom, but I hadn't been sitting down for the required timescales before taking it either.

Andrash

18-02-14, 21:44

wins829

18-02-14, 21:50

Mine is always low 90/ 50 around there

ohwell123

21-02-14, 11:16

your blood pressure is perfect and you will live a very happy long life especially if you get rid of that machine lol