High Blood Pressure

[CeeCeeCee]

Hi all,

I hope someone can put me right about high BP.

I haven't been on here for a while as I have been better with my HA and also my husband has been poorly. He has been diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes and has high BP.

He bought a monitor to keep a check and he took my BP which was high. I have never had high BP before so it scared me a bit. Then I took it again a few days later and it was up even higher again. That made me feel even more scared.

I woke up last night for the loo and started to think about it and also felt ill. Hot, sickly, shaky fuzzy head etc. I was terrified my heart was going to fail or I would have a stroke. I took a diazepam but it didn't help that much.

Is it normal to have high readings for a few days and is it ok just to live with it or is It dangerous? I'm really worried that my fuzzy head means a stroke. I'm at the docs tomorrow but scared he'll say its bad.

Any info would be a great help.

[mummyanxious]

So firstly what are you calling high?
Secondly were you anxious before taking it because that's a no no. Also you shouldn't take it after eating. And you should be calm and sat down.
Everyone's fluctuates all the time.
I have a machine which others will know I was obsessed by. I don't use it anymore as I got crazy high readings which freaked me out. But when the gp took it it was 100/60 lol. So no permanent high BP here.
Also bp fluctuates during menstrual cycles. Mine is higher when I'm on my period.

[CeeCeeCee]

Hi Mummyanxious, thanks for the reply.

It's been 154/80, 171/85 and a few in between. As I said I always have normal BP (apart from once when it was a bit low). I was/am probably quite anxious as been a bit worried about my husband. We have been away for the weekend and I felt ok, did lots of walking etc, so I thought it might have lowered a bit. I know it is probably my anxiety making my head sore and fuzzy, I've had head pain for ages now but its still scary and I keep wondering if its related.

[mummyanxious]

Best thing to do is take it in the evening when you're nice and relaxed and try hard not to concentrate on the fact you're taking it. Because just the thought of taking it would send mine up because I was worried it would be high.
The bottom figures aren't too bad though even with those readings. My bottom figures went over 100 a couple of times and I was a sobbing mess in the dr surgery. Luckily he knows me well. And as I say when he took it it was 100/60. He said it was probably the way I was taking it, had I just been walking about, and he also had a longer cuff which was more accurate.

[CeeCeeCee]

Thank you, that does make me feel a little better as I know I was probably anxious, also the cuff itself was really hurting and seemed to be tight for ages after it inflated, even though I didn't have it on tight at all, maybe its not a very good one. Also, I had eaten not long before. It seems to be fluctuating a lot too.
I'm scared to take it myself now but the doc will do it properly and hopefully it won't be high. I still keep feeling that the head symptoms are connected but I'm trying to put it at the back of my mind until I go to docs.

[mummyanxious]

Don't forget we can feel very disoriented and odd when we wake up in the night. I wouldn't worry about it too much. I often wake feeling odd.