Please help blood pressure

[Weasley123]

I posted about.my blood press fears a few days ago. They died down but are back. Im 38 and on amethia bcp pills and have bad health anxiety. I have a home blood pressure machine and used to get pregnant hypertension readings for about a year. Now though after getting a very high reading I have anxiety at thought of machine but am obsessed. What happens is ill feel the need to take my BP I get chest tightness and fear and try t ok calm myself but can't I check my BP and invariably it's high it was just 161/94 pulse 80. Then I'll wait check 20 min later and it's like 124/80. What the he'll is going on? I want to believe it's anxiety because I panick at the thought of the first reading but am calmer for the second because I know from experience it will be Lower but tomorrow or a few hrs from now cycle will begin again. I know I'm waiting long enough between reafings never less then 15 min so the second reading shows be accurate but why the discrepancy? I know at the start Dr. It be through the roof. It's been high in the past but I've never been this obsessed with BP before. I know I should through out the machine but what if this is real or causes by my bcp. My Gyno who I love and I used as a GPS has said in the past he thinks it's anxiety. I don't smoke am not overweight. I have a psychiatrist and have a prescription for xanax to take as needed but I'm thinking know need daily Medicine maybe lexapro. Just the thought of bp is terrifying me but I feel I need y9 check.

---------- Post added at 21:40 ---------- Previous post was at 21:27 ----------

I just took it again 30 min later opposite arm 111/71 I didn't feel as anxious but wtf

[sarahsarah]

Hi Weasley,

Didn't want to read and run. It's normal for your blood pressure to vary at different times of the day and even though you have had a couple of readings on the high side, there's nothing there that suggests a medical emergency.

I think you need to put the monitor away. You're just creating a vicious circle of anxiety about taking your BP leading to it being high, then it being high leading to anxiety and it keeps on going.

There is absolutely no reason why you need to check your BP at home unless a doctor specifically requests you to. If this is the case (for checking to see if a new medication is working, for example) then it would only be something like once a day for a few weeks, not several times a day forever.

I suffer from Health Anxiety too, and even though it is under control at the moment, I know what you're going through. Put the monitor away, just for a day at a time at first if you like, and I promise you will feel better xx

[Weasley123]

Thank you. It's so hard but I really feel it must be anxiety. I feel more relaxed this evening and took it and it was 124 over 77 so not bad. When it's high high I can feel the panic. Also one night I took a xanax the next morning it was 109/60. I think the xanax relaxes me and I slept well. I've asked my husband to take machine to work for a few days so I can't check. I also think I need daily anxiety meds

[sarahsarah]

Those are brilliant blood pressure numbers, Weasley!

I think your husband taking the machine away will help enormously. Stop taking your blood pressure for a couple of weeks and then see if your anxiety improves at all. I am almost certain you will find it has lessened. You might find you feel you don't need daily pills at all if you're not willingly stressing yourself out with the monitor xx

[Weasley123]

I agree those r great numbers but there is such variation. Try good numbers are in the evening when I do feel more relaxed. But there's such variations. I didn't know you could have white coat syndrome at home. My temptation for daily meds is cause xanax works so well but I don't want to take it more then once or twice a week since it's so addictive. I'm going to wait and see

[sarahsarah]

What else do you do to relax? Any meditation, breathing exercises or things like crafting or colouring? What about physical exercise or hobbies?

[Weasley123]

I walk row and bike. I have 5 dogs and 4 cats and I collect vintage clothes and love to dress up and I'm a huge Star Trek fan. I love to eat and go to restaurants with my husband and I do like wine so my diet isn't perfect but I'm active abd like my veggies. The thing is when I'm anxious I can only focus on the fear. I'll get a good bp reading like 111/72 abd be happy then later a sky high one like 160 over 96 it's so confusing abd i start to think on,y high ones are accurate

[Weasley123]

I posted yesterday about my BP and Went to bed feeling good. Woke up scared with compulsion to check BP. Checked 140/82. The. 20 min later 111/86. I felt better husband his machine but I kept thinking about it dug it out 138/86. The. I put it away but this afternoon. I started having obsessive thoughts and feelings anxious and I checked 3 times min apart and for the first time ever they where all high. I felt so anxious though I was practically crying. I switched arms thinking then I wouldn't have to wait the 10 min which was making my anxiety crazy. It was normal. I felt it would be. I'm disgusted with myself and scared. I seem to have no self control and now my anxiety has given me a real issue. If I take xanax then my blood pressure goes down for hours like 10. My husband says that's proof it's anxiety and that if I stop checking it will go down.

[sarahsarah]

Your husband is absolutely correct. Get rid of the machine- you shouldn't be checking your BP at home at all. What use is it unless a doctor has specifically asked you to do so so she or he can use that info to help you?

Look at all those lovely things you do and enjoy when not worrying about your BP. Good times with your husband and lots of beautiful pets. Such a shame not to concentrate on those things and chuck that monitor in the bin!

I don't want to denigrate taking medication for something that is obviously such a problem for you but I do think maybe just not taking your blood pressure at home at all is worth a try before you approach your GP about it.

[Weasley123]

Thank u. I'm going to really try and have Made a few hrs. I'm so ashamed. My xanax was prescribed by my psych who says it's as needed and it really helps. Initially he thought and I agreed that I didn't need something else every day and im good at not taking it too often. I don't love the idea of daily meds but I'm so ashamed of this issue am I :noangel:the only one with this. I expect it to be high at Dr's cause I have a total phobia and panic attacks all Dr appointments. The only Dr I've found who gets this is my Gyno who basically functions as my GP which works cause physically I'm never sick. The irony. Lol

[sarahsarah]

How are you doing, Weasley? Any luck with not using the BP machine?

[Weasley123]

My husband has hid it but I'm still scared. My last reading was a morning one 124/84 which was pretty good si I let my husband hide I'm still scared though. I'm afraid when I go to gyno fir yearly check up it will be high I can feel panic just thinking about BP

[jaynehal]

Mines up and down all the time if I do it at he it's usually 110/72 but yesterday in the hospital it was 149/100 it's all anxiety xx