Hypertension / High Blood Pressure

[n3r0x1k]

Hey everyone,

I went to the ER yesterday cuz I felt my heart pulsating in my cheeks and in my head, and my pressure was at 150/90 and once last year it was at 139/102. This kinda scares me alot. Actually, I had lost total control over my panic yesterday when it had lasted a bit and had to go to the ER. At the "trillage" (the place you pass by so they classify you first before waiting 12 hours or more) he said it might be because of panic, but yeh I was panicking but felt the symptoms before, unless I was anxious and didn't necessarily notice.

All I want to know basically is can someone have high blood pressure readings lke that and not necessarily have a hypertension condition? Can it all be due to anxiety and not with some underlying disease? Cuz I must admit that it scares the hell out of me.
And does anybody else have this and just caused by anxiety and/or panic? Is it dangerous?

Also, I'd felt it go high last month, had went to check a couple of times and sometimes I get readings like 113/67, so it doesn't seem to be always high. Only I tend to worry ALOT when it does get high and when I feel tension in my cheeks etc.

And does anybody else have this and just caused by anxiety and/or panic? Is it dangerous?

[Cathy V]

Hi, ive more or less answered this on your other post, but can you tell me your age? its unusual to have hypertension as a young person and if you have it under around the age of say 40 ish its usually because its anx related. Sometimes women can get it younger but then its usually down to hormones, pregnancy etc.

From what youve been saying i would say its purely down to anxiety, BUT its still hypertension whatever the reason, and has to be monitored. my doc told me that you can go on with high bp for a few months before they get abit twitchy about it and want to give you meds to control it. I was given betablockers cuz i have migraines too from time to time and they are good at treating both conditions.

When I first was told my bp was high (180 over 110, but never really been that high since fortunately) i had a major panic cuz i just thought it was like a death sentence and couldnt accept it...was really freaked out by it, but ive since settled down about it and just do the best i can and with the meds its doing ok. Also my mum told me that she started with high bp at the same age and that shes been on betablockers for the past 20 years to control it and they have controlled it very well.

Its not the top number that you need to worry about cuz that is up and down for everyone and depends on the mood you're in. its the bottom number they look at more, this is what tells them what pressure your blood is pumping through your system. So if my bp reads 145 over 83 thats not too bad coz the bottom number is normal, and the 145 is maybe how ive reacted to something and will come down in a while.

Im rambling now sorry but high bp is a pet subject for me at the mo! but hope this helps a bit.
Cathy xxx

[n3r0x1k]

Im rambling now sorry but high bp is a pet subject for me at the mo! but hope this helps a bit.
Cathy xxx
No you're not rambling at all, or if you are, you're doing so in my favor :)

By the way, I'm 26.

Actually I have little knowledge about BP except a bit of what I've read here and there, and the bottom number being what they look at most kinda reassures me, although one reading read 134/102 (I just checked my notes) back in november, so I'd went the day after to see if it was still high and it was at 122/77 and the following days all played around 120-130/70-80.

Also, what worries me a bit, I go phases like this, where whenever I eat a big meal, my heart goes very fast and hard (around 124 bpm at rest) and it can go on for hours.

[Jaco45er]

150/90 ain't that high :)

To understand about blood pressure, you need to think about how BP works.

Typically, 120/80 or below is considered optimal, and anything upto 139/89 is what's called high/normal. Above 139/89, there are 3 stages, ranging from 140/90 to 160/95 and so on, and these 3 levels are know as hypertensive mild, moderate and severe (sorry, can't remember the exact numbers).

Now, the thing people must remember is, that a trip to the docs and having a BP measurement over 140/90 does not mean you have high BP.

There is a phenomenon called "white coat syndrome", which is something I get. When I was around 35 (41 now) I went to the doc and had a BP reading of 160/95, and the doc, knowing I had anxiety said "thats high, you should control that" great doc he was lol.

After coping with the thought that if I exert myself I would drop dead, I read everything there was about BP to gain a better undrstanding. I bought a home BP monitor and my readings at home were 130/77 (a fine set up numbers) but ofcourse, anxiety being anxiety I doubted the machine.

In a fit of madness I took my monitor to the GP and ask her to give me a bp test then the monitor to compare results. She took some convincing as she thought I was obsessed with BP (my monitor was more like a fashion accessory that a medical instrument), but when we done the test, the results matched, both around 155/90.

Bingo, this GP said, o u have white coat synd, if the results are watch u say at home, don't worry about it".

I would close by saying, that a weight lifter can hit 200/120 when lifitng heavy weights, this is normal, and the body is designed to cope with these extreme rises.

In general, 120/80 is best, 139/89 or below is ok, but start looking at your diet, salt intake, smoking and exercise, and constant readings above 140/90 then one should see a GP, but BP is easy controlled these days and there is no need to fear it, it's one of those things we can control.

TC

Jaco

[Cathy V]

Hi Jaco, i found your post very interesting, and youve given me more inf oon the subject than any of the docs ever have! so thanks cuz its helped me too :yesyes:

Tah lah!
Cathy xxx

[n3r0x1k]

Thanks Jaco :)

This kinda reassures me alot. Thanks for sharing that knowledge.