Would you know?

[looking4answers]

I have a phobia about blood pressure from a nurse and doctor that tried to scare me into coming into the office more regular.I went there two years ago and the nurse knew I was anxious and took my blood pressure and it was 160/95 and she kept telling me its high its high. Of course when I got to the drs I had to wait to see her for an hour and then another 45 minutes in the waiting room. The dr came in announced my blood pressure was high again and she knew I was anxious but kept scaring me. She wanted to triple my beta blocker and my wife told her he is very anxious and its not high and we bought a home monitor and monitored it for three weeks and found it was average 130/80 . We called the dr with the results and she decided to just double my meds. The day she took my bp and it was 160/95 she never checked it again before I left because she wanted to scare me into not missing my appointments.

Now I have a phobia about goingto the drs afraid they might say I have high bp again. I try not to worry about it but get scared sometime it might be high and I not know. I have a home tester but afraid to use it. The very thought of it scares me ... I want to know is there any other way to know if you might have high blood pressure ?

She schecked me over and over looking for signs of damage from high blood pressure and could not find anything. She did a ekg she said was perfect.
She asked if I ever got dizzy and I. asked her what do mean and she said .. oh if you had it you would know. I dont get headaches or things that are commonly associated with high blood pressure but since then I freak out at the thought of maybe having high pressure and wondered if there are specific signs I would know if I did.

I did go outside a few minutes ago and its 100 degrees and my hert started to be faster but when I came in it seemed to calm down ... Is that high blood pressure?

Im just really freaked out at the thought of maybe having high blood pressure and so freightened about the thought of goinng to a doctor for any reason almost sends me into panic. I have read three books on it already trying to resolve my fears but its not really helping... I just worry and wanted some input from others on blood pressure symptoms etc....

[Dibbler]

As I was in a similar situation as you I decided to buy my own monitor and over a period of two weeks I recorded and graphed my readings.

I then made a new appointment with a different doctor at the group practice and took a long my chart. Basically he agreed with my findings that my blood pressure was fine and told me not to bother having all the blood tests etc that they were arranging. He told me of the well established "white coat syndrome" where peoples blood pressure can be elevated quite a lot when visiting a doctor. I did read a lengthy article about this on the BBC website of around 8000+ people who are taking blood pressure tablets possible unnecessarily due to that issue of "white coat syndrome".

I then made absolutely sure I put the monitor away as I certainly did not want to get obsessed with that..!!

Ironic thing is I have now ended up on beta blockers but that is for my rapid heart beats etc.!

[looking4answers]

Also I wanted to know if you get freezing cold with the air condition on would that be a sign of high blood pressure?

[looking4answers]

Dibbler , the funny thing is I never was treated for high blood pressure. They originally gave me meds for fast heart beat to regulate my heartbeat. Its just over the ladt 20 years I have moved around and had different doctors and because I was taking a beta blocker and my bp was elevated at the drs office from white coat symdrome they assumed I was being treated for high bp .....so I probally dont think I even have it and my wife thinks I dont from how I am so in the end im probally being freighten of something I dont even have

[Dibbler]

When you write...


we bought a home monitor and monitored it for three weeks and found it was average 130/80that is not an indication of having high blood pressure which would require any treatment. As I have noted that when I showed the doctor my graph he was happy enough to then no longer bother about any further tests etc as I would always have elevated pressure when he did it.

As I now take a beta blocker for my heart beat I do not intend to check it much, if at all, as I have enough other self induced stresses and anxieties going on without adding that one as well.

Surely you have nothing to worry about after doing your own checks and, which you must know, the more you worry about this one the higher it can go anyway...?

Your pressure, from what you write, seems fine to me and the doctor must agree with your findings especially, when taking into consideration your stress levels in the surgery.

[looking4answers]

You have tp remember at the time we lived in a very remote town very small and she was the only dr in town. My wife bought a blood pressure machine and tested my bp three times a day for three weeks and the average for every week was never above 130/80... She calledin the results to the dr every week so the dr only doubled my med instead of quatrupling it. My pulse averages 65 to 72 and when walking or exhurting it is about 85 to 105 but I refused to take my bp for the last two years because of the whole issue although I have a home bp tester. I think this is better so as not to obcess about it but also scares me at he thought although deep down im pretty sure I dont have that, but anyway thanks for the response. I suppose I just have it stuck in my mind that I hve high blood pressure and itsva hard think for me to quit.I get cold in air condition in the summer time.That doesnt sound like someone with high bp does it? I was thinking people with high bp get hot even in air conditioning

[Dibbler]

Having just recently gone through an obsessive period of blood pressure concerns I really do understand your worries. Even when I measured my own I discounted the first two or three readings as I would still be quite stressed doing those. After a little while though I became slightly calmer and more assured of my readings to the point now where I am not too concerned about my BP.

However my lack of interest in my BP was only because I then flipped over to obsess about my blood glucose levels and now I am morbidly worried about my heart...!!!

BTW - When I was a bit freaked about my blood sugar levels I bought another monitoring kit and 50 testing sticks. You would be surprised at how many times in a day you can punch holes in your finger to test your blood sugar..!!! It even hurt me to type a little due to the amount of tests I was doing and having sore fingers :D

After that I have sworn not to buy any more testing kits and also promised my wife I will not open the prostrate ones.!!!!! (I can laugh a little at myself now but it was, and to a small degree still is, a very very real issue for me at the time and most worrying)

If you have had readings as you have written I would not worry at all and certainly not equate your bodily warmth with that of your blood pressure. Stress can deplete your body and thus make you feel the cold.

[looking4answers]

Lol...you remind me so much of me.... wow a prostate one??? lol.. blood glucose ? Holy cow lol Freak out...to tell youthe truth I dont think I want to know blood glucose ...Im sure it would be all crazy also I know for a fact I heve enlarged prostate . Im 56 and some guys got it long before me but I do have all the classic symptoms so..what can you do? I do worry about my heart but not surewhy I do other than the fact that I can hearit in my ears when my ears are stopped up and it doesntbsound right. Oh by he way the samething happened there and the doctor told me I had a murmur then the last time I saw her told me no murmur... This woman must have beenout to get me he whole time we lived there. I was never told I had a murmur and the last time I saw her she also gave me an extended ekg and said ,if you still had a murmur I was goingto send you for an echo but you dont...Man this woman was anxieties best friend she caused me unbelievable unnessary anxirty and worry. Frankly I should have sued her for the trauma she gave me that I dont even want to go the dr... but guess I just have to get over it. My wife keeps telling me that there is nothing wrong with me and it sounds like your wife also tries to keep youin check. I do hear a gallop sound in my heart when im hearing it in my ears but when I listen with a stehoscope it sounds like a normal heartbeat so I guess we ll have our obcessions. By the way I apologise for the mispellings . Im using a ipad and its hard to get used to and you camt scroll back to fix your spelling and if you arent paying close attention to everyword it runs together or misspells

[Dibbler]

Well I'm 50 yeas old and to be frank I HAVE to start rationalising things through a little more than I do. I am hoping that I can learn to accept that if I am still alive at 50 then, on balance, something must be working as it should. I have got to start looking forward to enjoying my life rather than endure it.
For me a pivotal moment was when my wife was diagnosed last year with an aggressive form of fast growing cancer. Even with the surgery and chemo etc etc etc she is still very bright and totally optimistic. Goodness knows where she finds her strength and sometimes I feel a little humbled as I continue to stress through life as I do.

Sometimes an off the cuff remark from a doctor is enough for me to go right into panic mode and I really make sure now that when I see a doctor or specialist to be a little more open about my anxiety issues and make sure that they are respectful of that when they are talking with me.

Last night I continued to obsess about the sound of my heart beat that I heard through my left ear and as much as I tried to distract myself I was sure it was not "right". I flipped over in bed to then find I felt it beating somewhere else. I then got my headset on and started to listen to my audio book as at least that drowned out the beat of my heart.

My ECG's have been fine and so have my blood tests. The head cardiologist of the hospital tested and examined me when I felt my heart was flipping all over the place (I was sure he was going to admit me for some major surgery or a transplant) and yet he confounded me after monitoring it on his own ECG by saying that it was perfectly normal.!

What a life eh :D

Don't apologise for your spelling as I rarely notice those sort of things.

You must try and listen to your wife a little more, as I must also do :)

BTW My wife finally confiscated my blood glucose testing kit as I was kinda sore and she totally objected to me sticking the needle in her finger to test hers.
So NO more self test kits for me.!

[looking4answers]

Wow...im so glad to have someone almost as old as I doing the samethings.... You must be a comic or have the ability to be one. You have made me laugh several times today and thats a very good thing to do. Im sorry your wife is having heath problems an we have also had our share of them . My daughter at age 15 had terminal cancer and with three years of radical new treatment she has been in remission for 14 years and doing well. This all happened about the time my wife got terminal cancer. They did a operation in her and sent her home with two months to live. She went back to he dr for a checkup and hey said oops we cant find it. Since that time get got a little again but had it removed about five years ago and as far as we know doing ok. Three of her aunts had breast cancer and had both the breast remove and are in their 80's and 90's still going.I too o through phases of worryng about my heart or this feeling or that but I usually ind the things im feeling or worried about are probally pretty normal and not fatal...

Thy must be,because everything I feel,I can find at least a thousand other people tht have had all the test and found nothing then I feel good about it. I had one cardiologist to tell me that the heart is a wonderful organ with back up systems and wys of compensating for other body issues. He also said so mny worry about their hearts that should because usually when people die of heart failure there is another problem in the body that cused it and not the heart,yet they say that person died of heart attack when in fact it wasnt the hearts fault but some other issue in the body. He said the heart gets a bad rep because of it,when in fact its not to blame....so I have spoken to several cardiologist too and well I shouldnt worry but I do. Thanks for posting to me today. It sure has md me feel alot better nd even made me laugh...thank you so very much for that.

[looking4answers]

Yeah ,on the spelling....I used to tell people I spoke fluent typo... I need to get off this stupid ipad and back to a real computer

[Dibbler]

If I have succeeded in bring a bit of humour to the otherwise very stressful situation then that has got to be a good thing :) I am glad that you appreciated that, thanks.

Of course I am truly sorry for the terrible events that you have had to experience in your life but ever so pleased of the positive outcome. I am sure that you must draw strength from that.

Best of luck with what you are experiencing and I hope that you start to feel better soon and can overcome this period of anxiety.

Take care.

PS - There is nothing wrong with the iPad, it has helped to make Steve Jobs the man that he is today :D

[pb]

I have in the past checked my blood glucose levels so much that ive had sore fingers.
Its horrid jumping from one obsession to another, and mixed in with this is some real health problems!
I saw my gp yesterday but have never managed to confide about my health anxiety. Its really bad at the moment. I think made worse by my real concerns ( fissure and reflux).