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how to stop worrying over bp

Posted , 8 users are following.

helen_07568
helen_07568

Has anyone got over the anxiety of taking blood pressure at home or the docs?

0 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • RHGB
    RHGB helen_07568

    Posted

    I hate having my BP taken, because A) I hate it when the thing squeezes your ar m had, just a sensation I don't like. B) I hate waiting around in surgeries/hospitals, because my brain goes into overtime thinking about it.

    Get a BP machine, decent ones are cheap these days, ask what your GP uses so it would be a like for like comparison and do your BP when relaxed in the comfort of your own home.

    • helen_07568
      helen_07568 RHGB

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply   I will buy an omron one I think... do you have a one at home? yes it is amatter of slowing the mind down ...

      cryrolleyes these little icons are me over bp

    • RHGB
      RHGB helen_07568

      Posted

      Yes, my GP kept nagging me. I had/have a problem with alcohol which increases BP and about 18 months ago I had a massive stroke, bleed on the brain caused by high BP, so I'm on two different meds for BP alone, as well as the others.

      The funny thing was, they used to come and do obs (observations every four hours) BP, heart rate and temp. Not only did they do it at 10:00pm at night and 6:00am in the morning, but they used to wake you at 2:00am to do it as well, which drove me mad.

      I got so good at controlling it, that I used to play silly games with them. I would go into a really calm mood (it was quite a surreal experience anyway) and imagine it was a lovely summers day and I was walking my dog through the meadow.

      I managed to get it down to 75/50, they had an absolute flip, a manager came to see me in the morning, I remember definitely mananger, she didn't say she was a doctor or a nurse or consultant, and asked me what was was up and when I told her, she gave me a bollocking, to which I said, you keep waking me up from a deep sleep at 2:00am and I'll keep playing silly buggers.

    • helen_07568
      helen_07568 RHGB

      Posted

      75/50   you must have been over medicated do you  think   they say shoul.nt be below 100 on top lol

       

    • derek76
      derek76 helen_07568

      Posted

      I bought the top of the range Omron a couple of years ago but there is a better cheaper one now reccommemend by NICE the Microlife WatchBP home monitor that also indicates AF. 
  • Leighites
    Leighites helen_07568

    Posted

    I suffer with anxiety and am dreadful at doc surgery. By having my own BP monitor I find that after first day of readings, I calm down for next few days readings. In fact my GP asks me to take 7 days of readings twice daily and to disregard the first day! So that works for me luckily. (A few years ago I was having my BP done at the surgery which ended up with me being wheeled out on a bed for an ECG as had a panic attack!) All a learning curve! I have an Omron with upper arm cuff. Not cheap but reliable.
  • lyn1951
    lyn1951 helen_07568

    Posted

    My husband has heart failure, and developed severe anxiety issues.

    When Dr does his BP always high, we have recently changed Dr's and he is a great Dr with a gentle and naughty sense of humour which helps.

    I still have Omron machine at home, that i use in the run up to appt, I record his reading in a little book I have, and if I think he's in trouble, couple of times I have headed off a real crisis, when his reading have been off the normal range, Dr's at the hospital have photocopied pages of my book for their own records.

    • lyn1951
      lyn1951

      Posted

      Helen - Doctor has written in my little exercise book where my husbands blood pressure should be, and how much I am allowed it to go each side of that reading before I panic, also what his heatbeat should be, and again how much either side of that he shoud go before I panic. 

      You should see the junior staff at the emergency department at the hospital panic, when I pass them the book of what his blood pressure reading are, the first thing they say, is that cannot be normal, Its not normal, its not meant to be normal, but they still put him on their machines, and usually, my little Omron machine is not far off their big fancy machine, beeping with each heartbeat at 43, apparently normal bottom range on those machines is 50.

      Once they calm down and listen to what I have to say, they get the story of what is going on, and what medications my husband is on to keep his heatbeat slow, and his blood pressure low.

  • Sunny_N
    Sunny_N helen_07568

    Posted

    Hi Helen.

    I suffered from anxiety and had high blood pressure at the doctor'sclinic. Then I realized that I had no hypertension but anxiety. It was all about White coat Hypertension.  https://patient.info/health/home-and-ambulatory-blood-pressure-recording

    Measuring blood pressure at home is the best.

    Emis Moderator comment: I have replaced the given link with a link to the equivalent article on our site.

    • helen_07568
      helen_07568 Sunny_N

      Posted

      Thanks Sunny N     yes  it mostly is  white coat and nerves of getting a high reading   so you are not on meds then??  thanks for your link ....
  • hails63112
    hails63112 helen_07568

    Posted

    Hi Helen, understand completely how you feel, i developed severe phobia of bp and couldn't go near a machine for 2 yrs, I am on bp meds but my anxiety takes over, I get a reading of 130/90 then it's 180/119! It's awful, now having phobia councelling and managed to get a reading of 140/90 , I am going to keep exposing myself to get over. This horrible weihjt
  • lyn1951
    lyn1951 helen_07568

    Posted

    Hails - Do you have your own BP machine.

    Secondly, do you understand how it works, when it takes your blood pressure.

    All very well me saying all of this, I too have a nasty phobia of dentists.

    I was tied down as a child, and even with counselling, have struggled to get past the full blown phobia.

    Can even sit in with a dentist and pass the instuments, and watch him treat somebody esle, but if he/she looks at me I go into a full scale panic.

    GP Dr working with dentist have worked out that if i take 15mg of Valium 30 minutes before the appointment, makes me drunk/wobbly, I can doo the appointment, even so, exhausted afterwards, hate to think just how high my blood pressure would be.

     

  • lyn1951
    lyn1951 helen_07568

    Posted

    Hails - Do you have your own BP machine.

    Secondly, do you understand how it works, when it takes your blood pressure.

    All very well me saying all of this, I too have a nasty phobia of dentists.

    I was tied down as a child, and even with counselling, have struggled to get past the full blown phobia.

    Can even sit in with a dentist and pass the instuments, and watch him treat somebody esle, but if he/she looks at me I go into a full scale panic.

    GP Dr working with dentist have worked out that if i take 15mg of Valium 30 minutes before the appointment, makes me drunk/wobbly, I can doo the appointment, even so, exhausted afterwards, hate to think just how high my blood pressure would be.

     

    • hails63112
      hails63112 lyn1951

      Posted

      Thanks Lynn 51

      Yes I have my own machine and know how it works, I had a terrible experience at GPs of hypertensive crisis and that left me with a phobia, I have egnored it as long as I can but have to do it now, I started just having it on the side and then putting on my arm, then I can blow it up, I still panic and shake and my heart is on the 90s but I am going to concur this phobia with constant exposure. Good luck at the dentist

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