worried about my fluctuating Blood pressure !!
Posted , 5 users are following.
Hello everyone !!
I am so worried because my bp is fluctuating within seconds!! I am new with hypertension, it started about three months ago and i am only 37. I always had 110/70. But during May' this year i was so stressed due to some family issues that my bp went high. Since then it stayed 130/90 most of the days and some days it showed 120/80. Yeaterday it went up to 140/100 and in few minutesof rest It went down to 130/90. Later i checked in a different pharmacy in about 7-8 mintues and it showed 120/80. I was so confused and the lady in the pharmacy asked me to come back and check again. After two hours went back and checked again, it showed 122/80. Lets talk about today , my bp was 130/90 in both hands later i went to the different pharmacy just to cross check and it showed 130/90 in left hand and 120/90 in another and in seconds it fluctuated to 150/100. I was scared with the numbers !! I asked that lady to check again after few minutes of rest and the number dropped in 120/90. I was stressed a lot. later way back home i saw another pharmacy and i wished to check again, it came out 110/80, the man checked twice and it came out same . The numbers were up and down within half hour!! I am so worried dont want to get into meds so i am walking for and hr in the morning, reduced the salt i take, i try to stay happy all day, eat healthy i amnot overweight, generally i am active lady but i am still unable to drop the numbers permanently !! Stressed out so much ! Any suggestions??
1 like, 31 replies
lily65668 sangK
Posted
What you're describing is perfectly normal. Everyone's BP fluctuates throughout the day and often from second to second. That's how the body is designed to function. If you continue to worry about your health like this it really will push your BP up to dangerous levels!
Get a home monitor and take your BP a couple of times a week. They don't cost very much, especially if you get the kind without too many "frills". The usual recommendation is to take three readings at a time, with a few minutes in between, then take an average. You'll find quite a big variation even between the three consecutive readings.
If you keep a note of your twice-weekly readings you'll be able to see whether or not your BP is really rising over time. You might also be able to spot what kind of stressful situations make it go up.
john_1939 sangK
Posted
Best of luck, remember STRESS will kill more people than controlled BP.
lily65668 john_1939
Posted
Well yeeees... but the plaster (bandaid for US readers) doesn't leave you with potential side-effects that risk affecting your general health.
Obviously if someone has seriously high BP, the risk of leaving it untreated far outweighs the potential risk of side-effects, particularly in a younger person. I certainly wouldn't deny that.
However, the figures sangK is quoting don't really indicate anything other than the high side of normal, with the exception of the two readings giving a diastolic of 100. Still, two high-ish readings like this don't necessarily indicate that the person is suffering from hypertension. There can be all sorts of reasons for the occasional spike, ranging from anxiety to temporary equipment failure or operator error. The latter is particularly true if using the kind of cuff where the dot has to be placed over the brachial artery. I have one of these, and it occasionally throws up some very weird readings (in both directions) if I get it a couple of centimetres off.
That's why I'd advise sangK to get a reliable BP monitor (and calibrate it with a pharmacist). But I'd repeat that she/he should only take a triple reading a couple of times a week, to avoid focussing unduly on what probably isn't a problem at all. And yes - henpen is right - sangK should definitely stop running around from one pharmacy to another getting BP readings. I can't imagine anything more stressful, and more likely to drive up one's BP!
henpen1980 lily65668
Posted
The goal for everyone should be below 139/89 (John Hopkins Research)...now if you feel guilty about something that you think you are trying to hide from everyone and you bp is bouncing... well...you'll need to fess up to someone who can make you feel better emotionally. Otherwise...calm down. Stop perseverating on bp. Ask the pharmacist for suggestions. You will be okay!!
derek76 henpen1980
Posted
How old is that research figure?
Standard advice now:
Normal blood pressure is a systolic pressure of less than 120 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and a diastolic pressure of less than 80 mm Hg, or 120/80 mm Hg, according to the American Heart Association (AHA)."
Back in my grandmothers day it was 100 plus your age for systolic.
For diabetics the figure is lower.
"
henpen1980 derek76
Posted
derek76 henpen1980
Posted
lily65668 derek76
Posted
Derek, I think it depends on where you are in the world, how old you are, and who your doctor is. My GP accepts my BP, which currently averages out in the range of 130/85-140/90, with an occasional spike above that. He feels it needs watching (six-monthly appointments) but that given my age (73), my healthy lifestyle, my generally good state of health and my excellent atherogenic index, we can wait and see what happens before jumping to medication.
I do, however, realise that the atherogenic index isn't normally measured in the UK, where (disgracefully in my opinion) cholesterol readings aren't broken down into HDL and LDL. This has been confirmed to me by an old UK nursing colleague who worked in a GP's surgery until her recent retirement. In continental Europe, where cholesterol measurements are always broken out into HDL and LDL, the atherogenic index is considered to be a reliable indicator of cardiovascular risk.
derek76 lily65668
Posted
140/90 is regarded as stage 1 hypertension.
https://patient.info/doctor/hypertension
I have labile BP with very high spikes at times that soon drops so any medication tends to reduce it too much. The Hypertension Centre say that I am not truly hypertensive.
lily65668 derek76
Posted
Not denying that most sources see it that way, Derek. Just saying that some doctors take a different view of what is acceptable for individual patients, taking other factors into consideration. Also, that's a UK site and different countries have differing views. The bottom line is: no need for anyone to get in a panic about their BP just based on what is regarded as "normal" or "standard".
On the other hand, anyone who's recording, for example, 180/120 - even as a spike - needs to take that seriously. We just don't need to sweat the small stuff as long as we and our doctors are happy with our general health.
henpen1980 lily65668
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lily65668
Posted
Goodness, you can tell it's Sunday, can't you?
Just look at the length of this thread! It's raining cats and dogs here too, which makes me even more likely to stayed glued to my computer!
henpen1980 lily65668
Posted
lily65668 henpen1980
Posted
You poor love - two major ops in five months! And you're being so cheerful too. My "excuse" for taking it easy is that I'm up for the night shift (crisis line) tonight - but that's not nearly as valid as yours. I wish you a good recovery.
derek76 lily65668
Posted
I've had 210/110 quite often over the past 16 years and higher on ocasion. I'm often wrongly told after monitoring that it is the average that counts
Doctors want lower figures for diabetic patients. Often levels that only over medicating would achieve.
UK and US sites are in agreement on levels.