Blood pressure

[Kathy54]

Gee, I just had my pressure done yesterday, and it's up to what it was before, I was quite stunned, as I felt for sure it was in the same range it had been for awhile 130/80 Now it's 155/84

I guess I should go see the Doc.
Just thought I'd see what anyone here had to say about it.

Thanks Kathy

[Lisa N]

Kathy...

One high reading isn't necessarily cause to panic; blood pressure goes up and down all the time for various reasons. If you took it several times during the day you probably wouldn't get the same reading twice. If you're concerned, you might want to purchase a home blood pressure monitor and check it once a day and record the readings to show your doctor. A couple of weeks of readings give a much better picture than one single reading.
Another thing to consider would be a sensitivity to arachidonic acid which is found in egg yolks and red meat which could be causing your blood pressure to go up. Water retention would also be another possibility.

[cheezpup]

I got a monitor when I was pregnant to keep track of my blood pressure at home. If you got a high reading at the doc's, don't worry. I often get higher readings at the doc than at home. It's a common thing actually, patients tend to have higher readings within the first 15 minutes of being with the doctor, even if they don't report being nervous about their visit. Studies have shown that blood pressure usually goes down within 15-20 minutes, so next time you might ask them to take the reading again at the end of your visit.

I would have to disagree though about getting varied readings at home. At least in my experience, my blood pressure is very stable. Perhaps that's unusual, but I doubt it. I've done multiple readings in a day many times, and they've always been the same.

[kjturner]

I have a hard time fending off my doc wanting to add more and scarier BP meds because it's always very very high when he takes it, but I monitor my BP very closely--I measure at home and at the office (I have a finger cuff monitor on my desk). My BP is high, but not as high as what I get at his office....

[Kathy54]

Thanks, I'll start doing some checks through out the same day . I checked it again yesterday 147/84. I also don't have a lot of faith inthe drug store set up ones, I thing they go on the high side and are set for a lot high bp (than I am ).

Mom was thinking of getting one, maybe we'll share.

Geez, I hope it's not eh eggs................


Kathy

[Skinny Jim]

Kathy:
I too have high blood pressure readings at my doctor's office and I have high readings at those machines in the grocery store. Get a home kit and take readings throughout the day and record them for your doctor. The automatic digital ones are great and convenient, though a little pricey. Remember that blood pressure can fluctuate 10-30 points in a short period of time depending on the time of day and your mood.

And I don't think eggs cause hypertension, unless they are those Cadberry chocolate eggs. Yikes!

[Kathy54]

Well, I've had the orders to get back on my water pills, pronto :exclm:

Blood pressure is way too high, I really had hoped that after 7 weeks, I'd see it go down, no luck, so one more pill to count out every morning, Darn :mad:
Cheers Kathy

[kjturner]

FYI...the thiazide diuretics raise blood sugar. On me they raised it on average 30 mg/dl or higher. I tossed them in the trash.

[Lisa N]

...I just read this on another site. If you use the grocery store blood pressure machines they are accurate, but even more so if you take 3 successive readings and use the last one.
They also suggested that you not smoke, eat, drink or excercise for a mimimum of 30 minutes before having your blood pressure checked because all of those things can temporarily raise your blood pressure.
Blood pressure can change drastically in a short period of time. I'll give you an example: on my honeymoon, I cut my hand bad enough for a trip to the med center. The intake nurse checked my blood pressure after a 45 minute trip sitting quietly in the car and it was a little high (130/86). Once in the examining room, the nurse pulled out the suture tray (yikes!) and then decided to check my blood pressure again...180/110 :eek:
Doc decided that I didn't need stiches (phew!) and checked my blood pressure one more time before I left...124/76. 3 readings within an hour that were drastically different from one another. Now, that second reading could have been a mistake on the part of the nurse, but I know for a fact that stress (or anxiety in my case) will raise your blood pressure.
One more thing to consider, especially if you are a large person. Make sure that they are using the right size cuff for your arm size. If they try to use a cuff that is too small, it will give a reading that is higher than if they used the proper size cuff.

[Fantasia]

I was very concerned before starting Atkin's as my BP was creeping steadily into the danger ranges, 189-190/85-90's.

Hence, I have been checking it faithfully, (I happen to work in a hospital so I have easy access), and my pressure has dropped enormously, 124/65. :D

Some points:

If they call you back, weigh you, and then seat you and immediately take your BP, it is going to be higher just from the walking/being a bit nervous, etc.

If they walk you back weigh you and then take you to a room, seat you and come in 15-20 mins later, you will get a profound difference in readings.

I also prefer manual bp to machines. Machine BP: 145/84 manual BP 30 seconds later 127/72.

Pain increases BP. The worse the pain, the higher the BP.

Coffee/caffiene and smoking increase BP.

Anger and frustration increase BP. Never take BP after a disagreement/argument.

BP is sometimes different in each arm. If you find a large difference from left to right, report it to your doctor.

Don't take your BP twice on the same arm close together. Once the BP is taken on one side, your vessels won't respond the same way again for a while.

[S_Hysmith]

I was recently allowed to reduce the BP meds I'm taking back to just the diuretic. I'm hoping to toss that one by the end of the year.

One thing I've found after looking into it for a bit, is that the self-test machines in the grocery store/drug store is not guaranteed to be accurate. It depends on how often the machines are calibrated (once a month at minimum to be trustworthy). If it was purchased by the store owner and then left to sit without regular maintenance the pump and bladder it uses gets out of alignment and the readings can be off by as much as 20-30 points.

There is also some discussion over clothed/not clothed for the arm cuffs in the self-test machines (most manufacturers say it doesn't matter).

I guess the point of all this is that it comes back to the sphyg cuff in your doctor's office is very probably the most reliable measure; but if you can find a self-test machine that has a good service history and is regularly recalibrated, then compare it to your doctor's on the same day, then stick with that one for ongoing measurement.