blood pressure

[ripper1]

I am a classic white coat fever patient. I am 62 years old and have read articles about BP readings of around 150/90 are acceptable for people over 60. However when I go to a doctor's office it is sky high. I am doing an average for the week before my doctor's appointment and finding I am getting borderline measurements. However this morning after a party with neighbors and a few martinis my average of 3 measurements were like 112/72. I don't know if I am completely relaxed or what. Maybe I should drink the night before dr. appt....lol

 

[Jerry1]

Maybe I should drink the night before dr. appt....lol

That may not be the best plan, but do what works

What I would do is take you BP monitor the the Dr with you and see if the readings are consistent. Basically calibrate your monitor.

Also, I thought 140/80 was the upper end for people over 50.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

This is the same for me. I have had HBP for 30 years (Medicated). When I am at home my pressure with meds is ~110/70. In the docs office it is rarely below 150/90. I take my BP daily and have done for 30 years. My Meter is fine and I did take it a few times with me over the years.

My Med doses have gone up over the years and are now double what they were 15 years ago.

A few bevvies will reduce BP for a few hours but it will increase the next day. My docs says 2 Fingers a day are fine.

 

[MRG]

Diet and exercise are l general rules for BP control. I'm not sure alcohol is the right treatment for hypertension.[emoji4] At least no doctor has ever suggested that I drink more to decrease my BP.

I'd recheck your 150/90 guideline, think it's much, much lower today. Think 130/80 is now high. See the attachment.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180416124319.htm

 

[Lsbcal]

I would go with an average of many readings at different times of the day. Wait an hour after eating (or sleeping) and be quietly seated for 10 minutes before taking the reading.



Use good BP measurement practice. I don't have a link handy but it should be easy to find.

 

[Chuckanut]

FWIW, when the nurse takes my BP, I close my eyes, think of a pleasant place to be in nature, and do my Yoga Belly Breathing. YBB is just fousing on breathing, filling the belly first, slowly in, slowly out. This seems to clear my mind of various annoying thoughts. It also helps when I can't sleep at night due to junk thoughts banging around in my tiny brain.

 

[audreyh1]

FWIW, when the nurse takes my BP, I close my eyes, think of a pleasant place to be in nature, and do my Yoga Belly Breathing. YBB is just fousing on breathing, filling the belly first, slowly in, slowly out. This seems to clear my mind of various annoying thoughts. It also helps when I can't sleep at night due to junk thoughts banging around in my tiny brain.

That's a good idea - about getting rid of junk thoughts by Yoga belly breathing.

I try to relax at the doctors office, and even try to think of something funny while I am being measured, but since I am usually waiting for a while, and then rushed in, heart rate often jumps and BP is unpredictable.

Where as at home I am rarely above 110/70 - like maybe 111, LOL!

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

I recently had surgery on my neck (benign lump removed). I have hypertension, mostly usually controlled by medication. When they measured my BP before surgery, it was screaming (180/110). I had had BBQ the night before (restaurant), which is maybe why it was elevated plus the 2+ hour extra wait for the delayed surgery. They decided to proceed anyway, and I guess it came down after they juiced me up.

After the procedure was done, in recovery, my BP was normal. The monitor did go off a couple times due to my heart rate (48), but that is about my normal (just out of sleep) heart rate these days. It is so annoying to be in "excellent" shape aerobically (for my age, Vo2 max 52-56) yet be plagued with hypertension and to have to watch my sodium and alcohol intake constantly.

 

[audreyh1]

My BP always goes way up before a procedure (plus my heart rate goes up). I can’t help it.

 

[OldShooter]

The point of BP measurement is to know what it averages, not to get a one-time good measurement that is deliberately distorted by something you have drunk or eaten.

it sounds like you have a home machine. Keep logging your BP together with time and notes on what you have eaten or drunk. Take the notes to your Dr. together with the home machine so it can be checked for accuracy. If necessary, buy a better machine. (Mine is an inexpensive Omron from a Wally World or Target; Omron is also the manufacturer of the ones in the Dr. office. Its calibration checks just fine.)

 

[Crabby Mike]

I just learned this year that you're not supposed to cross your legs when taking BP readings. (Results in a higher reading.) Suspect I've probably been doing that all my life.

 

[Rianne]

BP changes so much in a day. After a cup of strong coffee, when at the doctors office, it typically goes up, especially if getting test result. Exercise very important. I read one should take it several times a day after different activities.

I took my BP machine into the DR office and it was very close. I take 2 readings at a time. Some people can bring their BP down at will. I can actually do that. I focus on relaxation, on peaceful thoughts. It comes down quickly.

I have PKD and do not have to take BP meds. Kidney health depends so much on BP.

 

[MRG]

I just learned this year that you're not supposed to cross your legs when taking BP readings. (Results in a higher reading.) Suspect I've probably been doing that all my life.

Technique is important. The attachment goes through the process. I'd been taught to wait 5 minutes between readings.

The other thing about BP is your hydration. We went out on a hike a few weeks ago and I allowed myself to become dehydrated. We turned around because I wasn't feeling well. A couple of hours later my BP was 160/100. It stayed high for two days, despite me taking 25mg extra metaprolol each day. Now I'm averaging 120/70.


https://www.heart.org/en/health-top...adings/monitoring-your-blood-pressure-at-home

 

[LOL!]

My wife took me to the ER the other week. Unrelated to my emergency, my BP was 120/60 and my pulse was 48 to 52. She was pissed because she has high blood pressure and I clearly do not have white coat syndrome at all.

There are many things that can temporarily depress your blood pressure, so I would not want to try to game the system just to imagine that I didn't need medication to lower my blood pressure. I think too many people worry about things that raise their blood pressure temporarily and just blame high readings as temporary when they really are not.

I'll give another example: My wife was mad that her BP was always higher than mine and she blamed the BP monitor that we have at home. So she went and bought another one. Guess what? The new monitor and the old one give the same readings, so she stopped using both of them.

 

[Amethyst]

I could get annoyed with my husband because we eat the exact.same. food. and work out the same # of hours, but his non-medicated total cholesterol is 166 while mine is 230. But I'm actually grateful that at least one of us isn't headed for statins. You can't change your DNA.

My wife took me to the ER the other week. Unrelated to my emergency, my BP was 120/60 and my pulse was 48 to 52. She was pissed because she has high blood pressure and I clearly do not have white coat syndrome at all.

.

 

[Bir48die]

A number of months ago I was at home when I realized I forgot about my doctor's appointment. I jump in the car and race through traffic to get there close to my appointment time. Tell the nurse not to take my blood pressure due to my high stress level. She does anyway and gets 170/90. Now it's permanently in my record but luckily I have several in the system after that with lower readings.

 

[Alvin Tostig]

Not that long ago I went to my doctor and then nurse first tells me to get on the scale. I never do this at home because I'm sure I won't like the number. Anyway, the result surprised and upset me - It was about 7-8 pounds higher than I thought, which puts me at about 20 pounds more than I would like to be.


Then she immediately takes my blood pressure! Now that was way too high. I told her of course - if you did the BP test before the scale, I'd be fine.


When the doctor came in and finished his exam - we both discussed the high BP - so he took it again. This was probably 20 minutes later. It was back down to the normal range!

 

[Alan]

DW had an appointment at a hospital this morning for some measurements to be taken prior to cataract surgery and the nurse took her weight and BP, which was 160/90. She told the nurse that is never anywhere as high as that when taken with a much smaller cuff that fits better. (DW is small with thin arms). The nurse didn’t seem to think it was a problem for now, but it is a reminder that cuff size is important for those outside the average arm circumference.

 

[googily]

You guys made me pull out my Omron. I was diagnosed with HBP a decade ago when I weighed 70 lbs more than I do now. I just take a daily diuretic which is as much for an ear problem (Meniere's) as it is for my BP.

It was hanging in the 130/85 range in the past few years, during an undeniably stressful time. I'm now down 30 lbs since November, and have started biking again, and my reading just now was 102/70. I think I'll start measuring it daily again!

My doctor made me lay down a few times in taking it last year. I don't have white coat syndrome per se, but the first try in the office can sometimes be elevated.

 

[Amethyst]

I would have gone into shock, which I think lowers BP!

Not that long ago I went to my doctor and then nurse first tells me to get on the scale. I never do this at home because I'm sure I won't like the number. Anyway, the result surprised and upset me - It was about 7-8 pounds higher than I thought, which puts me at about 20 pounds more than I would like to be.

!

 

[harley]

FWIW, when the nurse takes my BP, I close my eyes, think of a pleasant place to be in nature, and do my Yoga Belly Breathing. YBB is just fousing on breathing, filling the belly first, slowly in, slowly out. This seems to clear my mind of various annoying thoughts. It also helps when I can't sleep at night due to junk thoughts banging around in my tiny brain.

I do something similar, picturing sitting on the sofa with my pug lying in my lap snoring. It's a very relaxing visualization. Sometimes it's hard, though, as there are always people bustling around and the nurse is talking to you and such.

Technique is important. The attachment goes through the process. I'd been taught to wait 5 minutes between readings.

I agree, and it's rare to find a medical person who uses a decent technique. I don't think I've ever had them put my arm level with my heart, it's always down on the arm of the chair. I used to have my legs crossed sometimes, but they at least told me not to do that.

I'm not sure how much of a difference any of the above makes, though. I would guess it might make a few to 10 points difference, but probably not enough to raise or lower you into a different category. But I don't know for sure.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Talking raises your BP too.

 

[harley]

How do they figure this stuff out? I never get the exact same BP reading even 5 minutes apart. How do they know if any of these activities actually raise/lower BP vs. just standard deviation? Or do they effect it so significantly that it's actually measurable? If so, they should say something like "talking will raise your BP 1-5 pts, meditation will lower your BP 5-8 pts, etc." Then if you can see that something is helpful/harmful in a significant degree you can do the right thing.

 

[Alan]

Talking raises your BP too.

Last year, after a fainting incident, I was at the doctors and while he was taking my BP he told me to stop talking

 

[Nightcap]

113/59 this morning. Was ridiculously low last time I was at the Dr.’s office - 88/58. Nurse said she’d take it again with another cuff, but never did. Fortunately, I take my own daily, and am usually around what it was this morning.