This sounds such a silly question, but I have spiralling anxiety about this! I’m posting in chat so hopefully more people see it.
I have high blood pressure and am monitoring it at home, but there are some things I don’t understand:
- I have a form to fill in. It says to take it at least three times until it starts to level off, which is the same as they do in clinic, then record / submit the lowest reading. But yesterday a different HCA told me to just do it twice and take the average, so as not to miss the higher numbers. Now I don’t know what to do!
- To do it, I have to sit at the table and not speak and think calm thoughts etc, until it comes down after a couple of readings. But this isn’t representative of real life when I’m moving, talking and stressed, so isn’t this number fairly false in terms of the pressure most of the day? Surely if I had the ambulatory one, it would show much higher readings while I’m getting on with normal life?
I started on 5mg of Ramipril, and after sharing the concerns above, it has been put up to 7.5. This seems a lot though, when my blood pressure was only ‘borderline’ to begin with?
Thank you if anyone read this! I feel better for writing it down!