Health anxiety and high blood pressure, absolutely terrified

[AbsentmindedWoman]

Having very high anxiety since yesterday, when my doctor checked my blood pressure and it was really high at 152/89.

I AM SO SCARED. I just feel like absolute shit my type 1 diabetes is the best it has ever been, I've started thyroid medicine which has been making me feel better and more energised but now something else is wrong and I'm completely out of my depth.

Keep thinking I'm going to keel over and have a stroke leading to horrific brain damage or death, or that it will be fast tracking the damage to my eyes. Then I get upset and convince myself I have a very slight constant headache and something is about to explode in my brain.

I'm really struggling since yesterday - I have had major health anxiety in the past and finally learned to deal with it quite successfully (generally pretty ok now) but this is out of the blue and has totally fucked me up. I've always had good blood pressure until now.

I drank coffee in the doctor's waiting room, which she said wouldn't make a difference, but the internet says sometimes it can?

Have taken a beta blocker for anxiety but fucking hell I am so scared right now

I got one from Lloyd's chemist a few years ago (was only about £20) and was worried it wasn't accurate so I took it to the doctor when I next went and they did my blood pressure with mine on one arm and theirs on the other. Turns out it was very accurate.

That's not that much of a high reading really. I mean, it is high but it's not "drop down dead any second" high.

I have no health conditions, am not massively overweight (size 16), fairly active, don't take much salt at all and I cook from fresh and try to stick to healthier options. And yet a year or two ago I completely freaked out the Local GP surgery nurse who thought I was going to keel over any second because my BP was over 220/140 (I can't recall the exact numbers but know they were over that). It's had zero effect on me. I had to see hospital consultants, had scans and X-ray, did 24hr urine tests and everything. No known cause. And no side effects. It has no impact on my life at all. I'm not dizzy, my ticker is fine and my Kidneys are happy. I now take a BP tablet each day and I bought my own BP tester machine but that's it.

Don't worry. You'll stress yourself out more.