AIBU to ask for regular blood pressure checks at my GP surgery

[mabelinthegable]

I've suspected my blood pressure was high for over a year now.

I bought a home monitor (because it's ALWAYS "sorry, emergency appointments only" when I ring my GP surgery). Checking my BP seems to give me wildly varying results, some very high and some normal despite me following the same procedure every time. I've tried to get an appointment to discuss this but to no avail, just told by receptionists to keep monitoring it at home.

I finally managed to book an appointment as I was deemed to need blood tests for something else and whilst I was there a nurse took my blood pressure several times and informed me that the average readings were 195/115 which I was told is dangerous as far as risk of stroke etc is concerned. She insisted that I see a GP there and then (which somewhat makes a mockery of the "sorry, we can ony see emergencies" parroted by the receptionists)

I've been prescribed medication to try and lower it and told to monitor it myself at home. Back at home though I continue to get wildly varying readings and really can't afford to buy another monitor, especially as now I have to pay for medication too.

Is it asking too much to ask to be able to get it checked by a HCP at the GP surgery once a week ? The nurse was concerned enough to refer me to see a GP immediately but then they're not concerned enough to keep checking me as regularly as they say I need it checking.

Suggest your surgery gets a machine where you can take it yourself very useful.

Pharmacies do not check blood pressure for patients with diagnosed hypertension. They have a ridiculous workload as it is!
The NHS hypertension service is to identify patients over 40 that don't know they have high blood pressure and is an additional service available in some pharmacies.
BP is variable depending on your activity level, time of day and what food/drinks you have consumed. Could you ask to borrow a friend's and see what your readings are on their machines?

I did not say I wanted/needed to see a GP, just some sort of HCP who is trained/experienced in taking accurate BP readings.

I have the BHF approved BP monitor.

Any "lifestyle measures that I put in place to help myself" won't, as far as I can see, provide any re-assurance that I'm getting accurate readings.
I can't cure my teen's mental health problems nor my elderly parents health problems (Dad is unlikely to make it to Chrstmas). Nor can I take any steps to stop my husband being an abusive arse throughout the divorce process.
I can't cut down my work hours as husband is refusing to work at the moment as payback for me going ahead with the divorce. I do work in a stressful environment but we'll lose the house if I don't and frankly that's a very stressful thought in itself.
I have lost almost a stone due to the stress of that stuff though which means I am no longer slightly overweight. I eat a healthy diet (as discussed with the GP). I have never smoked and rarely drink alcohol.

I repeat, I have no need/desire to see a GP weekly just someone more skilled in getting a reliable BP reading than I am.

I've looked around and can't find any pharmacists doing free BP checks locally.

Take regular readings, record them, then send in to your GP (IE a weeks worth of readings taken throughout the day). I work as a receptionist at GP and lots of our patients do this - I then calculate the average (which is the important number - everyone's BP varies a fair amount over the day) and if it is out of range we send a task to the GP - who will then action it.

Some of the responses here are shocking.

Op - you are NOT being selfish in wanting your health monitored. I have not lived in the uk for some years, however when I last lived there my gp monitored my blood pressure via regular (once yearly once on medication ) 24 hour bp monitoring. Phone your surgery and enquire whether you can have a 24 hr bp monitor.

And perhaps suggest a 24 hour ambulatory BP monitor?

Yes it is very unreasonable to want to take up appointment time with such a simple thing that can easily be done at home. You are obviously not using your monitor correctly or maybe have a faulty one. Perhaps spend a little bit of time trying to work out which and get a new monitor if need be. I bought one from Amazon last year and it cost very little indeed.

I don’t think it is realistic to expect weekly appointments for this for something people do at home all the time. However a one off nurse appointment to make sure you are using the monitor correctly might be fair.

When you say wildly fluctuating what do you mean?

I have blood pressure problems and have periods of instability so understand the frustration.

Here’s a link to how to get an accurate reading.

www.bloodpressureuk.org/your-blood-pressure/how-to-lower-your-blood-pressure/monitoring-your-blood-pressure-at-home/how-to-measure-your-blood-pressure-at-home/

As long as you are using an appropriate machine Don’t be too sure that the reading in the surgery is any more accurate, you or the nurse/hca might be rushing, stressed talking you won’t be able to sit calmly in silence for the 5-10minutes needed before the reading is taken, then waiting 1-2 mins inbetween 2 further readings it really can be done accurately at home. if you have any concerns about your readings then book in the practice nurse

I wonder if your machine is faulty?

You can buy a BHF approved monitor for £20
giftshop.bhf.org.uk/medical-devices/blood-pressure-monitors?gclsrc=aw.ds&product_list_order=price

Or maybe your BP does vary a lot from one day to the next. In that case, if you take note of the readings and submit to GP surgery with a request that someone looks at them, I guess they can tell you if those readings are cause for concern

But asking for a weekly appointment? That's excessive

I have a BP question!

Went to hospital this week for an appointment I'm really worried about (nothing to do with BP!) A nurse took BP as part of routine obs before I went for my consultation and it was sky high! But I was completely freaking out about my appointment.

Have monitored at home as have history of white coat anxiety and it's completely fine - like average 118/78. Was 160/100 in hospital!! Is it safe to rely on my home readings in this context? Consultant seemed unconcerned but was dealing with something unrelated.

Is it asking too much to ask to be able to get it checked by a HCP at the GP surgery once a week ?

DH gets his done once a year. I think weekly is a bit of an ask.

@goldenbag yep sounds normal a one of high reading when in hospital for an appointment where you are already stressed or anxious is not a true reading. As long as they are ok when you are calm and relaxed I wouldn’t worry too much.

What sort of readings are you getting yourself op? You keep saying wildly fluctuating, but not explaining what that is.

My surgery lent me a device to measure my BP over 12h when I was first getting diagnosed with hypertension- it automatically pumped up on my arm ever 20 minutes or something through the day. (Some of the readings failed,but there were enough to diagnose on.)

But then they expect me to do regular checks myself, on a monitor i had to buy, in my home environment - where readings are likely to be better, because I'm more relaxed. I then just get an annual appointment where they take my weight, height and BP and ask about my diet.

My readings are usually a bit higher at the GP, which is down to the effort of getting there, and sometimes other factors - it spiked spectacularly when the nurse had been talking about eye investigations just before taking my BP. I am quite squeamish about eyes, and it showed...

It's not unreasonable to get your home machine calibrated, and it's not unreasonable to have a one-off appointment to make sure you've been shown how to take your BP yourself. But otherwise, it is better for you to track it and manage it yourself, and practice makes perfect, as with any skill. You should end up learning your own patterns and noticing if particular things make it spike, and that can't be done by even frequent checks with a nurse or GP.

Our GP surgery has a room with a BP machine that you walk in and use yourself. Is that an option at yours?

Yes, it's wildly indulgent. What makes you think that the other trained HCPs in the practice are less busy than the GPs?

Our practice will take BP for those who cannot physically do it themselves due to disability, but for everyone else it's once a year during your annual review unless you are actually unwell & have a GP appointment.

As for 24 hour tapes - that requires a referral to Cardiology!

I have high blood pressure that is treated with medication. But even with meds in place, there can be a wide variation in my readings over the course of a typical day. That's true with my home monitor, the 24hour ambulatory monitor, and readings at the GP surgery or hospital.

So many things can cause your blood pressure to change. Time of day, temperature, eating a meal, exercising, hot shower/bath, hydration, pain, illness...

It's not necessarily that your monitor isn't accurate. But you could ask if anyone you know also has one so you can compare readings.

You need to carry on self monitoring. It's more accurate and effective than being seen in a clinic for long term hypertension. Run with the odd way out reading, then sit quietly and redo the reading 5 mins later. You should aim for three, five mins apart. This link is very informative.

Note all your readings, log them and email the nurse once a month so she can check them.

Having readings taken at the surgery won't give you accurate readings, just a snap shot. Multiple readings at home will start to give you a more accurate picture.

Lifestyle measures in many instances help you reduce your BP, which is ultimately what you are hoping to achieve.

Cut back on alcohol, salt, lose weight if needed, reduce the amount of bad fats you eat and exercise more. Clearly a lot of that doesn’t apply to you, but many people wouldn’t even know that this is something under their control that can help them.

Your ultimate goal is to help reduce it, and your BP isn’t high because of stress (although that certainly doesn’t help), so yes, you do need meds.

They won’t do a 24 hour ABPM yet - there’s no need. But you do need to learn how to do this and especially if you have secondary high blood pressure, you will need to check it regularly.

And HCP other than a Doctor is a nurse or nurse practitioner, so YA still BU to expect a weekly appointment.

I'm on medication but my GP saw me weekly in person while sorting out meds. He didn't actually take readings in the surgery ( as it's always high) he goes off my home readings which I take to show him and I take them in the way you described.

I've found yoga really helpful along with all the other usual advice of keeping weight down and brisk walks etc.

OP it's scary but you get into a routine of taking it and keeping an eye on it. Pharmacies do BP readings too but I wouldn't bother if you have a home monitor.

Oh and have a wee first and sit with your back supported and rest your arm on the table with your hand facing up.

Thay must be different with different surgeries as the nurses can set you up with them at mine.