To be shit scared by this diagnosis

[WhatFreshHeII]

I've just been to the GP for a very minor thing and while I was there she took my BP because I hadn't had it checked for a while. Immediately she said 'Oh that's worryingly high' and checked the other arm too, which was higher again. I think it was 170/122? But I was reading it upside down.

She showed me the NICE guidance which said that I needed to be checked for organ damage (she took some bloods). She also prescribed medication (candesartan 8mg) which I have to start taking today. I have to go back after Christmas for an ECG and on Friday to have my BP checked again.

She said that I mustn't get stressed, upset, or overexcited because my BP is so high I'm at very high, immediate risk of heart attack or stroke. And not to overindulge over Christmas for the same reason. Which of course has sent my stress levels sky high.

She was absolutely lovely and so kind but I'm absolutely terrified. My mother, grandmother and two aunts died of strokes - when I told the GP this she said that makes it even more worrying. I'm 50 and overweight but haven't always been (I've had EDs since I was teenager so my weight has fluctuated a lot, I'm currently a size 20). I also have rheumatoid arthritis and I know that heart problems can be a feature of RA.

I've had no symptoms so this has come as a complete surprise and a total shock. I don't know what happens next, other than I'll be on this medication for the long term apparently.

I know loads of people have hypertension but the GP seemed so concerned that she's got me really, really worried. I keep thinking I'm going to drop dead any second.

Can someone please calm me down and/or tell me their own experience of this? I'm at my wit's end with worry, I have health anxiety anyway and this has shaken me really badly.

TIA 💐

There’s nothing wrong with rice, it’s a natural product. Brown rice is supposed to be healthier for you, as it’s slower releasing.

Just remember if a serious body builder eats it, it’s fine, they eat buckets of rice, and smaller buckets of pasta again whole meal!

Have a glass of wine and tomorrow is a new day xxx

Please don’t panic there are lots of contributing factors to a high blood pressure reading. The size of the cuff used, how relaxed your arm was and for some just being in a doctors surgery, it’s called white coat syndrome. It needs to be investigated but there is medication if you need it, you will be OK.

I also have white coat syndrome, and as a pp said you can try taking your BP at home 2-3 times with a few minutes gap between readings, which helps mine come down. I also found that as I have rather fat arms the standard arm cuffs on home use monitors were too tight so I got one with a wrist cuff instead and it's SO much more comfortable.

Regarding white coat syndrome, one of my cats has to have regular BP monitoring and he also gets this! They take 5 readings, and you can see the BP go down significantly with each reading.

OP, your GP notes should show what medicines you're taking even when they're prescribed by your consultant. Either go back to your GP or ask the pharmacist.

I take methotrexate and know it's not a drug to bugger about with. Do you take folate as well?

Hypertension is known as a silent killer for a reason- you can have no symptoms until it's too late.
Your weight is going to affect it, for sure, but other than that a lot of your lifestyle sounds like you're doing the right things anyway. One coffee a day may not be a huge influence and decaf is so much better than it used to be, especially if you spend a little more.

My mum has high BP and cholesterol but they have been well controlled with medication for many years now- she's older than her parents were when strokes, heart attacks etc caught up with them. But she did everything right with diet and it barely made any difference. Oh and she's teetotal and has walked everywhere for years .

But it is a little strange that BP has prescribed based on solely one reading.

Sorry to read this, not a helpful way for the information to be given. I can only wonder if they had experience of patients going ‘whatever, I feel fine’ and then tuning out. I have had similar extremely high blood pressure readings in 2019 - I think the highest taken in A&E, where the GP sent me, was 190/140. Yikes.

It got waaaaaaay better with the Ramipril I was given over the next week or so but I was similarly stressed out, so I empathise.

Re the tightness of the cuff, I admit I don’t quite understand how they work but I think the cuff gets tighter the higher the reading, so maybe that explains your experience. I had an operation earlier this year which temporarily sent my bp back up quite a lot (to the extent of it risking the thing being cancelled) where ahead of it, the nurses could just not get the machine to take it at all, but one of the failed attempts with it was agony - my arm turned bright purple and I had to ask them to stop.

Anyway, good luck! Try not to stress or do it all at once, just keep plugging away :)

Is swimming an option op? My mum has RA and swims a few times a week.

OP, you said you were on ABs at the moment? If you're fighting an infection that could raise your BP. I had a slightly high level, went back for a second reading a week later and also got them to check my throat as it was sore. Turns out I had strep a, temp, and my BP was through the roof. Now the abs have done their work it has dropped a lot. Still a little high but not the crazy level is was.

But, as others say, better to know than not. I know that's hard to hear when you have health anxiety, and the GP could definitely have done a better job at not scaring the crap out of you, but if you have your bloods done regularly anyway, I suspect anything untoward in terms of organ issues would have already been picked up.

My bp is always really high in the doctors. It’s on my notes that it will be. I ve got my own machine at home and submit readings each time I request meds. Try not to stress. It is a good thing she’s checking you over.

Get a home monitor, i like Omron and take 2 readings twice a day discard first reading and average them out over a week.
My BP spiked higher than yours in January, got sent to A&E for monitoring. Then discharged and started Candesartan, works very well for me, my bloods came back normal.
Although high BP is very concerning, the way she went about telling you wouldn't have helped it.

I share your fear/pain - Mine was typically 160/120 odd just waking up in the morning when I was diagnosed. I had a hypertensive crisis that landed me in hospital. Started on Ramipril didn't get on with it, changed to Losartan 100mg and it's come down over the last year or so. It's the bottom number that matters I'm told, so was glad to see it come into the 90s (which is still massively high for some but actually pretty bloody good for me!) I gave up caffeine - don't smoke, am healthy BMI and fairly fit - still need to knock my alcohol down but I am a work in progress. I have a home BP monitor but rarely use it now but nice to have it in the armoury. Some people do naturally run high, sometimes we have some habits we can change, but like other posters have said at least we know, and we are doing something about it.

Your likely fine, as you said your asymptomatic and its been caught and is being treated.

I have the very opposit condition, my blood pressure can get so low it might aswell be non existant, dispite this I never notice a change as I have always been like this and function fine (I'm disabled an low active anyway)... doesnt half freak young nurses out though (especially by the 3rd machine and realising its no a malfunction lol).

If we look hard enough we all have Asymptomatic 'scary' issues, like studies have shown if you look hard enough you will find most people have some form of cancer (although 60% of them will be asymptomatic and non life threatening).

My mam had a heart attack aged 52 and she was a size 20. High blood pressure can be treated with medication but I'd take this an opportunity to change your lifestyle in a healthy way. My dm didn't lose weight has had a triple heart bypass and a valve replacement and is insulin dependant diabetic. Alot of contributions factors are her weight. Her mobility is limited she suffers with breathlessness.

"She said that I mustn't get stressed, upset, or overexcited because my BP is so high I'm at very high, immediate risk of heart attack or stroke"

Are you absolutely sure this is what she said? could you have misunderstood? I would never say this to someone with a BP at that level, it's nonsense.

If you are vegeterian, consider whole foods plant based diet. Google forks over knives, that will help your BP and drop weight.

I had my blood pressure checked as part of a medical review and it was 160 over something. Was told it was far too high.

It's not too high day to day - I was just a bit stressed about the situation I was in. I have a home BP monitor and it's regularly about 120—125 over 65—70. Not low but not worrying.

My mum can't have her BP taken by GP as it would be through the roof - she monitors it at home.

There might be an issue, but don't worry for now. Get a home monitor and let the GP guide treatment.

OP I haven't RTFT so apologies if others have already said this but for any concerns about medication interactions/timings etc then try your local pharmacist if you won't see your RA consultant till into the New Year. Or your GP surgery may have a pharmacist who deals with medication (some practices do).

My Mum had very high B/P when she was 40 , she takes 4 B/P tablets a day and is coming up to 91 in February , l hope that makes you feel less stressed .

It is reputed that mindfulness meditation can help bring your blood pressure down and might be a useful tool over the Christmas period until you can see your doctor again. It certainly is very calming, though I often fall asleep. There are lots on YouTube but this is the one I use.

I promise, this is what she said. Also not to overindulge at Christmas because that could be dangerous too.

If you've got a home monitor with a memory function you can also try measuring over a couple of days but without looking at the results immediately .

I was in a state where I couldn't even do home readings without massive anxiety - now I take a lot of readings over a few days until I'm really blase over it Then I look at the results.

well that's ridiculous. I'm a GP by the way. That's a completely pointless thing to say (because it'll just make you more stressed and put your BP up) and in terms of the absolute risk of a heart attack or stroke on any one day, factually inaccurate.

I need to work on my weight, but at the moment (and the reason why I'm a size 20 currently) my binge eating disorder is running rampant. And in the past when I've started restricting/calorie counting when I'm like this, it's ended up with me going too far the other way and becoming anorexic very quickly. I've been everything from a size 4 to a size 32.

My diet is ok - lots of veg, low fat etc - but my portions could be a little smaller. The real issue is the ED which needs working on, I know.

To prevent one stroke you have to treat 67 people for high blood pressure
To prevent one heart attack you have to treat 100 people for high blood pressure
1 in 10 people treated for high blood pressure will be harmed by their treatment.

www.thennt.com/nnt/anti-hypertensives-to-prevent-death-heart-attacks-and-strokes/

Other sources give even higher figures e.g. treat 188 people for BP to prevent one stroke

www.medscape.com/viewarticle/407726_3