Does anyone know anything about blood pressure? help needed!

[bubblicious]

I had to see a consultant up in London a few weeks ago,he told me my blood pressure was high(but not actual numbers) and recommended me to get it checked at DRs, on Wed I needed to see Dr so routinely asked about it, he decided to take it and it was 160 over 90! This morning I received a letter from the consultant the same that was being sent to my DR and it said that my blood pressure was 200 over 110, he also put an exclamation mark after it and then went on to say that he understands white coat syndrome but felt this was remarkable! Im really worried now as Im due to go into hospital on Monday to have a small procedure on my heart!

!!!!!!!!! please anyone!!!!!!!!!! cant stop thinking about this bloody letter

OK, maybe I'm worong but the BP reading at the GP was lower and mroe recent? Thats a good start!

I know you won't feel like this- but so many walk round with high BP's and never know until something goes wrong. When it is detected early, theyccan give you meds that keep it down very successfully, and you can take lifestyle action if appropriate too.

I'm the only one in my family (mum / dad / 2 younger sisters / all grandparents) not to be on these meds. They don't have any complaints at all with them.

ok bubble, first try to calm down cause you'll only be making it higher!! LOTS of things can cause your bp to be high
ie
family history
stress
medications
age
pregnancy?
to name but a few - however the normal procedure for checking a high bp is to do a 24 hour reading when you wear a cuff which inflates every hour or so and then go back next day to see true 24 hours worth of results.
a "small precedure on your heart" seems very extreeme at this stage - can you elaborate on this?
It is very common to increase your own bp due to being worried so were you prior to these 2 readings that were taken?
1st result of 160/90 is not so high that i would panic but 2nd reading is high, what was the time difference between you getting the 2 results?

lots of questions i apologise but i need more of a picture of the situation to be able to help you.

oh woops just re read your thread i think you were going for the heart procedure anyway is that right? is this NOT related to your high bp reading?

bubble, did the consultant only take one reading?

The reason I'm asking is because I suffer from white coat syndrome and and so my doctor always takes another reading if my blood pressure comes up very high. It's always lower the second time. Once he had to take it 3 times - the first time it was through the roof, second time was more reasonable, third time was normal!

I don't ever feel panicky about having my bp taken so I don't know why I react like that but it has shown me that you can't really tell anything from a single measurement.

I have svt and that is what is being treated on Monday, a cathetar ablation!(scared emotion) I went up to see the cardiolgist at the beginning of March and thats the report I received today!(with the note of the high blood pressure) he did suggest I had a BP24???????? not sure what they are! on wed my blood pressure was lower 160 over 90. how do you find out inbetween whether your BP is high or low- as mine was high a couple of months ago then I got a normal reading and was told I now had nothing to worry about!

if they only took one reading it needs looking at again - I once went to hospital and my bp was really high so they took it again later and it was down.

Doctors can be wankers and don't seem able to think about ow their letters get to you. I hope you are alright at the hospital and keep calm.

If there are any health things you could do to reduce your blood pressure then you should.

24 hour blood pressure monitor bubble. Dh has just had one.

oh ok I guess thats the BP 24

I've had super high readings in doctors' offices - almost ALWAYS because I was running late for the appointment.

EVERYONE on my dad's side of the family, and my own sister, has hypertension - lots have died from heart attack.

It should be diagnosed after a 24 hour monitoring, because it can spike.

In some patients, too, the hypertension manifests itself as extreme spikes, and in others, as fairly steadily high.

I'm going for a 24 hour monitor next week, as I've had some consisently high readings now .

I'm the last of the family not to be on meds.

dh's is constantly high. His mother's BP is HUGE even on meds He is just waiting on his cholesterol test and and an ecg then I think he'll be on meds.

I very rarely run late, its not me, so normally make sure I have plenty of time for things, I even got up to London with half an hour to spare when seeing this consultant!

I almost wish he had told me about the numbers on the reading as I would of got it chesked alot earlier and probably could of had another check before going on Monday!

You're bound to be a bir stressed seeing the cardiologist aren't you? Maybe it will settle after this procedure. Good luck with it.

ok think it defo sounds like you were just uptight (not surprisingly) when seeing the cardioligist. if you are worried about this ask your GP about a 24 hour bp reading - your practice nurse will usually fit you with this and you will get a TRUE reading for your bp which by all accounts sounds now like it will be normal. just get through Monday 1st and don't worry, high bp can be easilly sorted with medication if necessary. Roll on Tuesday..... good luck.

thanks, i get released from hosp on Tuesday so it will be a big relief all round!

Saggar
My dad really struggles to control his, even with meds now.

It's scary because he's had two heart attacks already. Another one of his siblings, a sister, just died last month from hypertension complications (heart failure).

Mine tends to spike, although it's consistently elevated on the higher side of normal.

My sister's another one who is just consistently high.

Sounds like you may have been stressed already bubbli.

And you need further testing to really confirm.

The 24hr montitoring will give a far more accurate picture and hopefully show that you have normal bp after all. It really could have been a one off.

I can be calm, relaxed, thinking pretty thoughts and still have a bp reading that suggests I'm about to explode .

Sorry, x-posted with you expat. Not making light of true hypertension - my underlying levels are on the low side so in my case these are false readings.

dh's 24 hr monitor showed that his HR is really slow when he's asleep. Like 37bpm!

It has only been high since about September last year, I had regular testing and then about Jan this year saw someone completely and she told me mt BP was ok and didnt need to come anymore- makes you wonder doesnt it with these so called healthcare assistants(ours a receptionists with a bit of training!)

should say someone completely different!!!!!

the cardiologist you will see will know nore about high bp than your gp, yuor svt may be casuing your high bp also. During your cardiac cath your bp will be continusly monitored anyway. Talk to yuor cardiologist about your concerns after all he/she is a heart specialist.

good luck for yuor abln.