Bp?

[Freddie]

Does anyone know how high blood pressure is established? I mean, when does the doctor know FOR SURE you have High blood pressure? Does the doctor monitor you while your in his office/clinic for an hour or more to see if your BP readings are consistently high?

Do you think BP medication is warranted if the readings were 142/92 upon arriving at the office and 122/80, 20 minutes before leaving?

Thanx

 

[ottagal]

Freddie,

I tend to have low BP so can't help you in this dept. Hopefully someone will come along to help you? Do you think you had an episode of "white coat syndrome"?

 

[Bina]

Most docs like to have a relaxed, resting patient before checking BP, so many of us check our BP at home.
When my Mom was alive I used to check mine on her machine during our afternoon visits and mine was consistently
around the same as yours....120/75. No problem there at all.

 

[Freddie]

Freddie,

I tend to have low BP so can't help you in this dept. Hopefully someone will come along to help you? Do you think you had an episode of "white coat syndrome"?

Yes, that's what I think, although the neurologist I saw today thinks otherwise (another not so good story :eek2

 

[yotphix]

120/80 has been considered 'textbook normal' for as long as I've been aware of blood pressure (30+ years) and maybe much longer. I used to go through the same thing all the time with doctors. I get to the office, they take my pressure and call it a 'little high' at 140ish, over 70 (leaky valve won't hold diastolic pressure). Docs suggest a BP med. When it came time that I actually agreed, from my own measurement, that my BP was more consistently high, the doc ordered a 48 hour 'Holter Monitor'. An automated BP cuff with a recording device that tracks your BP and EKG over two days. That will give you a much more accurate idea of BP, not only as you rest but as you move through your day too. As a bonus, it will also record fast, slow, or irregular heart rates.
If it were me, I'd either purchase a monitor and measure two or three times a day at home, and track the results over time, or ask for a Holter, before agreeing to meds. (When it was me, I did both.) Some people are more willing to just do what the doc says, but from your post, I'd guess you aren't one of them!
By the way, the time came when my BP WAS elevated, but that was one of my indicators for surgery, and I did that, so didn't bother with a BP med.

 

[dwhist]

I bought a monitor and kept track of my readings and then brought the monitor to the docs office so we could make sure the monitor matched what he was getting for BP reading. He took a reading and then we did machine and they were close. My high readings at his office were white coat.

 

[escargome]

I would question the need for BP medication. My husband consistently runs the same way you did. 140's when first gets to doctors office then 12o's about 20 min. later. His internist says that John is stressing out about coming to the doctor and isn't too concerned. But for peace of mind, maybe get a BP monitor and test/record then discuss with the doctor.

 

[Freddie]

MY rant from Yesterday

MY rant from Yesterday

I will be questioning this BP thing ASAP

This BP thing had me concerned and you all have supported me with your suggestions/thoughts and I thank-you for that

I put a call in to my Cardio's office today and left a message. I'm really crossing my fingers that my call will be returned tomorrow and hopeful that these two specialists can come to an agreement/conclusion what action I should take.... BP meds or no BP meds.

As for this CT angiogram (never heard of it before), the nurse put an IV in around 9:30am, hurt like hell when she was doing it and I told her so and did her best to limit the discomfort. The nurse put a special "hole" band aide around the site. I told the nurse I was allergic to band aids and asked how long it would be before I got the scan done. She replied that it should be done within the next 2 hours. I was okay with that. So we waited..walked around.....this "site" was starting to hurt and the itching was starting. Nurse says it shouldn't be much longer.......

5 and half hours later, I'm in the scanning waiting room area. Waited another 30 minutes grrr before they get me in the CT room. A new nurse hooks up the dye and gets the CT scan rolling. Then the dye goes in. Holy crap! Not only does it feel like you've wet your pants but at the IV site, the pain became unbearable. CT scan stops. The Tech notices the dye wasn't going in "smoothly and it shouldn't hurt". So another IV line was put in my other arm with hospital tape, everything went as it should have the first time....BUT.......

The first IV that had the band aide, was red, and swollen with a nice half dime shape of blood in the vein. Very quickly I was given an ice pack after the needle was removed and here was my S/O applying pressure to both of my elbow pits. My nerves were shot my arm hurt and I only get this one test done after being there all f'n day. The MRI I'm waiting for is still pending(???)
The swelling and the redness didn't subside until late this afternoon, it's still tender and the half dime shape hasn't increased in size.

If and when my Cardio calls me back he's going to get an ear full.

sorry for the rant.

 

[Nancy jane]

What I found was even the slightest mention of something that bothers u - if mentioned just before taking bp. It will go up. That a why they call high bp. The silent killer cuz we all think we can hide our emotions. But --- it'll show up
Example. I don't do scales at dr office. & when they even ask me to - it goes up. Let alone if I get on the scale. LOL
so. For the right # we need to be calm.

 

[Jimmyjames]

Buy a Blood pressure kit and monitor your blood pressure everyday and keep a journal of it, when you go to you doctors give him a copy of your blood pressure results, below is a link to some of the causes of High Blood pressure, what is you sodium intake, because I have high blood pressure, and had my valve replaced, I am on a low sodium diet, my dietitian said my daily sodium intake should be between 1500-2000/day. Check your labels on your food, process food has a lot of sodium in it. hope this helps.

http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/blood-pressure-causes

 

[Sarah_Louise]

With RE to your CT scan with the dye in i've had a lot of these (when i say a lot im in the reigon of 9+) and i 100% understand you with the feeling of wetting yourself and the warm sensation, and you probably got a horrid taste in your mouth? but i never had any pain with the dye, so prehaps your canular hasn't been in properly? and it has started to tissue but due to the high pressue of the dye has been forced into your arm? therefore given you pain?
With RE to your blood pressure here in the UK yours would be classed as normal, my dad has got high BP and his readings are in the reigon of 160/190 and has been started on meds for it,
Hope your arm is improving and the swelling has gone down!
(((((hug)))) for you!
Love Sarah xxx

 

[Bina]

I will be questioning this BP thing ASAP

This BP thing had me concerned and you all have supported me with your suggestions/thoughts and I thank-you for that

I put a call in to my Cardio's office today and left a message. I'm really crossing my fingers that my call will be returned tomorrow and hopeful that these two specialists can come to an agreement/conclusion what action I should take.... BP meds or no BP meds.

As for this CT angiogram (never heard of it before), the nurse put an IV in around 9:30am, hurt like hell when she was doing it and I told her so and did her best to limit the discomfort. The nurse put a special "hole" band aide around the site. I told the nurse I was allergic to band aids and asked how long it would be before I got the scan done. She replied that it should be done within the next 2 hours. I was okay with that. So we waited..walked around.....this "site" was starting to hurt and the itching was starting. Nurse says it shouldn't be much longer.......

5 and half hours later, I'm in the scanning waiting room area. Waited another 30 minutes grrr before they get me in the CT room. A new nurse hooks up the dye and gets the CT scan rolling. Then the dye goes in. Holy crap! Not only does it feel like you've wet your pants but at the IV site, the pain became unbearable. CT scan stops. The Tech notices the dye wasn't going in "smoothly and it shouldn't hurt". So another IV line was put in my other arm with hospital tape, everything went as it should have the first time....BUT.......

The first IV that had the band aide, was red, and swollen with a nice half dime shape of blood in the vein. Very quickly I was given an ice pack after the needle was removed and here was my S/O applying pressure to both of my elbow pits. My nerves were shot my arm hurt and I only get this one test done after being there all f'n day. The MRI I'm waiting for is still pending(???)
The swelling and the redness didn't subside until late this afternoon, it's still tender and the half dime shape hasn't increased in size.

If and when my Cardio calls me back he's going to get an ear full.

sorry for the rant.

Freddie, I think your angio post is getting lost in this thread.....
Anyway, the IV hookup for the angio shouldn't have hurt like that. When a skilled nurse or vampire tech
does a good job it is barely noticeable. And I know the pain of an wrecked IV, that hurts alot !!
Hopefully things are going better now and you can get some rest.

 

[Greg a]

Freddie, I think your angio post is getting lost in this thread.....
Anyway, the IV hookup for the angio shouldn't have hurt like that. When a skilled nurse or vampire tech
does a good job it is barely noticeable. And I know the pain of an wrecked IV, that hurts alot !!
Hopefully things are going better now and you can get some rest.

Fully agree Bina, and Monday I had a tech removed from my hospital room and asked for an IV nurse ....took a littlle longer but well worth it !!!!!!

 

[tobagotwo]

Not according to :
Table 1. Classification and management of blood pressure for adults* on the National Institute of Health site http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/hypertension/express.pdf

I certainly wouldn't start taking medicine based on that. If you want to feel more confident in the decision, ask for an overnight ambulatory BP test, where they send you home with a BP monitor strapped to your arm that automatically takes measurements every so many minutes. When I first went to a cardiologist, this turned out to be my proof (I also had white-coat syndrome) that I didn't really have high BP most of the time. Cardiologists are a leading cause of high BP among their patients.

Also, many cardiologists or their staffs take blood pressures improperly. They are not supposed to be talking to you for five minutes previous to the test (most places they're still filling out information, asking you questions while you take the test). Your feet should be on the floor and your back supported (as in sitting in a chair), so you shouldn't be on the exam table (oops, that's where they always have you sit, isn't it?). And there's more. There's an interesting article about that (how poorly doctors take blood pressure in their offices) on the AHA Guidelines and Recommendations site, although I haven't been able to put my fingers on it right now.

Blood pressure medications are not benign. They have consequences to the body. Fortunately, they're usually mild or quite bearable. But beta blockers alone can cause diabetes, psoriasis, or GERD/Crohn's symptoms in some people, and the symptoms often don't show up for a while, so it's difficult to convince the doctor that the prescription you started taking six months or a year ago is the cause. The cardiologist is usually happy if the BP is where he wants it, but there's much more to prescribing than just getting what he wants from it: he should be sure his "cure" isn't causing collateral damage to your quality of life.

If you need 'em, take 'em. But be sure you need 'em first.

Best wishes,

 

[Marguerite53]

I love you guys!!
I haven't even been lurking for quite awhile and then, of course, feel guilty starting up a thread for myself when I haven't even been onsite helping.
BUT, I searched my question and there you all are, serendipitously -- just like always!!

Freddie -- how awful. I have a terrible time with dyes and with veins so you have my complete and honest sympathy!! I think in the future, tell everyone who might want to use a band-aid on you that they cannot and had better start thinking creatively right then and there!!

So -- blood pressure. I've been on Diovan (lowest dose possible) since before my surgery (so, about 8 years). No one said I could stop it. For the last year due to insurance changes, it has been very expensive. So I finally decided to ask my GP to give me some samples for something different. I was completely shocked at what happened. I started on Losartan Potassium and immediately my IBS stopped! Rather things went entirely the other way. Then I got leg cramps. Then I noticed I could tolerate hot sauce again (didn't cause palps, etc..) Then I started feeling kind of puffy, but not dangerously so. Hmmmmm. So I started taking Magnesium for the cramps and read that it can also help lower blood pressure. Hmmmm, again. I have a BP monitor/cuff at home and I have decided to wean myself very slowly off this new drug while being very careful not to let my BP creep up to a dangerous level. I am also quitting coffee (even though I make mine thin and half/caff anyway). Chocolate (okay, I kind of got addicted to Nutella for awhile) is out and liquor/beer/wine is out (I'm really only a weekend cocktail with dinner out kind of girl, anyway -- well, ever since the triple lemon drop, sushi and ginger, sex fiasco if any of you remember that). I actually want to know what it feels like to not have any meds in me!!!!

Now I don't want to be stupid, of course. My latest echo (November) said mildly sclerotic mitral valve (bummer!! there goes another valve) but I never had a follow up visit with the cardio because the nurse called to say the echo was "okay" and frankly, I didn't see the need to see her at this point. She has said in the past that there are new guidelines and that she would want my BP at 110/60-70. I'm hovering in the 120/65 range. I'm very curious to see if without any meds I will stay there. My life is much calmer than it has been and my weight is down (and still dropping).

SO. My BP won't be 120/65 all day long. What is the highest it can go? Do BP meds suppress it all the time, or do they work to keep it at a low level just at resting? I really like the idea of a holter. So many quesitons!! ;o)

FWIW, I would definitely understand fully what you are signing up for if you agree to BP meds. Read about all the different kinds and their varying side effects. Understand why you need them before you start. And NEVER just stop them....wean yourself slowly off. But if you need them, you should take them, I think.

Thanks for any input.
Marguerite

 

[Freddie]

A quick Up-Date
I haven't taken the BP meds, bought a BP monitor...a Series 10 made by Omron - cuff style. Slick unit. You can take am and pm readings, takes 3 tests and takes the average. I've been using it faithfully since Monday and my average results have been 120/74 to 124/80.

I have an appointment with "A" cardiologist (co-worker of my regular cardio) Friday afternoon. I'm going to try to get some understanding why this Neurologist would prescribe this BP med without telling me the down falls of this drug.
My left arm is still bruised, but getting better with time.

Thanks for all your input.
Personally I don't agree on having a BP of 120 or lower......I'm not athlete.

 

[Freddie]

Thanks Marguerite for a great post.
This BP med that has been prescribed to me depletes Potassium, calcium and magnesium - the neurologist didn't tell me this nor did she mention anything about increasing my daily intake of foods to bring these levels up.

I hope Fridays appointment will give me some answers.

 

[Bina]

That is great that you got a home BP monitor.....peace of mind is worth gold.
I remember that my first night home post-op I was freaking out and my daughter went to a late night
pharmacy to buy me a BP monitor. Totally worth it.
And it sounds like your readings are really good, don't know why your doc wants to give you meds.....