Am concerned this days any time I goes to see my GP, my blood pressure reads high what do you think it's?
Am I, : Am concerned this days any time... - British Heart Fou...
Am I,
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Jermhigh
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It is more than likely 'White Coat syndrome', if you have no symptoms and are still concerned, i would suggest you invest in a Boots BP machine and test yourself at home.
A district nurse told me the same, anyway thanks 🙏
So with respect, you doubt a nurse and ask on a forum full of people like yourself! Why?
I guess that's why we all here, don't you have doctor but you are here too why?
Not to ask questions that have already been answered by a medical professional!
I thought experience is the best teacher?
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op wants reassurance & even when we hear comments from professionals its nice to hear from others who have this & that is fine & exactly what we should be able to do
Exactly. Professionals are not infallible. When I took my child to emergency with, I told them suspected appendicitis, the triage nurse and later the doctor were both arguing with me telling me it was only a UTI. Well they were wrong and I was right, it was appendicitis.
Unnecessarily harsh! Nobody on this forum expects answers to medical problems from members. This person just wants reassurance. The purpose of this forum is support and reassuring is supporting!,
in reply to SheldonC
SheldonC if I’d have purely listened to the professionals I’d be on a gastric waiting list. I’ve got microvascular angina. Now diagnosed after having to prove my case with the aid of my iwatch ecg. After many visits to A&E the spasms causing a lot of chest pain were finally caught on their ECG. Cardiovascular disease (microvascular angina) has since been confirmed following a Myocardial Perfusion Scan.
This forum is the place that gave me confidence to question the cardiologists referral. I got some great information and advice on here. Sometimes it’s worth putting the question out there.
SheldonC in reply to
Hence my 1st reply -"It is more than likely 'White Coat syndrome', if you have no symptoms and are still concerned, i would suggest you invest in a Boots BP machine and test yourself at home."
Most likely white coat syndrome. My husband's BP is high when checked by a nurse or doctor but ok when he checks it himself
I generally get spectacular readings when I attend clinics, including my GP surgery, and somewhat worrying readings even when I am measured by colleagues at a gym.
Worst of all is when I get text messages to turn up for 'cardiothoracic surgery' and they make the mistake of adding BP measurement to my usual ECG and transthoracic echo. (With any luck I won't need surgery for a few years yet, though I'm being monitored in case I do.)
I invested in a fancy system from Withings and now have several years of mostly daily readings - average values nicely below 115/65 - to show to any cardiologist who might want to put me on blood pressure medication. There's a basic ECG and digital stethoscope, too!
I also had a 24-hour blood pressure monitoring exercise set up by a cardiologist at one point, which showed clearly that my home readings are a better guide than the clinic ones.
Not that I'm against medication in any way, but avoiding unnecessary treatment is a very worthy aim and I think that building good relationships with your medical team can be helped by sharing our patient experiences on forums like this. I think your question was and is completely reasonable.
Don’t worry jermhigh, I have the same problem. Buy a BP machine and do it at home. 👍
GP syndrome -a friend of mine who'd always worked with doctors in hospital so wasn't in awe of doctors, had it
Yes it’s white coat syndrome but if you do buy your own bp monitor remember to sit calmly and take your reading several times until you get bored as you might initially still suffer from slight anxiety at the idea of a reading… how strange us humans are ::)))Good Health to you.
How high are these bp measurements?
Don't worry about it, best thing to do is buy a home machine.
I take meds but even still, at the surgery when the doc checks, it's always around 170/100!
But at home I average 135\85.
Definitely white coat syndrome.
Even at home, I usually throw away the first 3 readings as still anxious and then next few readings come out at normal level.
Hope that helps.
Strangely, since my heart attack I seem to have lost my White Coat Syndrome - probably because pre-HA I didn't see many white coats, now I've seen hundreds of them so my brain no longer worries about my BP!
I think it is stress, I recently went to the hospital and it was exactly the same thing. My doctor made me lay there for 5 minutes and practice deep breathing he then took it again and it was normal. I think we all get ourselves very worked up even if we think we aren’t so perhaps if you do it yourself sit for a while before doing the reading.
Not to mention being late to the appointment or having to climb stairs to the surgery; both can raise blood pressure.
Yes exactly!
Hi,Observational studies show lack of rest minimum 10 minutes optimal 20 plus is needed for accurate BP.
No chance at doctors.
Home measure far more likely to be accurate .
They call it "no rest "syndrome not white coat.
Google it ,several US sites (not dodgy You Tubers ,proper institutions)
I tried it and my typical BP is optimal to elevated used to be G1 much of the time.
(Not on meds.)
Never heard it called 'no rest' syndrome and there is no need to rest for 10 mins, 5 mins is more than adequate, as per Blood Pressure UK
bloodpressureuk.org/your-bl...
If I get mine checked at the chemist they always make me sit and wait for at least 10 minutes, sometimes longer.
As does mine always, I can even feel myself tense up when someone else takes it. 145/80 at the GP. 125/65 at home or lower.
I once heard that a good doctor will take your blood pressure after you've been in for a few minutes and you've calmed down a bit. White coat syndrome is real and they are aware of it.
Definitely sounds like "white coat syndrome", which both my partner and I experience. If you are concerned, and/ir need to supply accurate readings for your medical record, either ask your GP for a 24hour monitoring device, or buy your own BP monitor. Positioning the arm correctly is important, and, strictly speaking, the first reading should be ignored in favour of the second, something which does not usually happen at a GP appointment! Check out the Wim Hof breathing method, too; it has worked brilliantly for my partner!
White coat syndrome. MIne does exactly the same at doctor's or hospital. The medics are full aware of it. It's caused by anxiety even if you don't think you are anxious. What I do now is take my BP at home, three times a day for a few days and write it down so I can show my GP what it normally is. BP monitors aren't expensive. JUst sit for 5 minutes calmly before taking it; no eating or drinking until you've done it. An arm monitor witha proper cuff is better than a wrist one.
Yes we ask questions about our problem because we want reassure and sake for experience solution from some of us that been in the same position
As others have said, white coat syndrome. Interestingly my mother adored her doctor, and she had reverse white coat syndrome.I find if I go to hospital for any appointment they are usually running late and my blood pressure goes sky high as I'm not very good at doing nothing, so I always take my home readings with me.
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