I went for a routine appointment and my blood pressure was pointed out as high. The lower number was 91.
after seeing my GP i now have been given a home monitor to record my readings, on some readingsmy lower number has been between 90- 114.
i am generally healthy,have never smoked and i am not overweight. I don't have a large intake of caffeine or salt either.
i have been stressed and i was on the combined contraceptive pill. I've now have stopped incase thats the issue but have been on that pill for years on and off.
I just cant understand how after having normal readings for years i am now getting high readings.
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stress can be a deceptive pain. Being a non smoker and keeping weight down will now be paying out a good dividend. I would want to address the stress issue.
Perhaps some exercise, a daily walk ? Will turn the tide.
thank you. I certainly will try that. My recent job role isn't as active as my last maybe that is the issue!
thanks again
Hello
I suppose when we think about it we all have normal blood pressure until for some of us it decides to either be high or low and there can be all different reasons for this including it can be a one of that when monitored does not happen again and that is what they are doing now just keeping an eye on it to see what it is up to
You say you have been stressed and that can be a big factor to blood pressure been higher while you are at home doing your own reasons before you do try and relax listen to some meditation or something calming and then take it
Whatever the readings are please do not worry the worse thing that could happen is trying some lifestyle changes or going on medication which if kept your blood pressure happy then would be worth it but it might not be needed
Think positive they are keeping an eye on it and will sort it out so it does not cause you any issues again if they needed to
I think my blood pressure started to go higher when I was around your age a few years ago now
I do have a history of high blood pressure in the family though
Please don't think the worse scenario or go on Google this is your blood pressure that can so easily be controlled if needed it is only people that ignore it that could end up with a worse scenario and you are not one of those people x
my B/p increase has coincided with the big freeze, so stress plays a part. I live in the North , bitterly cold , afraid of having central heating on too long , so just sit freezing and crying like so many more who live alone ,conditions are 1900. Car too frozen to go for food, no help available. Utterly helpless to improve my lot until it thaws and temperatures rise
Stress definitely can play a big part in making your blood pressure higher and I hope when you feel more settled yours will go back to normal or of course you would need to speak with your Doctor
I am so sorry to hear this cold weather is causing you so much stress and I totally understand as with so many we are worried every time we put the heating on how much it is costing us and will we be able to pay the bill it is such a worry
Thick socks , layering clothing a nice warm blanket as well as a hot water bottle is what so many people are doing to stay warm when they cannot put the heating on I hope you are doing this in between the heating been on as you need to stay warm
Can you do any online shopping where food can be delivered to the door ?
People laugh at me sometimes as I keep a stock of everything even if it is soup , bread in the freezer etc why do I need it they will ask and I reply you never know and at I find my stock always at some stage comes in handy
Wrap up warm indoors and I hope it thaws soon and you can get to the shops and maybe get a little stock in just incase it gets this bad again
Let us know how you get on and how you are doing x
Firstly, don’t get stressed-out over your readings as it’s a sure way to get higher readings! 🙄
One thing I learned was that it’s so easy to influence your readings when taking them yourself, so check-out the BHF video guidance for how to measure your blood pressure which will take at least one variable out of the process. 🙂
Good luck, and I’m sure that all will be okay - Mark 🙂👍🙏
my blood pressure suddenly went up for no discernible reason two years ago. My sister tells me the same happened to her. Glad I noticed it and got it treated promptly. I don’t think it’s that uncommon.
Stress is a big factor as is being overweight (often hidden as waist size rather than weight/bmi is a key factor) and not getting enough exercise. Has anything noticeably changed recently? Job? relationship? Diet? Moving house?
Has it changed enough to be a factor? Longer more difficult journey to work and back? More sitting down? More stress at the job? Less time for a walk at lunchtime or to sit down and eat at work? Some colleagues you don't get on with?
It sounds as if you can deal with this through lifestyle changes rather than medication assuming the next Gp appointment doesn't pinpoint anything specific
Hi, it's normal to wonder why. My BP rose all of a sudden too at around the same age as you are now. Mine was discovered at a contraception check up and I'm thankful I was on the pill as otherwise I might have been walking around for years with it. I had high BP during my first pregnancy which had been 10 years earlier but never in the interim years. Apparently this is not uncommon.
In my mid 30s I was a healthy weight, got plenty of exercise, never smoked or drank alcohol. However my parents both had high BP so there you go.
Mainly, for you, it's good you know about it as now it can be treated and you'll avoid all the complications of high BP. I do understand the confusion you feel though.
It is very likely that your blood pressure being high is hereditary then. It can feel frustrating as you do everything 'right' but still run into problems. All we can do is make healthy choices and take medication to protect us
my son went for an asthma review where the practice nurse took his BP which was 295/203. He was sent straight to hospital and has been going every other day for a week. They diagnosed MALIGNANT HYPERTENSION. On Friday he was given a monitor modem and a thingy similar to a diabetes monitor. His first meds were 2.5 mg ramipril, didnt work, so 5 mg, then 10 mg. He is hovering now at around 200/117. He is a very fit 35 yo. We go on holiday to France today, with hospital approval, but his dad and I are beside ourselves with worry.
He is married with a 4 yo and 10 month old baby. He always considered himself calm and relaxed and was happily wearing one of those watches that monitor BP etc. Turns out his BP was too high to register.
The hospital has been marvellous and contacted him a couple of times over the weekend as he was out of range of the machine but we were at his daughter's christening.
Our NHS website doesnt show malignant hypertension but it is on the US ones and looks ultra serious.
I have a watch which is accurate and checked along side the hospital Observation Monitors and it tallied on all data except BP, which was slightly out with their readings, the readings on my watch I use as a guide line, and it also bleeps and vibrates should anything exceed normal.I also have a Oxymeter which my specialist gave me and showed me how to interprit the readings. This keeps a tally of the last twenty readings and once again is useful against hospital readings when they take BP Oxygen Pulse rate evry four hours. Insidentaly the person taking these readings and observes an oxygen reading bellow 95 to take deep breaths, I refuse and tell them to record what that reading is, and immediatly remove the BP cuff and oxymeter. They do not like this because they then have to call a doctor to verify that everying is OK. Quite often I end up on Oxygen for a short time until everying returns to normal
Everyone is different, but in my case I noticed that my blood pressure was much higher in the morning and then progressively came down that by the time it got to the evening it was much lower. The 24 hour monitor should spot this and also if you have a white coat syndrome. Please let us know how you get on.
The same thing is happening to me. Had this problem for a number of years. What has your doctor advised. I seem to get nowhere with mine. Seriously considering a private consultation with a specialist.
The way our doctors surgery seems to work is to make it very difficult to get an appointment and most of this type of issue gets passed to the pharmacist / nurse and in some cases the staff on the front desk ! Hence I have only seen the pharmacist. After the first 2 months of monitoring he left. By the time the replacement contacted me another 3 months had gone by and even though my home readings were 5 months old I supplied these again and he used them !
The end result was he said I needed a top up of meds in the morning of 2.5mg ramipril to supplement my 5mg at night.
But everyone is different.
Also what I noticed was that whether I was cold when taking readings made a huge difference. I would make sure you are in a warm room only expose your arm for the reading if possible. Try and relax.
Thank you for that. I am on Doxizosin and Bisoprolol, have been on Bisoprolol for many years approx 7. I think these things stop working after a while. My doctors are the same - doctor(nurse practitioner) says let’s meet up in 2 weeks - receptionist can’t/won’t give me an appointment for 4 weeks at the earliest. You do tend to loose confidence in the system. I am 80years of age, have a rough idea when I don’t feel well as I am sure most people do. My husband says “ if you had a car 80 years old I am sure things would start to go wrong with it.
Have you considered that you may have what used to be called White Collar Syndrome. This affects us without knowing that you are worried about what the Medic may say at your consultation. This is probably the reason why your BP was high. Aswell as heart problems I also have 4 lung problems so I moniter my BP twice per day and my own personal moniter has a memory for two seperate people and also the data can be downloaded and either printed or sent direct any person requesting an up to date record of my current readings. My moniter was under £45.00 and is very useful in overiding medics consept of high blood pressure. You can also download an app via the NHS which enables you to read what your current reading was using a graph and information what to do with regards the results
Hello Eight years ago I too developed a sudden high BP after always having a perfectly normal 120/80 reading. On a routine GP visit my BP reading was 220/? I was admitted to hospital where nothing was detected after 11 hours of tests. For nine weeks prior to my high readings I had been with my daughter whose husband had died suddenly and unexpectedly whilst out running. I remained with my daughter supporting her whilst she organised the funeral totally shocked and grief stricken. It was an extremely stressful time for me also something I am convinced resulted in my high BP. I am on Coveram 10/5. I have no symptoms of heart disease and am convinced that my current situation was caused by high stress hormones. Getting GPs to accept this is impossible. I have had numerous tests the latest being a test to check for Creatinine levels in the blood and a CAT scan to see how effectively my kidneys eliminate Creatinine. I've no family history of High BP , my only symptoms being from the medication. A few years ago I spoke to a lady who had experienced the exact same circumstances , she had been on Meds from her GP and in six weeks was back to normal!
The more you s tress about your BP, the higher it will go. Last week mine went up from 120/72 to around 168/85 for several days until I realised I was really stressing about finding a new hospital, having a cT scan and possible serious spinal surgery . Once I stopped worrying about that my BP went back to normal. In gp or hospital situations BP Often rises. It's known as white coat syndrome. When you take yours at home make sure you haven't eaten or had a drink and sit quietly for 15 minutes before taking it and try not to think about it.
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