Doctor's. Office anxiety

[shirleywhirley72]

I am a 71 year old female. I have hbp am on meds for it .At home my bp is so good but as soon as I enter doctor's office it starts going up. My doctor knows this and just shakes her head. Does anyone else have this problem and what can one do about it.

[bowler]

Yes, It's called "the white coat syndrome" I usually take mt B/P at home every day for a week before I to the surgery, and the Dr. puts it on the computer for reference. Like you my B/P is normal at home but as soon as I get it done in the surgery is sky high.

[Maxyz3]

ShirlyWhirlae72..I to have high pb when I go to my Dr. Yesterday I went to a female dermatologist and noted when i came out I had a headache and didn't feel right, when I got home took my bp , it was 161/85.. All my life I have been a nervous , sensitive person who suffers from anxiety in negative situations. I am 66 yr. old female. I never was anxious going to my Dr. until my bp started raising upward to 191/101.. and then had to be put on meds, many meds ,many side affects, a couple sent me to the ER. This situation put me in an anxiety state because of my pb. and & side affects of the meds. I worried about it constantly so then i developed a fear of thinking, "oh no! it's going to be high at this DR.S appointment" just thinking negative it WAS. It is like a vicious circle..of worry, fear, causes anxiety in turn brings up the pb. Anything to do with medical appointments I get anxiety. Somehow I must not worry so much about my pb. I have been with my DR. for 20 yrs..prior to having high bp 8yrs. ago I never was nervous when having an appointment. I believe the fear of high bp and knowing the consequence of what it can do and the fear of meds cause my anxiety. I have to work on both to get my anxiety level down therefore bringing my pb numbers down. Now I take a small dose of a tranquilizer to help with the anxiety on the morning of my appointment and am learning to think positive. You are not alone in this shirley. Best of luck to you.

[exDancer]

Drs are well aware of this. Even though I am not at all nervous I still suffer from wcs and its in my notes, so even when I go to hospital they know about it. I also find the cuff on the electrical machines really really hurts, and ask them to use the old stethoscope kind, they do understand. Like bowler I take mine at home (on a wrist moniter) and she looks at the readings and takes an average.

Its still on the high side, but I'm happy with an average of 140/80

[Lisahelen]

Say to your dr that you believe you have white coat and ask if you can have a 24hr monitor fitted to see if that confirms your suspicions.

[Maxyz3 in reply to Lisahelen]

Lisahelen...My Dr. knows I have white coat syndrome but refuses to believe me..just wants to keep upping my meds and I refuse to do that...am sticking to my guns...I feel it's my body, my right to do what I am comfortable with.

[Hunter73 in reply to Maxyz3]

From a guy with an awful case of WCS,(160HR 178/106 Last visit I think?) I agree totally. It blows my mind Dr.s still act as if WCS is something we've made up. There are 100's if not 1000's of studies out there on it now. We know our bodies better than they. We take our BP at home. I don't get them. Some of them anyway.

[Thyroidmeg]

Me too . I've got a heart rate monitor app on my iPhone and my pulse goes from normal 65- 70 to 130 when I visit dr!!

I'm sure bp must be same

[Lisahelen]

The only way to prove white coat is to have them sanction a monitor to be fitted

[Shayla78]

I have had terrible white coat since I was hyperthyroid and a doctor yelled at me as he was taking my bp that I was “doing it to myself for attention.” Ever since then I get “performance anxiety” that starts up to a week before any kind of doctors appointment.

I finally started on a low dose of Lexapro to help me with stressful situations. I also insist that the medical assistant or nurse not take my bp - only the doctor so I have a chance to sit calmly for a bit and I don’t have to see the shocked looks on their faces when it’s so high. My doctor told me HE gets white coat!