22 year old with severe Hypochondria and High Blood Pressure.

[Fox0r85]

Hi,

I don't know what to do. My name is Aaron and I'm 22 years old. until I was 18, I always had perfectly normal blood pressure. I remember looking at a physical from high school and my blood pressure reading was 117/72. I've never been nervous at the doctor's office, ever. Then it happened. One night I was in my dorm room with my girlfriend and I felt something in my chest that felt like someone punching me from the inside out. I panicked and thought I might be having a heart attack or something and went to the emergency room. It was just one hard beat, nothing more. They ran an EKG and everything came up normal, I've never had heart murmurs or anything. The doctors have always said I have a perfect sounding heart. However, at the emergency room, when they took my BP it was something like 158/100. Maybe due to fear of what was going on? It was the first time my BP had ever been high during a reading and it seemed to come from no where.

After that, and after the doctor at the emergency room told me about HBP - i constant began to worry about my heart and my blood pressure. I constantly had my heart and blood pressure on my mind and couldn't get the thoughts out of my head. I constantly felt "tightness" in my chest related to anxiety and it consumed my every thought.

Following that incident, I set up an appointment with my GP to monitor my BP and it was constantly high although everytime I went in, I was terrified and tensed up when they took my BP. As I write this now I can feel the tightness in my chest and I just know my BP is through the roof.

Well, my doctor at the time told me she couldn't understand why a 18 year old had HBP - I have a family history of LBP and everyone in my family has lived to ripe ages of 80. I'm not overweight and since then I have eliminated fatty foods from my diet. I'm 6'2" 183 lbs, so I'm hardly obese like I said.

For about a year, I kind of lost hope of fixing the problem and just gave up. After I gave up and "accepted" that it would eventually kill me (Which I know is ridiculous to have these thoughts), my BP went down and I came off the medicine. Then, one day about 2 years later, I went back in, my BP was high, and the cycle started all over again. I cannot stop thinking about my BP, I never feel "loose or comfortable" its like it consumes my every thought and I can't enjoy life. I feel like nothing will lower my BP and like I've got no chance of overcoming this.

My current doctor just precribed me Paxil --which I haven't started yet-- will this help? What could be causing what is going on? I don't understand why I have high blood pressure. I bought a home BP monitor cuff and use it at home and my readings range from 120 to around 145 / low 60s up to 90s. My pulse is constantly between 50 and 60 beats a minute.

I feel like there is no hope and its affecting my personal and work life. I don't understand why I have HBP at 22 years old. And its been here on and off for about 4 years now. Currently, I'm not on any BP medicine. I was originally on atenolol. I don't understand why sometimes it seems completely normal (Like 120/72) or (Like 132/85) but other times it's ridiculous like 162/79 or 151/82 or 142/89 or 90.

What should I do?

[pinkrainbow]

Fox..i am a nurse, as nurse's we know to retake B/p's that are elevated 1/2 am hour later, because as you keep saying..'I was terrified and scared'.  Who wouldn't be if they had a family history of it, etc...i really wish your B/p had been taken 45 minutes later!
You were right to think about your heart with severe chest pain...but the tests showed that it is fine..it is possible than during acute anxiety..the intercostal muscles btw the ribs could spasm, etc.
Being hypochondriac-i DEFINETELY do not think your a hypochondriac, who said so?, and if you continue calling yourself that x time's a day..you will be!
I'm afraid my friend, that it may be pure anxiety, which is indeed horrific..it feels like you could die..usually your hyperventillating during that anxiety attack, so put a brown paper bag over your mouth, so that you don't over-oxygenate yourself..and will feel better iin minutes.
The fact that they are ordering meds..could be wonderful for you..take away the anxiety, and ssri's, prevent seratonin(you secrete when you've excercised for half an hour or so, etc.)may really help you..personally i have been on prozac, only prozac and paxil have helped me, but everyone is different-the others causes so many side-effects i didn't last a month!
Finally, your health, your bp, are extremely important..you said when you accepted it, it went away..that should tell you volumes..so please have them take bp twice(at least 1/2 to 45 minutes apart...do deep abdominal breathing, and start saying something positive to yourself-hard as that may be.. .i like the serenity prayer the best..Also as far as B/P's go, it's the bottom number that is most important..a nurse would call the dr. if the diastolic (bottom # was 110..then you need meds stat!
I WISH YOU THE BEST AARON
this is only MJO..hope it helps..whatever you did when your bp became normal worked..go for what works, and please don't measure your bp every day..it causes more anxiety, etc...how about once a week/month?-so you don't freak yourself out.
love pinkrainbow