Sensing high blood pressure

       I hear over and over from medical professionals that an individual can't sense when his/her blood pressure is elevated.  Yet I also hear repeatedly from others, who like me suffer from hypertension, that they can almost always sense when their BP is up.
      There are a wide variety of indicators and they seem to vary from person to person.  For me it is sometimes an increase in tension, other times it is feeling flush in my face, but the most common indicator is a feeling that my body is swollen and about to explode. And sometimes it is a combination of some or all of these indicators and/or a few others. For twenty years there have  been very few times when these indicators were inaccurate. I always confirm my actual BP with a reading before taking medication. And rarely have I been wrong.
    Somewhere along the line, as the body of information about BP was building, some clever researcher came up with the popular catch phrase “BP is the silent killer” which seems to have solidified the now seemingly universal notion that all individuals are clueless as to their BP fluctuations.    
   It would seem to me that it is time for the medical profession to start listening to patients a little more carefully. They might very well learn that there are indeed many accurate indicators that are going unnoticed. A study of those whose personal experience with high blood pressure has provided them with mechanisms to cope with their condition could be a very valuable source of information. And a preventive measure.  It may appear that high blood pressure is a silent killer.     However, countless patients are constantly telling their doctors about their hypertension symptoms, but because these symptoms have never been properly codified and linked to high BP, these patients are going untreated. And the consequences of extended hypertension take their toll.  Its a medical profession that turns a deaf ear that is the real silent killer.
So, my question is this. Where is the scientific evidence that, with the exception of extraordinary circumstances, it is not possible for a hypertensive person, diagnosed or yet to be diagnosed, to sense when his/her BP is elevated? Where is the hard data that proves there are no recognizable indicators? And if there is no reliable data, why?

[deirdre152]

I agree with you. Though I am young, I have high blood pressure myself, but i would rather say its irregular. I KNOW when my BP is up because i start feeling weak and sometimes chilly, or rather some fever-like symptoms. I know when it's up because of pain and I know because my body tells me. If you're in tune with your body, there is nothing you won't know thats out of the ordinary.

[caregiver222]

The ability to sense one's wn blood pressure varies greatly. I can usually guess my own and my pulse within a few points.

Some people can sense their blood pressure and some cannot.

Some women are blonds and some ared reheads.

That being said, the important issue is whether or not the high blood pressure is compensatory, what is the heartrate, and to determine if the rise in blood pressure  idiopathic and harmful. High blood pressure is a mixed blessing. In an asthmatic, the high blood pressure may have survival value.  If it is high, it it always high or does it only rise when the body requires oxygen?

I once met a very wise pelican who told me "mother nature never does nuthin' for nuthin' ".

[grannienannie]

my boyfriend had high blood pressure, and he said when his blood pressure iwas going up he can hear his heart beat in his ear...I changed his eating habits because the blood pressure medication took away his" stand" he feels better now that he eat no red meat,pork or anything with no more than 100mg or less sodium. check the lable for sodium when you buy food. it helped my boyfriend and he is medication free.