what's normal Blood Pressure

[HypoDi]

my readings for the past 3 days have been130/87  pulse 74
down to 127/90 pulse 57
yesterday up to 134/87  then up to 155.91   pulse 76
this morning 128/90  pulse 88
lunch time 135/85  pulse 73

tonight 138.89  pulse 77  then took half beta blocka called pur blocka
is this hypertention?

[jim62]

You betcha it is.

I'm a little bit surprised that the top of you head hasn't blown off (yet).

[degrassi]

I am ashamed of you!

[jim62]

Me, too, now that you mention it.

[jim62]

That's what they refer to as pre hypertension, I think.  Not real serious, but needs to be watched closely.  Not to worry about the fluctuations from day to day.  That's perfectly normal.

[jim62]

I hope that I have now redeemed myself.

Thank you.

[knightrider]

Hyp,I know what are are going through.My was the same way until my caradio asked how many times a day I took my B/P.I told him it been up for the past week and I lost count.I know at times
it used to be 9 times to see if it has gone down.He replied that's my problem.I take it so many times just to see where the B/P is.He told me take it B-4 breakfast,lunch, dinner,and at bed time.My mind was causing it because I was worried where it's going to be.Well long story short,My B/P went down after the 4th day and I'm still doing good with it.

[teena69]

same thing here i take it constintly,maybe i should stop because when i see its up i freak out.

[often]

I never take mine....just when I go to the docs and they do it.....shheeeeesh  

[Barbarella]

The NEW guidelines are:  Below 120/80 is normal, 120/80 - 140/90 is "pre-hypertensive" over 140/90 is hypertension.

Due to severe BP spikes I had to see a Hypertension Specialist, and a Cardiologist.  The Hypertension Specialist explained to me that your BP during the day constantly fluctuates.  If you are worried about it, it will go up.  Just looking at a heavy object you are getting ready to lift/move will cause your BP to rise.  He also told me even on BP meds if you have severe anxiety or severe a anger your BP will still go up no matter what BP meds you are on.

Even with the new guidelines different doctors still have different opinions.  Before I was on BP meds I had one doctor get hyper because I had a BP of 135/85.  Another doctor told me "your BP is fine" and I had a BP of 150/90.  Another one rolled his eyes when I mentioned the new guidelines of below 120/80.

Some of them can't even come to a common ground what is "normal"

[degrassi]

same here............once in a while in the supermarket if I feel dizzy.  There are usually some cute geezers around the machine, with pastel golf outfits on, so it can be fun.

[Barbarella]

Count your blessings that the only time you have to have your BP taken is at the doctors.  However, some people are told by their doctors to take their BP at certain times, to keep a log so he can see what is going on when they are at home and not in his office.

Count your blessings that you do not suffer from white coat hypertension, this is a real phobia.  That is the reason many doctors ask these patients to take their BP at home and bring in the readings otherwise every time they have their BP taken at the doctors office it will give a false, and at times a very high reading.

I know you were joking about the supermarket and the "geezers" but fyi I've seen many young people sitting at these BP machines at the supermarket having their BP taken.

The Internet is full of chatrooms with people who have white coat hypertension, but unfortunstely are made fun of by people who do not understand and classify them as nut cases.

Even some medical professionals do not understand, but if somebody has a needle phobia there is ALL the understanding.  Just look at the medical commercials, whether its about health insurance, meds, over the counter meds etc and see almost every time you will see a BP cuff, somebody is having his BP taken, but you will never see a needle, by all means lets not scare people who are afraid of a little sting by a needle.  There is all the understanding.  I DO understand that this is a problem for these people, but I expect the same understanding for people who are concerned about their BP.

If you are not concerned, count your blessings, but don't make fun of the people who are concerned.  For these people all the "hype" about the new guidelines, in my opinion they are getting lower and lower so the drug companies can profit and the docs get a big kick back, same with the statin drugs, but all this "hype" about the new lower and lower guidelines does not help these people.

[Barbarella]

I forgot to mention in my post above for the folks who have no clue about white coat hypertension, lots of times if not all the time its the doctors and nurses fault that these people developed this phobia.

For example:  When a patient has a severeley elevated  BP at the dcotor's office a doctor or a nurse should not tell that patient "oh my god, we need to get your BP down, do you realize you could have a stroke any second??!!" Instead of saying "Mr or Mrs... your BP is a little elavated, I will take it again in a few minutes how about you rest for awhile, you will be o.k. I'm not worried.  But with these hyper attitudes "we need to get that pressure down ASAP, he/she could have a stroke" does not help that patient instead it makes the pressure rise even more.

At the next appointment most of these patients are afraid of the "what if" will I be told again that I could have a stroke any minute, and here is the door white open for the "white coat hypertension".

I'm one of these patients.  I found out when I was in my 20's that I do react hypertensive when in suspense about something especially about the outcome of a test.  I used to tell the nurses "do not tell me what my BP is, let my doctor tell me and deal with me, if you tell me now and its very high I will work myself up, and when he takes it, it will be over 200 again".  Every damn time the nurse ignored my request, oh no, she didn't say anything to me, but to another nurse "look at this BP, have you ever seen anything like that??"  I changed doctors more than once, and went through similar stuff.

When I was referred to the Hypertension Specialist I was so worked up what HE would say.  My BP I found out later was 214/127 at my arrival.  He did not in the least looked concerned, hyper, running around to get the EKG machine etc.  He talked to me real calm about BP for quite some time.  I calmed down during that talk.  When I left he told me my BP was 120/75, and told me what it was when I came in.

He told me that very seldom people will drop dead from a severe spike unless they have already a severe heart problem or totally clogged up arteries or a weak artery as in aneurism.   He told me that he did a survey on weight lifters, and all of them had a BP of 240/130 or even higher during the weight lifting, all of them had normal or low BP when not lifting weights.  He said none of them had a stroke during weight lifting.

He said all that excitement making the patients whose BP is severely raised at the doctor's office the "staff emergency" does not help these patients but turn them into white coat hypertension patients.

Now back to my doc who was not a Hypertension Specialist, but a regular M.D. he disputed and disagareed with most of what the Hypertension Specialist said.  And people wonder why some people are getting concerned, afraid, and develop a phobia of having their BP taken.  If doctors rather scare people into "you could have a stroke at any time", and then wonder why they cannot stay calm at their next doctor's visit.

For the people who do not have that problem count your blessings, but remembe you might have some kind of problem/anxiety/phobia about something people like me do not have, but I understand and don't make light or fun of you..  Doing that would be very childish and stupid.

[degrassi]

I understand the need to take the BP at home, and the stress at the doctors office.  I do not believe , however, a doctor would advise anyone to take their BP 9 times a day.  That is obsessive.  I find it quite unusual that a little joking and "making light" to ease the tension around here is taken sooo crtically and defensively.

[Barbarella]

Because people like that are very sensitive, they have been made fun of to often for to long, and have been misunderstood.

I had a nurse, an RN ask me one time "if I was afraid the BP cuff would not deflate".  I had a male nurse telling me one time "to have sex with my husband before my appointment".  Would they say the latter to somebody afraid of a needle??  I saw grown body builder type men at the Lab fainting or acting like a 3 year old when they had their blood drawn.  I understood they had a phobia.

As for doctors advising a patient to take the BP nine times, probably not.  But I was asked before to take my BP when getting up in the morning, before and after exercise, before and after a meal, and before going to bed, do the math, that is six times, and I had to this exercise for two weeks straight including weekends.

Some people have to wear monitors who monitor their BP 24/7

[degrassi]

Jeeez............I am sorry you feel you have been made fun of for so long, and that you are so sensitive.  I think the advice to have sex before is rather cute.  I am sure he did not mean to offend you.................notice he said with your HUSBAND, an extra marital affair raises the BP.  I am still wondering what you mean by "people like that"................people with hypertension are sensitive?  Seriously?  Or did you mean to say "people like me".  Look at what Jim said...now there is a faux pas, lol.......(sorry Jim, I know you can handle it).  Boy, am I glad my BP is good, and I don't have white coat syndrome.  Although I had a very traumatic experience when I was 4 and they were chasing me around the operating room..  I knocked over the instrument table and,I made it out of the OR and to the elevators of the hospital and bit the doctor too.  Almost made it out to the street...I could just feel it.  Then I got ambushed.

[Barbarella]

"People like that" who have this white coat hypertension can be very sensitive because not just because they at times are misunderstood,  but lots of them are embarrassed due to not being understood by some medical professionals.  

I was surprised once I saw the chatrooms how many people with this phobia, lots of young men who are afraid they have to go on BP meds, women too of all ages have this condition.  Some so severe they stopped going to doctors.

In case you wonder lots of us have been to therapy, meds, biofeedback, group therapy with little improvement.  This is a very powerful phobia.  Well, if doctors tell you that you can die of a stroke any second no wonder.  Or react with this "hurry emergency" like you have one foot in the grave and the other one on the banana peel.

I'm not mad at your for what you said.  I just felt I had to explain that is all, and tell you and others how lucky you are that you don't have this phobia.

[FLBrat]

I am the little ninnie in the corner whining when a needle comes out.  

[degrassi]

I never thought you to be one of those,Brat.
Thanks for explaining Barb, for a minute I thought you were neurotic.

[FLBrat]

I tough it out, but really get worked up over a silly little needle.  I told the lab person at the hospital one time that no, I wasnt the person they were looking for, that that patient had left the building.  It only worked for awhile.

[often]

I am not making fun of people....and I DO understand white coat hypertension...I was married to a sufferer for damn near 25 years.  But I have to say...the doc NEVER said take your BP 18,000 times a day (is it ok to exaggerate for effect on this board?).  He said take TWO or THREE times a DAY over the next few WEEKS.  

And yes, I know the need to take it at home at times.  When first diagnosed, I had to....and once in a blue moon I get dizzy and take it then.  

Oh   BTW....I do have hypertension.  My gyn discovered.  He also told me to get to an internist stat because I could stroke out.  So I did, and I am on meds, and I don't worry every day I am going to stroke out if my bp is elevated because I had a crappy day.

[Barbarella]

Good for you!  With docs and nurses telling people how they could "stroke out" if your BP would have reached 255/160 like mine did when I had extreme anxiety maybe you could have stayed calm, and that is great.  I admire people who have this attitude, but not everybody is the same.  Having the ambulance called three times from the doctor's office, and being rushed to the ER is not on the top of my list.  I wish I could just take a deep breath and say "if I stroke out, I stroke out, what the hell".  Like my husband does, he doesn't worry about anything, he reads a book in the waiting room waiting to see if his test results are lung cancer (which it wasn't) but while he was waiting he said "if I die, I die, we all got to go why worry about it".  I admire people like that.  

More power to you, and I really mean that.  

[degrassi]

That has always been my thought............if I die , I die.  Guess I am lucky, but it is very liberating, and I am so alive right now..............even though everything  is nuts for me, which is personal.

[Barbarella]

I went on the anxiety board for awhile and after reading what problems some of these people are having I count my blessings.

One good thing I always think about everything, not just the BP stuff that "things could be worst".  There are always people who have it a lot worst than me, and would love to trade with me.

[FLBrat]

Doctors and nurses tell people all kinds of things.  I got to hear about sudden cardiac death.  They also tell me a lot of good useful information.  I acknowledge the SCD, but dwell on the information to gain health.  I think this time I will go with degrassi and say, Praise God, I am alive and will enjoy and embrace this life and what it offers, wacked out heart and all.