One more question

[Charlotterose]

Does anyone else have a phobia of getting their blood pressure taken? I have full blown panic attacks just looking at the stupid machine..

[insaneaj]

It IS called white coat syndrome.  It is very real.  The higher your BP is, the harder the cuff has to squeeze, and I am a bruiser.  When I go to the doc first thing they do is BP, and my arm is large, the cuff small.  They always come at me with the autocuff and it really hurts, on a scale of 1-10, a 7-9 and I am not a whiner.  They end up causing pain which also elevates BP so it is a catch 22.  At home in the evening my BP is 115/65 average.  At doc's the other day the third time (could not get readings) she took it she used a manual cuff on the same bruised arm when I asked her to switch arms and she said, "It'll be okay."  Yeah, maybe for you since I am just another slab of meat and number in your profession.  my BP was 140/92.  Go figure.  Now doc wants to use BP meds to control hypertension and that is BAD news in my book.  Those drugs are really rough.  

[gentle51]

Yes, I had this problem too. I call it the white coat syndrome. I have had it for years. What helped me was too think pleasant thoughts while my blood pressure is taken. I used this method for years until last fall when my Dr. said I needed to take blood pressure medicine due to my consistent high/normal blood pressure and my anxiety had started to get worse but now through therapy I am doing much better but I have continued on the meds as recommended by my Dr.

So you are not alone!! Take Care..

Blessings

[shadowserpent]

every time i go to the er the nurse laughs at me cause im so damn afraid of the blood pressure cuff!@

[cj29]

Yep...it is fairly common with some people. I actually can go up to 160/90, but it will drop 30-40 points within a few minutes.  I actually ask the tech to take it after the appointment...never have liked going to the doc's office.

[Charlotterose]

when I was pregnant i had high blood pressure, and they treated me like i was knocking on deaths door.. so ever since i had this horrible fear that if its high i will die!! hey that rymed..but yeah i freak out every time i see a blood pressure machine.. it ***** i can't even walk into a cvs without freaking out..

[bgrimes86]

Yep. However, I'm not so afraid anymore because I take it several times a day. At first, my blood pressure would hover around 130/80, give or take 5 points, with a pulse over 80 bpm. Now, since I'm slowly conquering my fear, it is usually around 110/60, give or take 5 points, with a pulse around 60 bpm. It's amazing how anxiety can affect blood pressure like that!
My anxiety stems from a hypertensive crisis that resulted in a trip to the ER. Ever since, I would freak out at the sight of a blood pressure machine, thinking that my bp would be very high again. Is there a reason behind your blood pressure fear?

[dmbfan07cb]

I fear having my bp taken as well.  eeek

[scaredjo]

hiya i die every day at least 5 or 6 times lol i too have severe health anxiety all to do with my heart but i have had many illnesses before my heart its cool though i survived every one haha you really just have to try and get on with things the best you can people  always say to me im living at the moment as though im dying cause im scared of everything, wasting my life. we just have to tell ourselves were still young and have more chance of being run over than dying of a serious health problem (dont be scared of cars now lol)
as for the blood pressure i love having it taken cause to me in my mind it proves im healthy, god knows what i`d do if it was high though i would freak lol
:-)

[Charlotterose]

i am so glad that i am not the only one with that problem.. because when i do finally get the nerve for them to take my blood pressure and it is high.. i think that means im gonna have a heart attack like any minute.. i know it's silly but i can't help it..

[CaliGirl48]

Yes I do, and trust me your blood pressure will be elevated when you stress over the test itself. I'm not sure why it bothers me so much, maybe the thought that if my blood pressure is high then that means I'm dying....well it doesn't, so don't think that (easier said than done i know)