blood pressure phobia

[beaglemom]

Hello,  I really hope someone can help me overcome my phobia.  I tend to get extremely nervous when I have my blood pressure taken ( even at home).  I don't know how to overcome this.  I have come up with a theory and tell me if this makes sense.  I feel if I cry, it relieves the stress rather than building up anxiety.  It seems to me that crying would relieve the stress.  If this is true, I am going to cry when I have to have my BP taken rather than stress out about it.  Please e-mail me ASAP.  I am really hurting inside.  I appreciate  your understanding about this irritational phobia.  I would appreciate any advice to help me through this difficult time.  Thank you so much.  God Bless.

[gabbgeeno]

I experienced the same thing which lead to this condition. I'm just 20yrs old and I think that's not really good considering my age. It happened about 3 years ago when I was about to get a medical certificate from the university hospital as I had colds, so I needed to be excused for all the class meetings that I was not able to attend. The old nurse got my bp first, the moment I entered the hospital. I walked for about 10-15 mins. to go there. The hospital is located at the upper campus so going there is like walking uphill. It is expected that my bp will go up the moment you get it. Her reaction was really shocking and that made me feel so nervous and afraid at the same time, and I even thought that something bad will happen to me at that moment. She even consulted her other colleagues and I was hearing murmurs from them but didn't understand what were those about. She didn't tell me to rest for just a few mins. or didn't even ask me how I get in there, didn't even assess how I look that I maybe feeling tired before she got my bp. I understand that the result/bp may not be normal but their reactions don't have to be like that which may worsen the condition. And because of that, it seems like she, a nurse, became the cause of my phobia which I never had before. I want to be treated soon as this may affect my life, because in applying for a job, a medical exam is required and BP is one of those they use in assessing one's health. Also, every time that my bp is needed, the result my not be true because the phobia affects it a lot.

[nuke91ma]

I have the same fear and have suffered with it for many years.  The only thing that seems to help is having a beer or a glass or two of wine and then taking my blood pressure (at home with my Omron device).  It relaxes me and voila my pressure is normal, or even a little low.  It's entirely psychological, and individuals like you and me can create the 'hyper' situation that fulfills our prophecy.  By the way, I am going to my cardiologist for my yearly exam tomorrow. As I write this, I have consumed more than a glass and a half of wine.  My BP is 108/68.  At the doctor's office (no doubt tomorrow morning) it will be 170/100.

[kjmta]

I'm getting there. Mainly I hate the "OMG" when they take your B/P. I also hate the way doctors seem to respond to it. Like they have to load you down with every medication they can come up with. I find though I do have the White Coat Syndrome when it comes to dentist. Mainly the drill though. Last week my B/P in the chair (and I told her it was to her best interest not to take my B/P while sitting in a dental chair) was 226/134. She then called my doctor which then only made it worse. My doctor says he wants me to take my B/P twice a day but I seem to find every excuse to not do it. Its a strange kind of comfort to find other people with the same phobia though. :}.

[clover43210]

I personally had never had a blood pressure issue before.  But somewhere along the way I've developed a severe phobia of anyone checking my BP.  I'm sure lengthy hospitalizations (for an unrelated autoimmune disease)  hooked up to those contantly *beeping* heart monitors didn't help matters.  I also watched my mother struggle with her own admitted blood pressure phobia for many years as she and her doctors became frustrated trying to manage her extremely eratic BP with many different combinations of medications to no avail.  Her doctors would become alarmed at high readings in the office (210/90) and increase her medications.... then she would pass out, most times while we were out in public and it was awfully frightening.  Once we were on the top steps of an escalator and I had to hold her from falling down as I also held 2 winter coats and 2 purses. Another occasion while in the hospital, she crashed with a BP of 70/0 by time she actually came to.  I would try to explain to them how at home her BP was usually about 130/60.... but there were times her systolic BP would spike over 200 for whatever reason.  Finally, her doctors are realizing the only way to deal with this was for me to take on the job of monitoring her BP daily and adjust the dose accordingly instead of generally over reacting.  

Anyhow,  I find that no one can come near me with a BP cuff now.... I immediately fly into full blown PANIC.  Just this weekend I went to the ER after a night of nonstop PVC's.... and my blood pressure was elevated ranging from 162/ 75- 178/98 on those digital monitors.  But as soon as I returned home and took it on my manual machine, it was 120/78 as usual.  The ironic thing is.... Mom is 87 and has lived a good long life DESPITE this situation since she was first aware of it in her 30's.  Her recent echo was very good, especially for a person of her age.  I realize this is just one person's account, but I remind myself to not automatically jump to the worst conclusion.

[curmudgen]

I has a name - white coat hypertension and google it...on web site of interest is-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_coat_hypertension

[swedegirl71]

Dear beaglemom and everyone!

I have had the same phobia since my early twenties. I am closing in on 40 now and it is not getting any better... in fact, the anxiety is getting worse! I am not afraid of doctors or needles or anything like that, just the blood pressure checking part. It has kept me from going on my well check-ups for 6 years. It is also a pain for me to go to the dentist because they check my BP there as well. Through the years, it has gotten worse because of comments from some nurses and doctors. I had one young doctor laugh at me and comment on my high PB and heart-rate with snide remarks... and hafter that, my anxiety got even worse.

To try protect myself and be able to cope, I purchased a BP machine/cuff at Walgreens that I use a couple of times before going to the doctor and write down my readings, so I can "prove" that my BP is perfectly fine under normal circumstances. I am lucky in that I am fine as long as I am home and take the reading myself. It was my dentist who told me about the "white coat syndrome". She is fine with me showing her my home readings, but still they always try to take my BP before check ups :(

Other than that, I am a very stable and happy person. It is just this thing that sets me off... and I have tried everything I can think of to find a solution: praying, meditating, repeating riddles or songs in my head... anything to keep calm and escape the anxiety. So far, nothing has really helped me.

I came across this website that talks about fobias and the psychology behind it. I found it quite interesting and maybe there is a simple solution to this. The author offers a free recording to listen to (bottom of page) where you picture yourself in the situation that causes your fobia, and then he will talk you through a short session and finishes it with "removing" the fobia. It is free and worth a try in my book. Anything that could help me get past this horrible situation I welcome with an open mind!

http://www.psychresearch.com/phobias.html

I shall let you know if it worked for me... I have a doctors app next week!

God Bless, and don't give up!