Q: I take Nadolol 20 mg once a day. My BP is high when I go to the doctor all the time, 150/100. My heart rate is generally in the 60s. I am afraid to take my blood pressure at home in fear that it is high. What can I do to get my fear of ‘the machine’ so that I can track my pressure at home. Will the Resperate system help with this?
A: The RESPeRATE is very soothing to use because of the personalized music that is generated. It is cleared for sale as a stress-reduction device. Focusing on the device melody certainly could serve as a distraction while monitoring your blood pressure. In addition regular use of the device can help keep your blood pressure in control. It is a good idea to take your blood pressure 2-3 times when monitoring to get an average reading.
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Measure, measure and measure again! That’ll get you over the fear. It will also make clear that you have high blood pressure and it’s not just an issue of “fear of the machine”.
Putting it down to “one-offs”, fear or short term stress can be an excuse for not dealing with the problem.
We all need to know our BP numbers, either by the Dr., or we simply do it ourselves to become aware and gain control. Your eyes or ears could’nt give you problems without you knowing, and with BP, we must have it measured, so that we know if there is a problem in order to solve it.
Your first few readings may be high, but the more you take it, the more reliable and “honest” the measurments will be. Just Do It!
That answer is absolutely correct! I have had high BP (under control) for several years. If the first reading seems too high , I take 1 or 2 more & it always comes back to normal. Also, it is important that you feel comfortable w/ your doctor, if you are not, that will affect your reading. If this is the case, find a new doctor that you feel comfortable with.
When you are the person with the extreme reaction to having your BP taken it is always easy for someone else to say, “Just do it!” It isn’t about just doing it as much as it may be having to make professionals understand that you may have normal BP everywhere else but in a doctor’s office. Most doctors do not believe their patients, instead scaring them of all the horrible health consequences connected to high BP. This in turn makes it worse for the patient and many times results in over medication. The patient suffers because their quality of life is altered as they are forced to tolerate the side effects until the doctor is convinced their BP is not as high as they thought and conclude it’s only high in the office setting. Most doctors do not give way that the patient knows their body better than they do in the 20 minutes they see you once a year or whatever the case may be. These factors are all very stressful for any potential patient who has fears of BP monitoring because it’s a battle against the authority figure whose egos many times cloud the fact that they’re dealing with human beings and they should listen more and judge less. It is a process that should be approached with compassion and patience but this seems rare in our medical industry. Due to the attitude that it is easier to just pop a pill than deal with the individual is the reason many people do not visit doctors on a regular basis. In my opinion it is the doctors that are in great need of a re-introduction to the reason they became doctors, (suppossedly to heal the sick)and a re-integration into the reality that their patients are human beings not numbers on a card that says, “NEXT” like in an assembly line.
Yes thank you Alexa this is all true. Taking BP is a phobia for me and I think for many people. Even when taking at home it can become an issue because there is performance anxiety: I “need” to see the accurate number and I hope it won’t be high. This creates stress. Unlike other fear situations like stage fright, the machine is measuring your fright and showing it to you. You cannot hide the fright or ignore it. It is very easy to get into a bad loop where the high number makes you nervous and causes a still higher number. This is hard to explain but should not be just dismissed by people who don’t have the problem.
I also have a fear of taking my blood pressure at home and the doctors put this fear in me If I take it now and it anxiety sets in and worry . this cause the blood pressure to go up. If it goes higher than the so called experts thing it should it cause me to worry and the BP goes even higher. I now don’t take and don’t worry. I finally found a doctor that has a brain(after i fired three doctors that didnt, I am more relaxed with this doctor and my blood pressure is 130/76 and I was able to stop taking the beta-Blockers and 2 other drugs the crazy doctors had me on.New finding are that anxiety caused by long waits in a doctors office can spike your blood pressure much higher than just the “white coat hypertention”.
I have had the same fear and concern for years. Just thinking of having a BP reading causes me to tense up, get red face and fell my pressure go up. It feels like I am in competion to have a low reading. Fortunately I have a very good understanding doctor who will talk with me and retake my BP after awhile and following the earlier check by a nurse. My pressure goes to normal or 130/70. I also have it taken regularly by a nurse at a senior center who understands the problem and this helps. I have also engaged in an active physical workout and some relaxing techniques which have help to relax me more and have confidence that my BP will be low. I am facing minor surgery and somewhat concerned on my BP reading but will discuss with my doctor and surgery who is also understanding etc.
As Rad said, my pressure goes up just thinking about taking it (not nearly as high as the white coat hypertension I have at the Dr’s office, though). I have found that keeping my mind occupied while taking it (watching tv, reading, etc) gives me a very good reading.
It is affirming to read so many accounts of anxiety with taking your BP. My anxiety with this started by doctors wanting to start medication right away rather than getting readings over a longer time period. I am still not taking medication. My blood pressure is moderate to somewhat high to very good, below 120/80. I do have to limit caffine as that seems to be the one thing that will send it up. I use a Resparate, don’t know how much that helps, but rather spend the time using that than taking medications that have terrible side effects. Good luck to all who are trying to manage this with healthy life style versus meds.
I have suffered for years with B/P med that did very little to help. After several doctors trying to force things into me inc. statins which I refused,I found an old-fashioned Dr. who said I might as well stop taking drugs and live with high B.P. He said there was nothing I could do. I am 78, my systolic pressure was around 200 so I thought I might as well take my chances, though that was scary. As for not being able to do anything I disagreed, and about a year later, with a new Dr., my 24 hour systolioc aversge is down to 140 and going down. The diastolic has never been a serious problem. For the first time in years I feel really well. I stick to a low carb diet, plenty of fruit and veg, etc, plenty of excercise and not taking my own measurement because it does cause stress. I will take it when I know it is really good. Weight loss is the key for me, well, belly fat to put it crudely and I know for a fact that some medications put your B.P. up. I also use the Resperate which I think helps a bit. Chris (Mrs.)
Thank you so much for your support. I am 49 years old and have been dealing with my blood pressure since I was 35. I was diagnosed with Thyroid disease in 2005 however I am not on any medication since my numbers have been normal for the last 2 years. At 40 blood work indicated menapause and for the last 9 years I’ve been dealing with that. I too suffer from blood presssure fears and it creates anxiety which in turn increases my bp. I have started an exercise program and have been exercising daily for the last month and 3x a week for the last year. I had been taking 80mg. diovan 2x daily and metoprolol 25mg. daily , however, my cardiologist changed my prescription to tekturna 150mg/25 mg. of hydrochlorathyzide and kept the metoprolol 25 mg. I am also taking 10mg. daily of celexa for anxiety. I plan to continue my daily exercise program and i also take supplements, fish oil, magnesium, green tea and Vit. D of course I am very conscious of what I eat. Hopefully these bp blues will dissapate. I am very highly considering the RESPerRaTE machine, but find the cost a bit high. Thanks again. Any words of encouragement are very wlecomed. Blessings to you all.