Blood Pressure at Home vs. at Docs

[fiona]

"White coat hypertension" isn't a very useful term because it encourages people to think their BP only spikes when they are at the doctors.

The truth is, if your BP spikes under anxiety, then you likely have hypertensive issues - you may not be chronic now, but you may well be in years to come. BPs are not supposed to spike.

Coming up with a way to get a better reading misses the point in exactly the same way that having your BP taken while lying on your left side does. Sure, the number is better, but it's not the whole story.

That's why some chronics do well with bedrest - doing nothing suppresses the spikes. In regular life, of course, laying down all day isn't really an option ;-)

[jenh]

A friend of mine would always get high BPs if taken before her weight check. They started doing them at the end of the appointment, after confirming heartbeat and that everything was okay. She had much better numbers then. Maybe a change in routine at the office would help?

[mintmommy]

wow! I have the same problem!! Huge disparity! At the office it will read 149/91 and at home it will be like 116/60s or 70s that same day when I get back home. I can still feel the shakiness for a couple of days after I go to the doc and they check my bp. I wake up in the middle of the night wondering how my bp is doing. I am obsessed and yet I feel I have a phobia with bp monitors.

I know my bp monitor is working because the last time I went to the doc my readings were 152/92 and 139/91 (they took one before seeing the doc and one after). I came home and I took it and it was normal like 120s/70s, but I still felt slightly shacky but not as bad as at the docs office. Anywho, I took my bp again the next day and I felt the same anxiety I felt the day before at the docs office and i had a reading of like 130s/90s. I can feel it creeping up! Then I relaxed later on telling myself good happy things and thinking happy thoughts and I could feel myself relaxed and my readings were normal once again and have been for almost 2 weeks after that.

[jgrumet]

I have it!

I even brought my monitor in to see if it was working ( the last 3 visits) and shockingly it actually reads way higher than the doctor's machines! So I know it is working. I start hyperventilating, sweating, and my heart races before they take it (ever since my PE)...I think I have a strong fight or flight response!

about a month ago I went to the doctor and I didn't think they were going to take my bp at that appointment and I was surprised when the put the cuff over me....and I had a perfect pressure. It is the sheer terror of the stupid test that can make pressure soar.

[trish724]

thank you. i feel so much better. the disparity is just massive. i went out and bought three more blood pressure cuffs--two of which do not work (they give me super low and super high readings within 2 minutes of each other). I am driving myself crazy!! I am looking forward to my appt. on Christmas Eve and at the same time dreading it!!!!

[babyemsmom]

I agree! I would check your bp cuff with the one at the doctors office. My BP is still like that. It will be fine at home and then high when I go to the doctor. It was never like then until my PE experience. Now I can't stand having my BP checked. Sometimes I even get nervous when I check it. After seeing high numbers like we all have...it's nerve wracking!

I hope your machine is right and your BP stays ok :)

[adgirl]

I have severe white coat hypertension - my BP is always higher at the OB's office than anywhere else. This all started after my PE pregnancy, and has lasted 4 years so far. My grandmother has it really badly too. It's a fairly common phenomenon. Take your home cuff into the Dr's office to be sure it matches what theirs says, and then monitor your home BP diligently and report it to your doc.

For my 2nd pregnancy, I took in my BP log to every visit along with an average BP reading for each week. My Dr. went by those reading instead of the office readings b/c they were so far off. Like, my home average would be 95/63 and at the office it would be 135/85. Huge disparity.

[mommy1st]

Oh yes this has happened to me it did with my 2nd pregnancy. At my OB's it would read high but at my Peri's and at home it would read fine! I think I had some white coat syndrome going on, although they didn't classify me with it. I think that's what it was because they were fine elsewhere.
My peri always told me as long as it isn't consistent meaning at home and at the dr.'s office.
I hope it gets better for you, I know how frustrating it is!

[trish724]

that is a great idea. the disparity is just too great.

[tarahl]

Whenever I was feeling bad I would use my grandpa's cuffs (don't laugh) and would always get different results from 'professionals' too. My mom works at a physical rehap place and she told me that they have their patients bring the cuffs with them and check to see how accuate (or off) the readings are....I don't know if that would help, but it's an idea.