Has anyone successfully gotten rid of this? I asked my medical boy and he just laughed, saying it’s a documented condition for a reason. Nonetheless, it bugs me.
Just this past week I donated blood and had a routine blood draw for checking various numbers. Both times my BP was quite normal (120/72, 123/74). This is with an upcoming needle drawing blood and the latter was in the same building my doctor works in, so it’s not procedures that bug me. Yet going into even a routine doctor’s office thinking I should do ok the BP is high enough to cause them to worry - a lot. They retake it at the end of the appt and it’s down, though still high.
It was never that way back when I was pregnant, nor did it come up in my military days so it’s not something I’ve always had.
I know I had it going through my brain tumor days, but that was 7-9 years ago now. There was incredible stress then and afterward. Why does it carry over - and can it be fixed?
It probably shouldn’t bug me, but it does. I guess I like feeling in control and confidant in all situations and this makes me think I’m not.
I’d check your blood pressure in various situations. Even the grocery store machines can help. There is some research saying that folks who can elevate their blood pressure significantly in some situations are at higher risk for the development of high blood pressure. Also make sure your kidney functions are tested fairly regularly. I had a similar story and was diagnosed with essential hypertension a few years ago.
Every time it’s measured it’s always close to normal, except at every single doctor appointment in the past 9 years.
I used this week’s blood draws as specific examples when I would have expected them to go higher, but they didn’t. There were two different people taking it too, not the same machine nor person.
In both cases H’s was high (he did the same donation and had the same wellness draw). His were 159/94 and similar. He almost didn’t qualify to donate blood, so I don’t think there were problems with the machines or people doing it.
Lol. I’m exactly the same. For the longest time I have taken resting blood pressure readings into my physical appointments. I take BP first thing in the AM and just before I go to bed. I do this for 5 days prior to physical appt.
You probably already do this but here is my suggestion. Get an at-home BP monitor and take it about once a week, or once a month, or just on some semi-regular interval. Then bring these numbers to the doctor, ignore the readings you get in-office, and see whether they are willing to scan in your at-home readings as a document in your chart.
I have had episodes of white coat hypertension myself. And I have a stress-induced arrhythmia. Isn’t it strange how sometimes you don’t “feel” stressed but your cardiovascular system decides otherwise?
Currently they accept the ones from donating blood and the relatively regular blood tests I have done, but even then they still check it at the end of the appt and compare that to the first. I don’t mind them doing that. It gives me a little piece of mind too, but I still wish I could “fix” it.
Maybe it can’t be fixed. Perhaps once the body learns to be stressed given a certain situation it’s always that way.
I was able to get over being super frightened at seeing snakes though - not enough to love them, but enough to hold one once. This led me to wonder if I could overcome this.
I have no idea what my BP is when I see a snake though!
I have it, too. I have an at home monitor to track my bp, but even at home, the second the thing starts squeezing my arm, I can feel the pressure rise. But not as much as it does in a medical setting. I’ve tried to relax, but to no avail.
Your health is your most important thing in life next to family (I hope!). While we hope a “white coat visit” brings us some positives and reassurances, fact is, it often doesn’t - or there is a mix of +/-.
While your medical provider isn’t always the giver of good news, they hopefully will be among your biggest advocates/assets if you have to maneuver a medical journey. Do whatever you can to keep your glass half full for visits - but yeah, I think most of us to have some “white coat” hesitation - mostly for to guard our mental/physical selves!!!
I’ve had to take a dose of “practice what you preach”. I advocate and bug those I love to visit health care professionals but I’ve been just terrible over the decades about doing the same myself. I’m just now FINALLY getting caught up on all the things I need to make routine for me. Dermatologist this week and then a couple more things to go in 2023 (routine things anyway).
I usually don’t have that issue but just a few minutes ago I had oral surgery and my BP was very high! I didn’t feel anxious but I guess I was. They tried three times and I thought the cuff was going to squeeze my arm off, ha. They said they would just note n/a since I’ve never had high BP in the past. I had local, not general, anesthetic.
They always have to take a second reading at my appointments. I blame it on the parking garage - tight spaces with lots of columns. I’m always stressed finding and fitting into a space.
I do have a cuff at home so know the office readings are higher than normal.
H spent 11 hours in the ER last week due to a late night health scare. The neurologist wanted him to see his cardiologist due to his elevated bp, but the ER doctor assured him that it’s very common to have elevated bp in the ER! H did see his PCP, who agreed with the ER doc (who, coincidentally, went to high school with my D & whose father taught my S).
My BP has had the opposite problem of being concerningly LOW my last few visits with my internist. It lead to me asking if I should stop taking my beta blocker and having my MD agree.
Meditation has been shown to reduce BP—maybe if you can meditate before and at your MD’s office @Creekland ?
Mine used to be low back in the dark ages. I recall not being able to give blood once because it was too low. Other times it was borderline. For the past couple of decades it’s been quite normal and everywhere else other than a doctor’s office (like donating blood) I tend to get kudos for it considering it’s natural.
I don’t know if meditation would help or not. If I stop to actually think about anything prior to an appointment I half wonder if it would really skyrocket.
Ensure both feet are flat on the floor and legs uncrossed. Ask them to take a manual pressure and ensure they use the right size cuff. You can ask them to not do it first thing when you get back in the room. Be honest and tell them that you had a brain tumor and since then your body naturally is at a higher stress level at doctors office visits.
If you do need to wait in the room, try the Calm app doing some deep breathing.
I understand hate not feeling in control. Since having covid, I have a very sudden change and get immediately anxious in car washes or underground parking garages.
I remind myself that the human body is an amazing thing and I cannot control every little neuron firing and brain synapses.
Have you tried deep breathing? I can really bring my blood pressure down doing that which is kind of cheating since I have hypertension. I like this gif to breathe in time to. Just try it while you’re in the waiting room and see if it helps.
I always make my H (he’s a Dr) take my blood pressure for a few days before an appointment as I have had white coat syndrome. Even when the Dr was a good friend of ours. Now that I think about it, those may have been some of the worst readings!
My white coat syndrome is whatever illness I have, the minute I make an appointment with a doctor then it is gone. It’s a bit of insurance for me now - just pay the doctor.
Good point on that one. It could stop them from getting so worried.
My next scheduled appointment is in May. I’ll see if anything changes. I was mainly asking now in case there was anything I could contemplate between now and then. It’s been on my mind since donating blood as my brain goes WTH? How come it’s fine here, but not there? Then it was fine at the medical blood draw too - that has to do with my health and medicine, but I guess my brain doesn’t give a hoot about that part!
