Blood Pressure Freak Out

[Aquila]

I give blood pretty regularly, and usually when I go, my blood pressure is between 110-120 over 60-70, in there.

Today it was 140/94.

I'm sort of freaked out, because that seems really high.

I thought about calling to make an appointment with my doctor, but...

I feel like a total failure. I ride 80+ miles most weeks, but yes, I'm overweight, and not having any success losing. And I eat too many sweets, but I don't smoke. And I rarely drink and not much when I do. But I'm feeling like a total failure. And scared.

What say you? Should I make an appointment, or take it as an anomoly (sp?) and wait 8 weeks or so until the next time I'm eligible to give blood?

Thanks. I'm really way too upset about this to make good sense of it.

[channlluv]

I fought long and hard to manage my blood pressure with diet and exercise, to no avail. I just didn't want to be depending on pharmaceuticals for anything, but I was having trouble with sudden headaches when I'd climb hills and things like that. Any exertion would lead to a quick headache that would abate almost immediately when I stopped whatever I was doing.

I ended up in Urgent Care with the worst headache of my life. I thought I was having a stroke or something, but they put me on meds for blood pressure, and within a couple of days, it was back under control, and my activity level has improved immensely.

Call your doctor. It may just be a blip. Maybe you ate something really salty the day before or something as simple as that, but blood pressure is nothing you want to ignore.

Good luck.

Roxy

[Jolt]

It's a good idea to call your doctor just to be on the safe side. It certainly could just be a "blip" so try not to freak out too much. Did you drink a lot of coffee before that reading? That can definitely send your BP up if you're not used to it (at least it does mine, as I discovered at a visit to the doctor after a morning where I had two cups).

[ny biker]

The consequences of untreated high blood pressure are extremely serious. I would definitely have it checked out, just to make sure everything is okay. But if you consistently see lower numbers then it probably is just an anomaly.

[katluvr]

I recently had a "blip" at my last visit. And I never have had it elevated. Yes, I drink caffiene and before the visit.
Second visit it was still above my norm, but not bad --yet--
But I have since then done a BP in a more relaxed environment (luckily I work at a hospital)...but you can also do it at the local drug store. Do it when you are relaxed and see if that makes a diff. (Not that I am saying don't go to your doc, but maybe check it out to see if it truly is a blip)

[Tuckervill]

I had a few weeks of high BP last year, and I successfully brought it down with diet and exercise. It was during an intense stress phase of the baseball season (I run a league) and I believe that is more the cause than anything. I monitored it regularly, and that helped me feel better than anything--knowing I could control it just by relaxing and relieving stress helps me keep it down, too.

Now my husband is on BP meds. They told him not to monitor it, but I think he should at least MANAGE it, which I would think would mean checking it periodically. He does go in for a BP check at the doctor's office regularly.

I'll be working on my BP for the rest of my life. Get it checked.

Karen

[tulip]

Why in the world wouldn't you get it checked? Sticking your head in the sand doesn't help anything. Not to mention that being proactive and taking action is very empowering

[ny biker]

And it's not a failure to have a condition like high blood pressure. Some things are beyond your control. And for the things that you have some control over, if you don't think you've been doing well at addressing them, put the past behind you and start fresh. Don't forget that you're already doing some good things, like exercising regularly and avoiding some bad habits. Just identify some things that you can change and start changing them, one at a time, small manageable steps.

Good luck!

[witeowl]

First, it's not that frighteningly high. See this chart (http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/medicine/blood-pressure.htm). Sure, get it checked, but I'm afraid that you're going to be panicked when you go, which will raise your blood pressure even more. So, when you do, make sure you relax. (Any chance you were a bit apprehensive about the upcoming needle?)

I suggest you either invest in a home monitor (or borrow one from a friend) or check yourself every week for a while in a drug store or grocery store. See what it averages out to over a period of time.

Lastly, please get this idea of being a "failure" out of your head. Blood pressure rises and falls so many times over the course of a day. You can't take one reading seriously. And, even if your blood pressure is borderline high, it's nothing that can't be dealt with through dietary or medical means. Some people are just predisposed to hypertension. You may be one of them.

[Aquila]

Thank you for all the helpful responses.

I found the chart especially helpful.

I think it's probably a combo of eating out over the holiday weekend (extra salt!!) and the beginning of the semester stresses (which aren't going away any time soon).

I hesitate to call the doctor's office because I'm afraid they'll think I'm an idiot. I'm afraid of that a lot, alas. And my blood pressure is always 20 points higher there than when I give blood (because I get I'm not scared of giving blood after so many years?).

Anyway, I appreciate the advice, and I'm going to push back the fear of being an idiot and call tomorrow. But I'm also not nearly as worried as I was the other day (thanks again for that), so that helps in itself.

[ny biker]

Who cares what they think of you? It's their job to help you take care of your health.

I always figure that no matter what I say to a doctor and no matter what I present with, they've seen it before, probably worse. In fact based on the stories I've heard since my sister became a nurse last year, I'm sure of it.

[Wahine]

I just want to reiterate what Witeowl said. This is not really that high and there are lots of possible explanations. Take a series of readings over a few weeks and see how you do. And stress is a HUGE contributor to blood pressure so you might want to try some stress management techniques like meditation.

[solobiker]

mine used to be high back in 2003. It was stabilized on medication then they took me off it in 2004. Well lately including today I have not been feeling well. I had the nurses at work take mine and it was 170/110 which is high for me as I usually run about 110/60. They checked it 2 other times and it was still about the same. Pretty crazy.