Heart of an athlete

[Crankin]

Recommending a full body check from a derm is just part of a physical today, so don't read anything into that one!
I would keep monitoring your BP and also think about doing other, non-medical things for stress reduction, like meditation. Yoga is something else that really works, but sometimes, it is contraindicated for high blood pressure. Did your doc say how long to monitor before she would do something? I have had periods of transient high blood pressure, when under stress, and it is almost always higher when i go to the doctor. Normally, it's very low, so I bought a digital bp machine that I could save the data from and brought it to my doctor, to show her that my bp was really quite low, except when I am seeing her! So, if you can, buy a bp machine for at home.
Did you get your cholesterol checked, too? Just to be safe... my DH had minimally high bp and high cholesterol as the first warning signs of coronary artery disease, even though he was thin and at the time was riding 4,000 miles a year. He has the family history from hell, though.
I know it is disheartening to have these things, even when we are active and healthy in our lifestyles. Getting all of this checked out is just another way to keep staying healthy.

[lo123]

That's good information to know, but no, I'm not on the pill.

I feel like I went from a young, vital woman (o.k., not young, I'm 42) to an old woman over the course of a 45 minute appointment. The doctor also says my hand pain is probably arthritis and I should get a full body check from a dermatologist.

Some of us just get the short end of the genetic stick. I had to start bp meds last year at the ripe old age of 28 . My mother started them at about the same age. At least now I don't get headaches all the time.