Help Blood pressure betraying me

[BearTreadingWater]

I'll save the venting for another thread, but is there any way to stop my blood pressure increasing massively when it's being taken in a medical context?

Life has felt like torture for ages because I can't get the medication I need for ADHD because my blood pressure spikes in the mental health office. When I take it myself it used to be on the high side of normal. Now I'm on guanfacine (for the ADHD) it's the low side of normal, heading toward low - but it was 160/104 when he took it today. I know that's high, but it's not normal for me at all and I'm trapped in a miserable existance because of it.

He refuses to accept home readings and although I think getting it done elsewhere might be a bit lower, I still think a pharmacy etc would make it run high because it always feels like my life depends on every reading. Even having a friens do it makes it spike. I'm sure a 24 hour monitor would have the same issues and just work against me, and there's other reasons i want to avoid that too.

I've tried all the tips I can about posture, box breathing, water, cold air beforehand, sitting longer definitley doesn't help me. I've tried taking propranaolol, but that never seems to have an impact.

Plan is to speak to my own doctor tomorrow, but is there anything I'm missing? I've asked if there's any way to pursue informed consent, where I sign something saying that I'm aware of the risks. He says he'll speak to someone about that, but I'm not hopeful.

Thanks

 

[timf]

Aspirin is a blood thinner, but I am not sure if that would make things better or worse.

 

[whywere]

I just turned 70, I first was diagnosed with high blood pressure at the age of 50. It REALLY runs genetically and also whenever I see a white coat it spikes.

I just had a visit at my pain clinic, and a new nurse took my readings, and she was horrified and I tried to explain it about being in a clinic where I get needles in my spinal cord and just the thought makes my readings go haywire. She, of course, did not believe in, until another one came in and said everything is normal for me and that was that.

At least to/for me, it all comes down to the medical person LISTENING to the patient, and NOT a stupid reading on a machine without thinking about what I had said.

It has and always will be an uphill battle for me whenever a new medical person comes into my world and like with you, maybe, it is trying to have a person LISTEN to you.

All I can say is good luck and a roll of the dice, I guess.

Hugs my good family member.

Walter

 

[spero_meliora]

i have pretty bad white coat syndrome too... i explained this to my GP, and she allowed me to send her readings from a blood pressure machine i purchased and did the readings myself at home. even still, i have to take like... three or more readings because the first one is always artificially elevated, even just the cuff seems to do something negative to my brainmeats.

all that to say that you mentioned he refuses home readings. has he stated why? there are fancier machines out there that could send him the readings / save them for him, or alternatively you could just take a photo. it's an extreme case of "cover your ass" on his side. I wonder if you could show him that you are aware of how to use the machine properly, and then do a few readings throughout a few days (most gps here in ireland, for example, want 2 readings 2x daily, sometimes 2 5x daily).

what I'm getting at is basically you showing him that your bp is drastically different in office versus at home, maybe he'd start listening to you.

my partner with ADHD also has pots - if they try to take her bp the second she gets into the office it's way, way off, she has to sit for like ten minutes before it regulates.

 

[BearTreadingWater]

I get the logic with the asprin, but I've had a look and everything seems to be bwtween saying it doesn't do much or can actually go the other way.

Yeah, I think not being listened to is definitley a factor with this psychiatrist specifically. It is sometimes slightly lower when a nurse takes it in there (once a month to get the guanfacine), but still not as low as it needs to be. Maybe it's also a more general thing about doctors not listening to me, or blatantly lying. I've had a few bad experinces in medical places that certainly don't help.

In the run up to some appointments I've taken it at home three times a day (ignoring the first reading). I put it into a spreadsheet and sent it to them. Was told that I wouldn't have been given rhe guanfacine if I hadn't have done that - but think that's bullshit because it's used for high blood pressure too anyway.

I've asked for a reason and just keep being told that nobody will prescribe stimulants while my readings are like that in the building. I've tried a fancier smart cuff that i borrowed from someone, readings going straight to my phone. He wouldn't even look at them. I showed the nurse a photo of itbon my arm with the number, and somwthing written on my arm that could only have been known that day. He didn't pay any notice to that.

When I spoke to my own doctor the next day they said that they didn't rely on in clinic readings anymore - because home readings are far more accurate. Exactly! There's nothing medicine wise they can give me. They did say my plan to volunteer for medical students to practice on me might actually be clever. Like some sttange form of exposure therapy.

He's never going to pay any attention to a reading taken my anyone he doesn't see as "clinical" so I've got to find some kind of way of tricking my body.