After reading through all the posts, I see I am not alone with what I call "Blood Pressure Monitoring Phobia."

It seems that Everyone's BP fluctuates really wild throughout the day.

I, for one, am a obssesive stickler for numbers. I go crazy striving to see that 120/80 or lower on my BP monitor, and if I don't see it.....watch out-I'll sit there and take up to 7 readings until I get a good one.

Now, my cardiologist, whom I told of my obsession, told me that, on meds, as long as the readings are 140/90 or lower, then that's OK. At times, these readings may go higher, especially if a person has white-coat(like me), anxiety(like me), or is obsessed with what the researchers say "must" be a set-in-stone number(120/80 or lower)

So, I have come to the conclusion that, yes, at times, my BP is going to rocket up there, but so long as I also get nice low readings, in addition to the sometimes high ones, I'm not going to fret and obsess about it.....because "uncontrolled hypertension" means EVERY reading is above 140/90....

So, if there are others out there like me, that obsess and worry over 1 or 2 or 3 high readings over the course of a day......I think as long as you are also getting low readings, Don't worry-----Your BP is under control.

Atta boy jerry.

You've got it. it's an AVERAGE BP that's high that's cause for concern. Remember: "What do you call a person who NEVER has his BP go up? A CADAVER!"

Raising BP is the body's way to get extra food and oxygen to the cells of the body in times of stress. Without it a person would drop dead the first time he tries to run!

It's only the RESTING BP that should be used to judge hypertension. And RESTING is the one thing we're NOT doing in a doctor's office. Why some of these dimwit MD's can't grasp that concept is beyond me...well not really, I understand the profit motive behind "illness."

Atta boy jerry.

You've got it. it's an AVERAGE BP that's high that's cause for concern. Remember: "What do you call a person who NEVER has his BP go up? A CADAVER!"

Raising BP is the body's way to get extra food and oxygen to the cells of the body in times of stress. Without it a person would drop dead the first time he tries to run!

It's only the RESTING BP that should be used to judge hypertension. And RESTING is the one thing we're NOT doing in a doctor's office. Why some of these dimwit MD's can't grasp that concept is beyond me...well not really, I understand the profit motive behind "illness."

Hey Zip:

I LOVE that CADAVER Joke. Really clever. Think about our ancesters that lived 100's of years ago, before anyone ever even knew what blood pressure was. They all did fine, didn't they?

I say it again, Zip, you crack me up!
I dont check my pressure because of that very reason. I wouldnt get true readings because I would obcess and stress myself out. I am just living my life and enjoying it! Drs. LOVE to turn healthy people into sick patients. What did people so before they could buy a monitor at their local Wal-mart?

I really like this thread. I think it is great for new guys like myself.

Scout

If it makes anyone feel better, I'm a 17 year old male at a healthy weight and my BP gets into the upper 130s lower 140s sometimes when I first sit down and test... I get worried just about everytime I test, it sucks... Someday maybe someone will say something that will help me put up my monitor for more than 1 or 2 days. :P

My BP varies a lot. On the very first test it can be as high as 140/80 but subsequent tests drop down to <=120/75. Pretty much everday I test my BP I usually get numbers as low as 107/60. If I get readings like that (when I test correctly), is that my real BP? Or is it an average of all of them? I heard somewhere that you take 3 readings and whatever the lowest one was is the one you go with. Is that true?

naes,

I USED to take three readings and record the average.
Now I take three reading and scribble them on scratch paper. I cross off the HIGH and the LOW sysyolic and the one that's left is my reading. I do the same with diastolic and heart rate. It's a faster method and I don't need to divide and get halves or thirds. (Sometimes it HURTS to cross out a particularly nice 118/76...but TOSS IT I DO!)

Make sure to leave a copuple minutes between readings and switch arms between them...I know, three arms would be more logical:D:D!

I TRY to do this process twice a day unless I've just made a change, then I do it more often.

If you want to do it once a day only, try to vary the time of day!

jerry,
Testing til you get a GOOD number might be construed as cheating in some circles:D:D:D!

(Keeping double books, one for us and one for the doctors, THOUGH TEMPTING, should NEVER cross our minds...ROFL!:D)

Thank God there were not blood pressure monitors when I was 17! Try not to worry! You are young and healthy. Blood pressure rising throughout the day is normal. Zip is right. Being an alive normal healthy human being needs their BP to rise and fall according to the body's need for oxygen. I promise you are fine just like Zip and I were fine when we were 17. I am 43 and nothing has happened to me because of BP! My trust in DRs in very low right now. Especially what they are putting a 17 yr old through.

I didn't start taking mine until I was 22. I'm 34 now. At The FSU clinic, they realized that I had a murmur, so I had it checked out at home when I graduated. It turned out to be nothing, but my b/p was like 140/75 at the cardiologist. He gave me some med. & said I would have to take meds. for the rest of my life. I would test it like once or twice a year & always get readings like 135/75 & etc. I wasn't worried about the top #, because docs. weren't at the time. Now the top # is very important. They said that they would accept my parents insurance when I was 22 & when I got a bill for thousands of dollars & collection agencies calling me, I started to lose faith in doctors. When I told the cardiologist at 22 that I smoke he called me a schmuck. Nice wording coming from a cardiologist. No wonder I avoided docs. for 10 years.

Well, I went to the doctor for a soar throat once and I was really worried when they were taking my BP since I hadn't taken it in so long and sure enough -- my worry shot it up to 140/80.... they were shocked at the 140 and tested multiple times in a row, but all were high. They just told me to monitor it at home/the stores and see what it is. So, the docs aren't telling me I have high BP or anything, it's just I always think I might even though I get more normal readings then I do high, much more. :(

Heh.. its funny how I said I get as low as 107/60 because I am sitting here typing this and I stopped and tested and its dead on 107/60 :P

2 mintues later: 113/64 (this number seems to pop up a lot)

My first reading was 124/65.

2 minutes later...: 102/58

That's... pretty low. My dad is 41 and his BP is 104/70 tested by a doctor, so I'm hoping these low numbers are inherited from him and they stick around beyond 40! :)

Oh, and pulse is 59.

naes,

I USED to take three readings and record the average.
Now I take three reading and scribble them on scratch paper. I cross off the HIGH and the LOW sysyolic and the one that's left is my reading. I do the same with diastolic and heart rate. It's a faster method and I don't need to divide and get halves or thirds. (Sometimes it HURTS to cross out a particularly nice 118/76...but TOSS IT I DO!)

Make sure to leave a copuple minutes between readings and switch arms between them...I know, three arms would be more logical:D:D!

I TRY to do this process twice a day unless I've just made a change, then I do it more often.

If you want to do it once a day only, try to vary the time of day!

jerry,
Testing til you get a GOOD number might be construed as cheating in some circles:D:D:D!

(Keeping double books, one for us and one for the doctors, THOUGH TEMPTING, should NEVER cross our minds...ROFL!:D)

Ah, so you go by the median. :)