Ok, after a week of crappy readings, finally got a decent reading today, albeit a confusing one: 119/71.

Here is the confusion: I could tell my BP was anxiety driven, because my normal pulse of 65-72 would shoot up. I strapped the cuff on today and waited, then manually took my pulse after a few minutes: 90. I pushed the button and could feel the usual tension. Lots of PVCs which the machine picked up as "irregular heart beats" and the pulse was 104. So why was the anxiety manifested as PVCs and a pulse about 40 bpm higher than usual, but the BP was actually good? Can it be the case that the body adjusts and blunts a rise in BP due to stress some times, but not others?

FYI, the machine also inflated up to 188 before deflating. This is my second "spare" Omron that I have now been using for a week calibrated against the 1st, as a cross-check. They both have captured the huge pulse rise as I take my BP.

Sorry if these question seems more scienc-techy!

acp

Lucky you again because you can go by your pulse increasing to tell if you are getting an adrenalin surge ( I can't because my beta blocker prevents my pulse from going up much above 64. Ever try putting in those soft ear plugs so you don't hear the inflation?

After trying many ways to distract myself, I settled on one method: making lists in my mind of what I have to do for the following day or that day. I love making lists. It has to be something you like to think about. Fam

Lucky you again because you can go by your pulse increasing to tell if you are getting an adrenalin surge ( I can't because my beta blocker prevents my pulse from going up much above 64. Ever try putting in those soft ear plugs so you don't hear the inflation?

After trying many ways to distract myself, I settled on one method: making lists in my mind of what I have to do for the following day or that day. I love making lists. It has to be something you like to think about. Fam


I think I must have the most erratic BP around; my pulse will go up to 106 and my BP will be under 120/80. Other times my pulse will be in the 80s, but BP will be in the 140s! And if adrenalin is causing the pulse to surge, why doesn't the diastolic go up too?

I am confused by what seem to be contradictory information: OTOH I read where anxiety=adrenalin=high diastolic. OTOH I also read that stress primarily affects the systolic number. I'd sure like to know exactly why my BP can be 119 systolic one day and 140 the next day, over and over and over...and no doctor will tell me.

acp