hello all,
I am joining the navy in a month but the thing is, you can't have really high blood pressure on you preliminary exam. My blood pressure is normally really low, in fact my doctor once joked that I should be sleeping because it was so low. However, whenever the doctors at M.E.P.S try to take my blood pressure it skyrockets, going way over the limit they have set. Is there any way to help with this, like some relaxation exercises or something like that which i cam do beforehand? any help would be appreciated, I need to find a way to control it before i leave in just a month.
Is there any way to help with this, like some relaxation exercises or something like that which i cam do beforehand? any help would be appreciated, I need to find a way to control it before i leave in just a month.
How about some regular exercises? Work up a sweat about an hour before your visist. Of course, your blood pressure may elevate a little while you are exercising. But, after about one hour, there usually is a remarkable drop. This also will help relax you for your appointment.
Do you have a blood pressure monitor at home, so you can check how your particular body responds to certain things and how long it takes to come up after doing certain things? I've found that for me, my systolic pressure has dropped as much as 40 points after taking a warm tub bath, and it took hours to come back up. (In fact, it never did get back up to the same point that day.)
Breathing exercises can be helpful, and that is something you could do close to the time of the exam. There are CDs out to guide you in blood pressure breathing exercises. I found one place on the web that had a sample of the tape on the web and you could try it from that. Again, for many people it can take hours after the breathing exercises to come back up. And doing those exercises (without a tape, of course) just as someone is about to take your pressure might help keep it from spiking as high.
You definitely have a case of white coat and I,too, suffer severe white coat.
I am sorry to say that I have tried everything and nothing seems to work for me. I sit in the waiting room breathing my relaxations exercises (sometimes I feel like an idiot with everyone watching me) and when I finally get in and get that damned cuff on, the BP is awful. I am lucky that my doctor believes in white coat and just takes the log that I give him from home.
Your problem is that you are so worried about not passing the preliminary exam and it is easier said than done to stop thinking about that. Try to keep a log of measurements from home and see if the doctor will accept it.
I wish you the best of luck in your military service.
Doctors have been known to prescribe a beta blocker to actors and comedians to stop stage fright. They only take the beta blocker once in a blue moon, not on a regular basis. This could also be dangerous, I think, but you could see your family physician and ask about taking just one beta blocker for your "stage fright". He can tell you exactly when to take it, with regard to your official medical exam time. This shouldn't stop you from enlisting, or would be a shame if it did. The best of luck to you
That is very interesting. The Beta Blocker, whether it was Toprol or the Atenolol that I have been on for the past 8 months or so, doesn't really help me with the anxiety portion. The Xanax that I am on helps me more with the anxiety & at times it can also help me with the white-coat at the doc. I guess that everyone reacts differently.
Normally, a non-selective beta-blocker is used for stage-fright. Toprol and atenolol are cardio-selective beta-blockers and don't do much for anxiety. The drug that is most commonly used for this is called Inderal (propanolol). It also has a relatively short half-life, so it doesn't linger in the system too long afterwards.
"Stage fright" causes some people's heart to "race". This in turn increases anxiety in most, just feeling this response (to anxiety). This can lead to a cascade of emotion and a blundering public delivery (panic attack). A beta blocker of any class, will slow the beat of the heart, whether we are scared, anxious or exercising. Beta blockers are not prescribed for anxiety, xanax is. You are used to being on stage. Some of us, that have had to speak publically, know this feeling, yet there are some that do not fear speaking in public. I feel panicky, just thinking about it, lol.
I think xanax would be much better for stage fright, myself, but I was trying to be specific in helping this young man, Becca, lower his BP due to the "white coat syndrome". He doesn't have stage fright, he has temporary high BP, and a beta blocker will definitely cure this. I used the only example that I have read about, where doctors prescribe beta blockers on a short term, temporary basis, and that is for "stage fright".
Good points Jack. I have been on stage for years now. When I go on stage I just get an adrenalin rush. I feel relaxed. I take my meds. in the morning, take my last xanax around 4 (so I'm not dopey) & play around 11-12:30 at night. I have never had that beta-blocker before. I have only had Toprol, which was switched to Atenolol. B/P today was 109/64. I swear that the xanax helps my B/P & stage fright more than any beta blocker. I should be a spokesman for Xanax. It has made this experience much easier for me.
I'm used to the stage. I just don't get jitters anymore in front of a crowd. Put me in a doctor's office & it is a different story.
I ran into this problem in the police academy. The worse is being in a line of people watching you get your pressure taken. There is no solution. No drugs. My pressure was fine at the time (1996) and my doc refused to prescribe anything. The best thing to do is to tell them up front--if it is a doc he will understand. My GP said if you take someones BP with white coat for a 30 minute period you will get pretty close to a accurate reading because the person will get bored and start to relax. I know no doc wants to do that, but its just a point...
Military medical guidelines used to be very inflexable and unforgiving. They may have eased up somewhat now, I don't know.
I do know for a fact, that a beta blocker taken at the right time before the exam, will decrease his BP. Beta blockers reduce the force of the contraction of the heart, thereby lowering the BP. It's like adjusting the stroke of a pump. If this young man took a beta blocker before the medical exam, and it didn't lower his BP, then he may really have a problem.
*holds up hands in surrender* lol thank you all for the advice. I'll ask my doctor about the beta blockers the next time i go in to see him. if nothing else i'll ask him to prescribe something for the anxiety. oh and jack....im a girl. hence the name becca *winks* no offense taken though. again thanks for all the advice.
I agree 100% with dback...there is NO solution.
I have had my BP well under control for months at a time and I have gone into the doctors office after taking a double dose of thiazide and losartan (my "normal meds") the day before and also added 40 mg. nadolol 80 mg. propranolol + 10 mg. Norvasc AND 10 mg. Valium. On the examining table I STILL get readings like 165/115.
When I'd CRAWL home muttering to myself all the way, I'd get consistent readings like 90/52 with my heart beating OCCASIONALLY for the next 24 hours (with a three day slump from the nadolol.)
There is NO way to beat this condition (white coat hypertension.)
Next time I'll try the drug OD PLUS 100 push ups and 1/2 hour on a stationary bile at 125 BPM...and go to the office in a CABULANCE!
So sorry to mistake your gender . I guess that the military thingy through me off (very old fashioned of me). You women do a terrific job for all of us in our Armed Forces, and I am so proud of all of you. I was an old Army doggie myself...
Lenin,
If I am correct, you are around 50 years old??? If I am wrong, then please forgive me . Anyways, your body does not function as a young persons, such as Beccas (I truly wish it did). Also you have probably had hypertension for a while, and have taken many medicines for it (from reading your post below).
It is very puzzling and most bizarre to me, to consider why anyone with the "white coat syndrome", would go to such lengths to lower their BP, just while at a doctors office. You must have also had a death wish, when you combined all of these medicines. You are very lucky that your heart didn't stop.
I think that most doctors are aware of the syndrome, and would much rather believe your readings taken at home, than to see you attempt to kill yourself to prove some point. I still am not clear as to what point you were trying to prove. Obviously, you wanted your BP to be very low or normal when the nurse or doctor checked it, but your experiment went wrong when you took all the extra medicines. What would it have proved if your BP had been lower than 165/115, say 120/70? To me it would have proved that you needed to take a dangerous amount of hypertensive medications, along with a tranquilizer, to overcome your syndrome.
I have read that most doctors have you sit around for about 20 minutes or so and take your BP again. Did you tell this doctor about all the meds you had taken? I can't believe that he would let you leave with only one check of your BP and it being 165/115. Some susceptable people, have had strokes with BP this high.
Do you think Becca's circulatory system/heart is as strange as yours, and she shouldn't try a beta blocker, maybe before a visit to her personal doctor's office, to determine if it beat the white coat there? This is very importamt to her. I don't understand why you discourage Becca from at least trying a beta blocker.
I am not trying to discourage Becca from trying a beta blocker to beat "white coat" but is sounds like you might be.
I have experimented on myself and as a result know for certain that my white coat is far stronger than any drug I could take. When my adrenaline is pumping, medications are a joke; like trying on a few extra sweaters on to stop a bullet.
Of course I didn't tell my doctor what drugs I had taken and since we've been around this merry go round several times since, he is no longer allowed to take my BP. As far as
Quote:
I can't believe that he would let you leave with only one check of your BP
goes, since I am paying the bills and am not "custody" of any kind, when I am ready to go, I GO.
What it boils down to is that he doesn't belive "white coat exists." I KNOW it does and that I have my BP under perfect control...there is NO resolution to this.
I don't hold my GP responsible for my medical care; I would be a fool to do so. All he is is a prescription pad and a necessary entre to a specialist...if I could write my own script and refer myself to the right specialist, I would dispense with a GP entirely. (My disdain for GP's doesn't apply to any specialist I see...some of them have been good and I am sure there are some GP's that know what they are doing- I haven't found one yet in my insurance plan.)
P.S. He wanted to add Norvasc to the Norvasc I'd already taken, unbeknownst to him. If I added a drug every time that he found "uncontrolled hypertension" in his office, I'd paradoxically actually be ON all the drugs I took to see if "white coat" could be beaten...it CAN'T.
Lenin, making broad and highly generalized statements, like "white coat CAN'T be beaten" is over simplifying a somewhat complex phenomenon. It may be true for you, but not for all others. Ever heard of the power of suggestion? Some are susceptable, and your declaration does them no good.
Jack,
Isn't it logical to assume that EVERY statement is from the point of view of the poster. Wouldn't posts be quite tedious if every sentence had to say, I think, I believe, I have found for myself, IMHO, and on and on.
Of course when I say, I know WHITE COAT CANNOT BE BEATEN, and I document the experiment that I did on myself, I am, of course, not speaking for the rest of the population of the planet, but for myself. Others can choose if it's likely to pertain to them, and test the hypothesis any way they deem fit.
If you choose, you can read my post and append IMHO after every phrase...I just assume that it's ASSUMED.
I agree 100% with dback...there is NO solution.
I have had my BP well under control for months at a time and I have gone into the doctors office after taking a double dose of thiazide and losartan (my "normal meds") the day before and also added 40 mg. nadolol 80 mg. propranolol + 10 mg. Norvasc AND 10 mg. Valium. On the examining table I STILL get readings like 165/115.
There is NO way to beat this condition (white coat hypertension.)
P.S. He wanted to add Norvasc to the Norvasc I'd already taken, unbeknownst to him. If I added a drug every time that he found "uncontrolled hypertension" in his office, I'd paradoxically actually be ON all the drugs I took to see if "white coat" could be beaten...it CAN'T.
Lenin, I hate to refer to quotes, but just to prove a point here, I have used 2 quotes, combined into one. They are taken out of context, but it didn't alter the point I am trying to make, which is, most sane people would probably believe that you think that this "white coat sydrome" is impossible for anyone to beat, after reading what you wrote.
You can argue the "intent" of your statement, but there would be no argument if you had prefaced your declarations with "for me", or "it has been my experience". I think for most, it is very hard to misinterpret what you were implying or stating.
Most people who post, differentiate between things that apply to them, from things that apply universally to all. This is not tedious to do, and is a basic reguirement for communication, in essence i, vs we, most vs some, all vs part, i cannot vs you cannot, etcetera.
Have a great day. I really enjoy your posts, and have learned a lot from your writing, and for that, I thank you.
My experience with white-coat has been similar to Lenin's. And, I've come to the same conclusion. If my doctor were exclusively using my office numbers, I would probably be on 3-4 drugs. I'd also be visiting the ER for hypotension. Of course, the ER wouldn't actually see my hypotensin because the white-coat would set it. And, the ER would most likely send me home with even more drugs. Right now, on just ONE drug, I regularly record dips in my BP in the 90/60 range. Of course, now I seldom see a reading over 125/80 at home (unless I am taking my BP just before I am leaving for the doc). But, at the doctor's, my latest reading was 160/80.
Look Pal and Lenin. I was simply suggesting a way for this young Lady to try to pass her military exam. I have heard of the white coat syndrome, and I believe wholeheartedly in it, even though it has never affected me. All that I said was Becca could try a beta blocker, prescribed from her doctor, after she explained to him/her, this reaction she has to having her BP taken while undergoing her military medical exam. I thought it was a very good recommendation, since doctors will prescribe it for "stage fright". Then people declared it would not work....I still urged Becca to try it TOO HELP HERSELF WITH HER PROBLEM! Most of the post that followed mine, were to emphasize sure failure using this approach, and declarations were made that the syndrome was impossible to overcome. Where were the posts trying to help her with her problem, instead of telling her nothing would work?
What to do....? 
. I guess that the military thingy through me off (very old fashioned of me). You women do a terrific job for all of us in our Armed Forces, and I am so proud of all of you. I was an old Army doggie myself...
