Now I don't get this....I go to my GP one week and my BP was elevated at 150/98. I continue with the meds I got from another doc when she was gone...chlonidine and lisinopril. I go to my OBGYN that same week, take my BP and it is 117/73. I made her take it twice - same results except systolic was 124 with the second reading. I go back to my GP the next week for followup and she says my BP is 150/90. I ask HER to take it not the nurse and she says its 130/90.
Which do you believe??? It can't be the meds and the time I see the doctors because I always schedule it the same time and take my meds the same time everyday.
I'd say white coat. You worry about your blood pressure with your regular doctor but not your gp.
You need to get a home monitor and record your resting bp.
My doctor moved office to just down the street from her old office. I got elevated readings in her old office, but not in the new one. I think this is hilarious. Go figure.
A lot of things can influence BP readings. For me, stress or anxiety is the big one. My systolic has been known to shoot up more than 20 points just after reading the gruesome news of the web. If my stepdaughter comes to visit, that is also a guarantee that the BP will shoot up about 20 points systolic. My BP usually drops after meals, sometimes by as much as 20 points, especially if I've eaten a huge salad with raw spinach and asparagus. My BP was about 20-30 points higher systolic this morning than usual. I didn't think I was particularly salt-sensitive, but I had had a large glass of V-8 juice (read HIGH salt) last night and again first thing this morning, so now I'm wondering if I'm more salt sensitive than I thought. I'm going to start keeping careful records of BP in relation to different foods and see if I can figure this thing out.
So I'd say think through what stresses you might have had on those days your BP differed and what foods you might have eaten.
I didn't think I was particularly salt-sensitive, but I had had a large glass of V-8 juice (read HIGH salt) last night and again first thing this morning, so now I'm wondering if I'm more salt sensitive than I thought.
My blood pressure reacts to many foods and drinks. I tried the low-sodium V-8, which, by the way, is very tasty. I even dilute it to one part V-8 to 10 parts water to limit the calories. Even at that dilution, it caused a signficant jump in my blood pressure. So, sad to day, I don't drink low-sodium V-8 any more.
My previous GP said that v-8 isn't good at all for Hypertensive people. Have you tried making your own without salt in a juice maker? I'm not sure if that makes a difference..but I'm willing to try. I'm a tomato freak!!
I had another large glass of V-8 juice before breakfast again this morning and my BP went up to 155/79 about an hour after drinking it. It had been 134/74 earlier. I hadn't bought V-8 in years, but thought it might be good for a change. Glad I didn't buy more than one jar of it. I haven't seen the low sodium V-8 juice in our local area in years, but maybe I just haven't noticed. I may need to ask. I think I'm too lazy to juice my own. One has to do so much "from scratch" cooking as it is for a healthy diet, that I don't want to spend yet more time in the kitchen.
Back to the differences in your BP at your GP and the OBGYN. Another thing that can affect different readings can be as simple as how you breathe. I can regularly drop my systolic BP reading by 20-30 or more points just by two minutes of deep breathing. But it doesn't even take that. There have been a couple of times I've dropped the systolic almost that much just by taking two deep breaths just before the reading was taken. Just this evening I went from 141/74 to 115/73 by taking two deep breaths, like a couple of big sighs. I have no idea if other people are as greatly affected by this.
