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I had a doc appointment a couple of weeks ago. My wife was driving and we were running late, so I was getting stressed about missing the appointment on top of b
by wkjagt 11mo ago
I had a doc appointment a couple of weeks ago. My wife was driving and we were running late, so I was getting stressed about missing the appointment on top of being stressed about going to see the doctor. There was a lot of traffic so I decided to get out at a red light and run to my appointment while my wife parked the car. I only barely made it and the first thing they did was take my pressure. They took it twice, because at the first they were like, this can't be right. When I explained, they asked if I had a blood pressure monitor at home so I could take my own pressure at a more quiet moment.
- andreareina 11mo agoThe guidelines for taking blood pressure state you should be sitting quietly for 5 minutes beforehand, something that almost never happens at the doctor's.
- hirvi74 11mo agoMine constantly asks me questions during my measurements. I thought one wasn't supposed to be talking during the readings either?
- rhyperior 11mo agoA PA explained to me once: they’re taught you have to sneak quietly into a room where the patient has been sitting in the dark listening to soothing music for 15 minutes and take their BP measurement without them noticing. Goals.
- hermitcrab 11mo agoHard not to notice the squeeze from a pressure cuff.
- nathan_douglas 11mo agoNumb the arm by having the patient sit calmly with their left arm in an ice bath.
- hermitcrab 11mo agoSitting for minutes in extreme discomfort definitely won't change your BP! ;0)
- adirelle 11mo agoYou are kidding but having hypertension issues for years, I can confirm you that tension is a highly-dynamic value that can change in few minutes for a lot of reasons. Here the standard toi
- cyanydeez 11mo agoThere's more evidence that taking with lying down is better.
- stuffn 11mo agoI've never been to a doctor where they waited the appropriate amount of time. It's always almost immediately as you sit down. This has caused a lot of problems for me. I learned most insurance companies require a doctor hold you until your blood pressure is "normal" (where normal is < 140/90 for their purposes). This resulted in several times where I was kept in an office with nurses coming in and out every 3 minutes to repeatedly take measurements which simply made it worse. Blood pressure is highly variable even moment by moment. A single data point at your yearly visit is basically meaningless. Even your posture can shift it. Legs in a different position? Too much tension in one arm over the other? Seated awkward? Have gas? Unfortunately, it's also very difficult to get a 24 hour monitor unless you have another suspected condition (such as kidney problems).
- tharkun__ 11mo agoJust start drinking excessively!