Is there a nurse online? need advice.

November 29, 2004

Hi,

Just got back from the doc's office and have a real problem, the

nurse took my blood pressure with one of those automatic machines

which hurts so much as the cuff is not a large. Doc came in when it

was on the third of six which it then it averages the results and I

was in tears from the pain, he removed it immediately but I am still

bruised. He took it manually and I only heard the first part 148/?

so not too sure the rest, the machine had 182/90 and last time the

manual was 150/85. He has now put me on blood pressure pills and

given me a machine to take the reading each day, so I tried it and I

got 124/64. Did I do something wrong? Are they getting bad

readings at the office? What will happen if I take these meds and I

do not need them? I am a bit nervous about this and could use some

direction.

Thanks Dawn

November 29, 2004

Dawn, I am not a nurse, but you can get false readings of high when the cuff

is too small, alsoif you had not time to relax, and also the " white coat "

effect.They should not have put you on bp meds until you have shown

consistently high readings.Also, your readings were not too bad....Btw, My

mother Is a MD(in Seattle)

hugs of comfort

Feisty

Is there a nurse online? need advice.

>

> Hi,

> Just got back from the doc's office and have a real problem, the

> nurse took my blood pressure with one of those automatic machines

> which hurts so much as the cuff is not a large. Doc came in when it

> was on the third of six which it then it averages the results and I

> was in tears from the pain, he removed it immediately but I am still

> bruised. He took it manually and I only heard the first part 148/?

> so not too sure the rest, the machine had 182/90 and last time the

> manual was 150/85. He has now put me on blood pressure pills and

> given me a machine to take the reading each day, so I tried it and I

> got 124/64. Did I do something wrong? Are they getting bad

> readings at the office? What will happen if I take these meds and I

> do not need them? I am a bit nervous about this and could use some

> direction.

> Thanks Dawn

>

November 29, 2004

If the cuff isn't the right size, the reading will be off. Not to mention,

that pain raises bp, and it was causing pain for you. I would insist that

you be allowed to have another manual reading done with a proper sized cuff,

and see how the results are without medication. I'm a big one for not

taking anything I don't need.

Is there a nurse online? need advice.

>

>>

>> Hi,

>> Just got back from the doc's office and have a real problem, the

>> nurse took my blood pressure with one of those automatic machines

>> which hurts so much as the cuff is not a large. Doc came in when it

>> was on the third of six which it then it averages the results and I

>> was in tears from the pain, he removed it immediately but I am still

>> bruised. He took it manually and I only heard the first part 148/?

>> so not too sure the rest, the machine had 182/90 and last time the

>> manual was 150/85. He has now put me on blood pressure pills and

>> given me a machine to take the reading each day, so I tried it and I

>> got 124/64. Did I do something wrong? Are they getting bad

>> readings at the office? What will happen if I take these meds and I

>> do not need them? I am a bit nervous about this and could use some

>> direction.

>> Thanks Dawn

>>

November 30, 2004

What a TRIP!! They should not have tortured you to get blood pressure

readings, no wonder it was high at times. Who would know, since you were

being tortured over and over. I have never heard of them getting their

averages from a few readings in one session. Those readings should have

been taken about 2 to 3 times a week, ONE time per sitting, ONLY, with you

dropping by the office to do this. Then they should average what they get

from these single sessions. Aaaaaaaaggggggggghhhhhhhhh!!! What do-dos they

are! It would be a good idea for you to do an average of readings yourself,

at home, a couple of times a day, say morning and evening, at about the same

times each day, a few times a week, for a couple of weeks, in a relaxed

atmosphere, after you've been docile for awhile (sitting up, then standing

immediately, and lying down). Then, if you're getting high readings too

often, yes, you'd need to take BP meds. If you are suffering from fright,

it's not a good idea to use one of the readings from an occasion like that,

as everyone's pressure goes up then, but what counts is how fast it comes

back down. The upper figure (systolic) shows how much force the heart is

using to eject the blood out of it. The lower figure (diastolic) shows how

much pressure is being put on the insides of the arteries after the ejection

of blood into them. Narrowed arteries (coronaries, but the brachial artery

is used to take the pressure) will have more pressure inside of them.