High blood pressure at doctor’s office?

I am 25 and have not been to a doctor since I was 15. When I was 15, I was fit, athletic and when I went to the doctor my blood pressure was 175/110! He recognized it as severe white coat syndrome. After doing the physical and reassuring me that nothing was wrong, he re-took my bp and it was 110/60ish. Ever since then I have this terrible adrenaline rush every time I even see a blood pressure cuff. The problem is that now I am 25, about 20 pounds overweight and I don’t think I could explain to my doctor why my bp is through the roof… so I just avoid drs visits at all cost, even when I now have other concerns… I monitor it at home with a digital one I purchased and it ranges from 130/70 to 145/90 day to day. I have not had blood drawn since i was 5 years old… any advice?

Seeing a doctor is part of taking care of yourself. You aren’t the first person to have the “severe white coat syndrome”. Physicians are used to it.

Book your appointment, then take a deep breath. When anxiety occurs, most people either hold their breath or they breath really shallow and that is a sure way to have your blood pressure go thru the roof.

When you are at the appointment and you see the cuff coming your way, take several deep breaths and try to relax. If the reading is a little high and the doctor asks you about your blood pressure history (which they will), just explain to them that you have had a problem calming down in doctor’s offices before. They will understand and will take steps to help you calm down. Later on they may request the nurse to re-take the pressure. If the pressure is still high, the physician may ask you to keep a diary of your pressure with dates, times and readings just to be sure that you are okay.

If you continue to have high anxiety for future visits, your doctor can prescribe anxiety medication to be used before your next appointment.

If you need to take a friend or relative with you, that’s okay too. Having support to get over an anxiety producing event is a healthy way of overcoming the fear.

Do not let your anxiety keep you from having regular medical care. Part of being an adult is learning to take care of yourself even when you are uncomfortable doing so.

Good luck. Remember you CAN do this and you are NOT alone.

Tex

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