blood pressure and headaches?

[HollyDay]

Yes, I'm still dealing with headaches.  And yes, doc's office is closed all week.  Last time I was in his office, my BP was 145/88.  They said it was high because of the migraine.  Okay, I'll buy that.  I just had it checked at the grocery store (one of those quick clinic places at the pharmacy) and it was 175/94.  Yikes!!!  They said to sit there a few minutes and they'd recheck.  2nd time was 149/92.  Random checks at home have been in the 140ish/88-90ish. 

 

Normally, I run 106/70.  I've always had low BP.  I'm thinking these elevated readings are a problem.  No one else seems to think so.  Nurse at doc's office keeps saying things about stress being in the office, being sick (had a sinus infection that time), back pain (pulled psoas that time), migraine.  Doc said it is okay.

 

Really???  Does high BP have symptoms???  I remember when I had pre-eclampsia with oldest dd, I had awful headaches when BP was up.  In fact, they told me to come in if I had headaches and sure enough, it was always up. 

 

So, do I push this?  Is there such a thing as a "BP workup?"  What do I ask for? 

[Pawz4me]

My internal medicine doc highly recommends buying a blood pressure monitor and taking it regularly at home.  They start around $40 for basic models, although you might find them on sale for less than that.  My doctor advises against using the ones in stores, saying they get abused and are rarely calibrated.  Plus just walking from your car into a store will cause your BP to go up a bit.  Ideally you should sit quietly for a few minutes before checking it.

 

ETA:  My BP always ran very low (90s/50s not unusual, and I felt fine), but throughout my 40's it started edging up.  Now I keep tabs on it at home, and my doctor wants it to stay under 140/90.  Although the recommendations say it ideally should be 120/80 or less, he says there's no evidence that medication is beneficial until it's consistently above 140/90.  If yours is consistently running higher than that at home, then I'd keep a log of your readings for a couple of weeks and make an appointment to show your doc.

[HollyDay]

I have 2 BP machines here.  My cuff, is electronic but goes around the arm.  Due to pregnancy problems, I had to buy one.  It is saying I'm running a bit high, but the doc's office thinks it could be calibration.

 

Dd has a wrist cuff.  According to that, I should be in the hospital (only partly jesting there!).  She has hypotension and other cardiac concerns, so her cardiologist wanted her to have a wrist cuff that would be easy for her to transport in her purse or backpack and easy for her to use.  They are looking more for trends than events though. 

 

Growing old is getting old IMHO

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

Officially, high BP has no symptoms, but I swear I had headaches from elevated BP, and they went away with low dose Zestril. Mosr home monitors are suspect, and I tend to read higher on automatic cuffs than on manual cuffs. I have a second hand monitor that isn't bad, but I look at its readings as a rough estimate.

[Dmmetler]

I have basilar arterial migraine, which is triggered/caused by violent swings in BP. In my case, it started at age 17, in the midst of puberty. I have typically low blood pressure. I've also had blood pressure issues in pregnancy-and, in fact, my BP rising is one of the first signs of pregnancy.

[OrganicAnn]

I would buy a BP machine and take your own BP through out the day and daily.   If it is consistently high, then I would call the doctors with the readings.   I used to have low BP and then between adding weight, getting older, having a baby, it went up and now I'm on BP medicine.  

 

 

[Pawz4me]

Officially, high BP has no symptoms, but I swear I had headaches from elevated BP, and they went away with low dose Zestril. Mosr home monitors are suspect, and I tend to read higher on automatic cuffs than on manual cuffs. I have a second hand monitor that isn't bad, but I look at its readings as a rough estimate.

 

Actually, there are two agencies that certify home BP monitors, and my understanding is that certification by one of those agencies generally means the monitor is very reliable.  This is what Mayo Clinic says:

 

 

 

One way to choose an accurate monitor is to check the lists of validated home blood pressure monitors available from the Dabl Educational Trust and the British Hypertension Society. These organizations have tested many types of monitors and post their findings on their websites. Keep in mind, however, that if the monitor you use doesn't appear as a recommended monitor on the lists, it doesn't mean your monitor isn't effective — only that it hasn't been reviewed by the organizations.

 

On the other hand, Mayo Clinic doesn't recommend public machines:

 

 

 

Public blood pressure machines, such as those found in pharmacies, may not be accurate. They may not have been properly maintained, and the cuff may not be the correct size for you, depending on the size of your arm. You shouldn't rely on public blood pressure machines to regularly measure your blood pressure.

 

Link to full article

[MariannNOVA]

I was told that the cuffs at public places (cvs, places like that) are not particularly accurate.

 

Get yourself a cuff (everyone here has provided excellent info) and take your bp at home. Remember to wait about 20-30 minutes before repeating a reading.

[FriedClams]

My LPN recommended I take my BP no more than 3x a week. She said if you're worried about it - you can get all nutty and obsessive about it.... She nailed it for me!

 

My last appointment was 148/90. Super high for me. Since checking it at home I'm back to 120/80 or less. I take it in the morning after I get up, use the bathroom, etc - but not after coffee. It's been consistent and I'm feeling zero stress on it. I'd recommend getting a good monitor. It may help allay some concerns.

[Negin]

nm