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If sitting in a doctor's office causes you any kind of stress that raises your blood pressure, that's still "white coat syndrome."
And "white coat syndrome" is not inconsiderable. If something as simple as a visit to the doctor is stress enough to raise blood pressure, then there are probably many other things during the day that are raising blood pressure, so that blood pressure is high for a significant amount of the day. And there is danger in that, as well.
That is exactly what my last PCP always said. According to him, if your blood pressure is elevated from the stress of a doctor's visit, it'll also be elevated under other stressful conditions.
Even still, he would recheck my blood pressure if the first reading was elevated. And in considering medication (or changing it), he would ask me to check it at home and keep a record of the readings.
If there was always a problem with every patient, they would not do it. Sometimes mine is high right away, sometimes not. Sometimes it goes down after a moment, sometimes it does not. My doctor and I both need to know that. Also, make sure you calibrate your reader with your doctor's so you're comparing apples to apples. Perhaps yours at home is not accurate.
My home blood pressure cuff agrees with:
1. A blood pressure machine at my pharmacy.
2. Readings that were taken a few times a day when I was bed-ridden at a skilled nursing facility.
3. Readings at the doctor's office if only I can get them give me a few minutes for BP to stabilize.
They can get your weight and height wrong, too. Trust me I know from experience. I've had a couple of doctor's offices put down that I'm 5'3, I am 5'6. I haven't been 5'3 since junior high school.
And I used to wear steel-toe, steel shank ankle high work boots. That + what is in my pockets adds more than 5 lbs. I would offer to:
It'd not be appropriate to take a patient's word for what the bp is. Even if reading is normally this/that, the red flag of something wrong is if it spikes or plunges. So the dr's office HAS to take it itself.
I agree, though, that it's usu. higher than normal in the dr office. This is the case over years and at different dr offices, so for whatever reason, it is. BUT mine isn't even close to outside of a normal range, so a wildly different reading like you experience has not been my experience.
Drs have agreed w/me in the past that they know a reading in a dr office can be somewhat higher, because of the circumstances of being at the dr office.
I have a thing I do to hopefully normalize myself before the bp cuff. I have a vision I imagine...nothing fancy. I am at a beach I went to many years ago, a fine day. I keep that in my mind while breathing in and out a few times. I don't know if that really helps, but hey, can't hurt.
The problem with those bogus readings is that they become part of a medical record. It’s almost impossible to correct or delete medical records, even if they are wrong. Some years ago my former dentist started taking vitals at each visit. Their wrist blood pressure gauge showed an extremely high reading which was recorded in my file. I told the dentist that the reading was clearly wrong because I’d just had a physical with normal BP and it differed from my home BP readings. She blew it off and joked it must be the coffee. Six months later they put the same monitor on my wrist and again it gave a high reading. The hygienist commented that I should get that checked since the previous reading was also very high!
We moved and my new dentist also takes vitals. On the first visit they wanted to know what BP medication I was taking. I said none and they looked surprised, “Are you sure? Your record shows above normal readings.” These incorrect BP readings are now part of a permanent record, and there is nothing that I, as a patient, can do about them.
The problem with those bogus readings is that they become part of a medical record. It’s almost impossible to correct or delete medical records, even if they are wrong. Some years ago my former dentist started taking vitals at each visit. Their wrist blood pressure gauge showed an extremely high reading which was recorded in my file. I told the dentist that the reading was clearly wrong because I’d just had a physical with normal BP and it differed from my home BP readings. She blew it off and joked it must be the coffee. Six months later they put the same monitor on my wrist and again it gave a high reading. The hygienist commented that I should get that checked since the previous reading was also very high!
We moved and my new dentist also takes vitals. On the first visit they wanted to know what BP medication I was taking. I said none and they looked surprised, “Are you sure? Your record shows above normal readings.” These incorrect BP readings are now part of a permanent record, and there is nothing that I, as a patient, can do about them.
You don’t get it — I was not on any BP medication. Here’s a scenario: I’m admitted to a ER, unconscious, and based on this bogus medical record the ER staff assumes I’m on some BP meds. Oh gee, mistakes were made...couldn’t be helped.
We need regulations for medical records similar to the laws that govern credit reporting agencies. It’s way too one sided now as patients literally have no means to correct errors.
That is exactly what my last PCP always said. According to him, if your blood pressure is elevated from the stress of a doctor's visit, it'll also be elevated under other stressful conditions.
Even still, he would recheck my blood pressure if the first reading was elevated. And in considering medication (or changing it), he would ask me to check it at home and keep a record of the readings.
Exactly! The idea is not to find out your lowest possible BP as if you were in a coma but to find out what it reasonably is under reasonable circumstances, that is, what is "typical".
As for the OP, having an elevated BP after walking down a "long hallway" may not actually be elevated - it's probably his normal unless he is asleep whether he wished to know that or not.
You don’t get it — I was not on any BP medication. Here’s a scenario: I’m admitted to a ER, unconscious, and based on this bogus medical record the ER staff assumes I’m on some BP meds.
And so what?
They're going to avoid giving you a medication that would interact negatively with any BP meds...unless those medications are necessary to save your life.
They're going to take your blood pressure then and respond according to the exigencies of the immediate situation. They're not going to let you die for that reason.
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These incorrect BP readings are now part of a permanent record, and there is nothing that I, as a patient, can do about them.
