Help, I think I'm ok but dunno. BP?

[Matticus1983]

I have a wrist BP monitor took my BP honestly cause I thought it might be low. It read 245/136 and then just as high the second time. It acted kinda strange. I then took it a couple minutes later and after taking it 6 times in a row now after that it's been normal Everytime. Could I have had it on too tight or something. Makes no sense. I had no headache, red faced, my feet where cold due to me freaking out afterwards and a little dizzy cause I almost had a panic attack. It says it's normal now though. Think it was faulty? I mean I'm yawning.

 

[Phillies Phan]

Those things are poison for us. I’d get rid of it. There was a recent post where Fitbit or whatever it was showed his heart rate was in the 30s.Other than getting scared, he felt fine. Like you it soon returned to normal. End story with him was his doctor confirmed these things give occasional false readings and if his HR was really that low…he’d have symptoms, likely pass out.

Those of us with HA should have the following as being verboten, unless a doctor has asked you to do it:

- anything that measures BP
- anything that measures heart rate
- taking your temperature constantly. If you know you’ve got a bug, maybe 1-2 daily but otherwise never
- never order DNA tests that tell you what diseases you’re more or less likely than the average person to get (like 23&me)
- if you must weight yourself, 1-2x per week max.

All this technology is fallible. The so called normal person just shrugs off a weird reading and goes about their day. We overthink and ruin our day or worse, or run to our doctor or the ER.

 

[MATD]

Agree with Phillies Phan. They aid in helping us obsess, which is only reinforcing the anxiety.

 

[Jonathan123]

Those things are poison for us. I’d get rid of it. There was a recent post where Fitbit or whatever it was showed his heart rate was in the 30s.Other than getting scared, he felt fine. Like you it soon returned to normal. End story with him was his doctor confirmed these things give occasional false readings and if his HR was really that low…he’d have symptoms, likely pass out.

Those of us with HA should have the following as being verboten, unless a doctor has asked you to do it:

- anything that measures BP
- anything that measures heart rate
- taking your temperature constantly. If you know you’ve got a bug, maybe 1-2 daily but otherwise never
- never order DNA tests that tell you what diseases you’re more or less likely than the average person to get (like 23&me)
- if you must weight yourself, 1-2x per week max.

All this technology is fallible. The so called normal person just shrugs off a weird reading and goes about their day. We overthink and ruin our day or worse, or run to our doctor or the ER.

Absolutely spot on. Chuck those machines out of the window. in anxiety they can do more harm than good. Unless your doctor suggests it don't take any readings and keep off those scales. Why do we take readings? Hoping for reassurance! And what is 'normal'?
'Normal' for one can be abnormal for another. My paternal grandmother had high BP all her life, and she was 101 when she died! She had eight kids and went through two world wars in London.
We are not doctors and therefore can't interpret the readings properly. Leave the diagnoses to the diagnosticians.

 

[HulaHoops]

Full disclosure: I've got Stage 2 Hypertension, am taking lisinopril to control it, and am keeping a blood pressure journal on advice from my doctor. Having said that, my doctor and dentist have both told me that the wrist bp monitors aren't accurate and that the arm ones are they way to go, HOWEVER, do not use one unless you have been told to do so by your doctor because they absolutely can send you into an anxiety spiral where you're constantly checking and rechecking your bp, which only drives it higher. It sounds like the wrist bp device is the problem here.

 

[bin_tenn]

Full disclosure: I've got Stage 2 Hypertension, am taking lisinopril to control it, and am keeping a blood pressure journal on advice from my doctor. Having said that, my doctor and dentist have both told me that the wrist bp monitors aren't accurate and that the arm ones are they way to go, HOWEVER, do not use one unless you have been told to do so by your doctor because they absolutely can send you into an anxiety spiral where you're constantly checking and rechecking your bp, which only drives it higher. It sounds like the wrist bp device is the problem here.

I came here to give the same advice, to not even worry about checking these types of things unless specifically suggested by your doctor. I also agree with everything else that's been said.