Anybody have health anxiety, particularly around blood pressure?

I have the same problem, but I find that it helps if I avoid coffee the day of the appointment, avoid rushing, arrive early, pick a secluded seat in an area out the lobby area if possible….sit and relax, do relaxation techniques, close my eyes, slow down my movements, don’t let the staff hurry me, slowly get weighed, ask them to retake BP if it’s higher than what I expect. I told my doctor about it once and he retook himself and adjusted the chart with my lower reading.

In my case my doctor is relentless. I can’t imagine if I tried saying I did not want my blood pressure checked. I showed her readings and I brought in my machine more than once. I would gladly find a new dr were it not for the state of healthcare in this country where hospitals and clinics are hiring NP’s and PA’s and no actual MD’s. And if you really want to be scared, look into their credentials and “fast track” schools.

Instead, my Dr weighs me first and sends my bp to the moon

Great info here. I have WCS also...eveey time I go in, Im at 170 or 160/100. At home Im 117-135/80-85. Starting to think this will never change. I am on Propranolol for BP, 100 MG a day. Been walking for 30 mins every day trying to get off these meds.

Thank you for that. No she is a primary care physician. I don’t have a cardiologist, but I did find out from an ultrasound on my neck for a different issue that I have mild atherosclerosis but my blood flow is fine. So I don’t know if she’s going to send me to a cardiologist for that. I also do not want to take statins if I have clear blood flow. At 66 years old, I figure most of us must have a little plaque in our arteries. As for the blood pressure I do have anxiety and I don’t know how many times a day my blood pressure does go up because well we don’t always have a monitor on. I’m afraid that if I did have the 24 hour blood pressure monitor That I would get high readings because once I heard it going off and I wasn’t doing it myself at home once a week, I would probably get nervous and it would go higher. I really don’t know but yes, this is something to discuss with the cardiologist. If anything I probably Really need to get my anxiety down, but it’s been an impossible task over the decades.

@sandrajane There are good and wish-they-were-better medical practitioners everywhere you look. In my experience, where they graduated from doesn't change who they are.

It is my opinion only here: if you feel your BP readings at home are accurate, but your doctor wants you to take BP meds, get a second opinion! Advocate for yourself. @user_ch783e933 had some very useful information in their post.
Ginger

Let’s flip the discussion to get some other concerns about blood pressure and risk of adverse outcomes.
Many seniors also suffer from orthostatic hypotension. Medications
are frequently involved if it is episodic. Hoping mine is related to
autoimmune autonomic complications. Falling and stroke are known vascular risks. We learn by experience what activities we may
anticipate causing problems.
Home BP monitoring is essential.
Self awareness of our health history
and good rapport with a caring physician are sometimes the only
available options for our chronic conditions.

Thank you for all that. That information is exactly what I was feeling is true and doctors and the pharmaceutical companies are trying to treat those of us over 65 as if we are 20 and I don’t even want to think about the harmful medications they want to give us. If my doctor does talk to me about this ultrasound and want to put me on medication I am definitely asking for a cardiologist referral.. unfortunately where I live, we don’t have Access to very many specialists to choose from. I will see what she says, and if I don’t like it. I will have to hunt for another one. I suppose I will have to travel a bit, hopefully not… I have done so much reading in the last 10 years of legitimate websites studies, etc. that I am confident in feeling that we are so overmedicated and that of these numbers they want us to have blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. are inflated and impossible to reach in most cases and it’s killing us. not to mention how often women are left out of these studies and all these Numbers and recommendations are geared towards men

I have the same problem and this has worked for me:
When the doctor goes to check blood pressure, sit deep in your chair and sink down into your body. Be calm. Practically stop breathing. Worked for me up until it got muddled up with the increased blood pressure side effect of Venlafaxine, AND the increased depression side effect of blood pressure medication. Never mind my swollen legs.
So, now I take my blood pressure with one of those electric home cuffs, recorded daily (and have finally (a week ago) weaned myself off Venlafaxine, after tapering down to a crumb over 2 years,) and ALL I have to do is find a doctor who actually knows about drug interactions and side effects, and doesn't just look at my home BP chart and see my BP dropping down into the perfect range, and renew my script for the BP medication again, and again.
Maybe somebody else can follow through on drug side effects - please

My friend says I have health anxiety because I like to share about what I'm going through, which is a lot. She said it's boring to her, so I can't talk about it. Anyone else experience these issues?