Anybody have health anxiety, particularly around blood pressure?

They used to call this white coat syndrome. What that is is being in doctors office for many causes BP to rise.

It kind of goes with what you posted that it is okay at home but goes high in doctors office. Try asking your doctors about relaxation techniques to do in office.

When I would go into doctors office you automatically fear of what they are going to fine. Stress and axniety will cause your BP to go up. Discuss with whom prescribed your anxiety medication about different medications.

Again there is a lot you can do with relaxation techniques. Do you exercis? Check with doctor and if you like something try doing that to reduce stress and anxiety. Like a hobby? Try spending time doing a hoppy.

What I do in doctors office when my BP is checked is a relaxation technique I do with my hands. It was taught to me by a Yoga Instructor and I use that technique while visulizing a calming scene in my mind like the beach and waves.

Talk to your doctors about your BP and stress/anxiety levels.

My blood pressure goes sky high in the doc's office. I tell every provider that on the third try it. Comes down dramatically but they never do it three times. I watched a you tube once with a doc and blood pressure researcher from UCLA and he said that the best method for getting an accurate reading is to have the patient sit in a quiet exam room alone for 10 minutes. Feet flat on the ground with back supported them the nurse takes the reading. However, with the 15 minute exam slots this unlikely to be put into practice. When I think about your blood pressure scare during pregnancy it seems understandable that the docs office and the blood pressure cuff could trigger that fear and stress.
You might think about getting some treatment for that traumatic event. Something like EMDR or another of the great tools available. Another thing that you might try at home is a simple mindfulness meditation where you sit comfortably and focus on your breath. And when you notice a thought, simply return to notice your breath and repeat whenever you find yourself in a thought. The goal would be to tell the person who wants to take your BP that you need a bit of time alone in the exam room prior to BP. An even simpler technique to help with calming is to do simple deep breathing: gently draw air in through your nose with your hand on your belly and feel the air move with the breath, then gently blow the air out via your mouth. Even repeating this 5 times can be calming. You can even allow yourself to imagine your favorite place. A place that gives you a sense of calm and safety. I am not a doctor but these are things that I've tried that have been helpful. I hope that this is helpful. Good luck.

Do they give you 10 - 15 minutes to "settle down" before they take it.

I always tell them the truth and when it's high at the doctors I asked them to take it again a little later, while waiting I do the breathing, and also look for 5 things I see, 5 things I can touch, 5 things I smell etc then breathing . Amazingly the 2nd time they take it it is much lower.

I have the same problem. So I kept a diary of my home readings and took those records to my doctor visits. They included my records in my medical file and ignored the office bp reading. I had to do this because I didn't want to be given medication based on the office reading. When they did that in the beginning, I ended up in ER because bp was too low. When dosage is based on home readings, I'm fine. Take your bp machine with you to the office visit and the nurse can verify it is calibrated correctly. Even though I think I don't worry about it, it is still too high at the doctor's office. But the doctor looks at my diary and says, great numbers!

I have terrible white coat syndrome. Unfortunately, my doctor will not leave it alone. I have showed her numerous times my readings at home are almost always below 120/80. She actually told me that white coat syndrome equals high blood pressure and she will not stop harassing me about going on blood pressure medication which has made my stress so much worse and of course all I have to do is see the blood pressure machine or I won’t even go that far. Just thinking about going for a doctor visit Causes my blood pressure to rise. She must be getting a kick back from drug companies.

Second opinion?

I am not taking the meds. It’s severe white coat syndrome.

I am a 78 year old man. When I was 19, my BP was 200/100 at the doctor. He did some quick tests and remarked he’d like to study me. Didn’t have time, though, as I had to report for an Army draft physical in Oakland where the the assembly-line BP checks probably weren’t accurate because I passed, so I had to go into the military, Vietnam, and so forth. Upon discharge, high BP again but they simply advised me that I “just have high blood pressure.” This was in 1969. In every subsequent medical visit, my BP has been frighteningly high but just fine at home, once home recording became easily available and accurate. I had an echocardiogram a couple years ago with zero indication of high BP damage to my heart. Last several years at my HMO, I have assertively refused BP checks at occasional doctor appointments but periodically provide a list of home numbers for my record with average 120/70 or lower. Again, I am 78, have had white coat hypertension my entire life, and yet I am healthy and fit today, exercise vigorously minimum of 60 min per day and know without doubt that my blood pressure is just fine anywhere but in a medical setting.

Whenever I go to my specialists, they want a BP reading right there. Since I do vitals every morning at home, I take my vitals logbook with me. It has my weight, time of day, temperature, and 3 BP readings. Okay, I admit I am OCD, but I do need to report my vitals everyday for dialysis! I figure my home readings are more accurate because of all the factors in the office: my mood, driving a long ways to get there, anxiety over the appointment itself, etc.

Always make sure your doctor's office is aware of your home readings. And if they want proof, take in your machine to make sure it is calibrated close to the one in their office.
Ginger