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Anyone seeing high blood pressure in response to chronic pain?

Posted by agb @agb, Feb 22 8:44am

My bp has been generally in the normal range for a 70 year old-mostly in the upper 20's to low 30's systolic pressure and diastolic numbers close to normal.

Last summer I was involved in a car accident where a truck rear ended my vehicle. I'm being treated for chronic neck pain and headaches ever since, and my bp readings have increased since about that time. A recent visit to my pcp had a reading of 160/89 and he's started me on bp meds.

I have an appointment with my cardiologist in another week and will show him the bp readings for the entire year. Anyone have experience with something like this?

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Ginger, Volunteer Mentor | @gingerw | Feb 23 12:29pm

@agb I also experience inflated blood pressure readings when my chronic pain level rises! Each morning I take my vitals [weight, temperature, blood pressure x 3 readings] and notice when it is a "bad day" for pain level, my BP is also up. Practicing relaxation techniques will sometimes help. When I am at a doctor's appt, we will talk about my pain level, and do indeed correlate the BP reading in the office with not only the "white coat syndrome" but the pain that day.

It might be best to check with your cardiologist and confirm they will want you to continue on those medications. Is there anything being done to reduce your chronic pain, and then hopefully your blood pressure issues? Our primal instinct to an introduction of pain or discomfort is to go into fight-or-flight mode.
Ginger

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agb | @agb | Feb 23 5:00pm
In reply to @gingerw "@agb I also experience inflated blood pressure readings when my chronic pain level rises! Each morning..." + (show)
Profile picture for Ginger, Volunteer Mentor @gingerw

@agb I also experience inflated blood pressure readings when my chronic pain level rises! Each morning I take my vitals [weight, temperature, blood pressure x 3 readings] and notice when it is a "bad day" for pain level, my BP is also up. Practicing relaxation techniques will sometimes help. When I am at a doctor's appt, we will talk about my pain level, and do indeed correlate the BP reading in the office with not only the "white coat syndrome" but the pain that day.

It might be best to check with your cardiologist and confirm they will want you to continue on those medications. Is there anything being done to reduce your chronic pain, and then hopefully your blood pressure issues? Our primal instinct to an introduction of pain or discomfort is to go into fight-or-flight mode.
Ginger

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@gingerw This is very helpful; thank you. I'll also start to corelate the level of pain with bp readings so see if there's a match.

I had a nerve ablation (burning of the nerves) in my neck end of January which has helped a great deal but the headaches remain.

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