Conquering fear of blood pressure machines?

[Autumnx1003]

I know I am not the only one who absolutely freaks out when having my blood pressure taken.  Every time I go to the Dr's office, they always comment on how high my pulse and blood pressure are (last week when I went it was 127/92 and pulse of 133!)  Ha...and those numbers arent even unusual for me!  I know the pulse is high, but I don't worry about it as much just because I take it frequently at home now, and know that it is usually in the 80's when I'm at home.  But the blood pressure...ugh!  I am just convinced that I am going to have a really high reading sometime and that I'm going to just kill over.  And the docs and nurses make it worse by always saying "well, your numbers are a little too high for your age, even though you are nervous" (I just turned 30).  

So...has anyone successfully conquered their fear of having their blood pressure taken?  How did you do it?  I really want to get over this. I mean, I feel like i try to do everything right...I eat fairly well, I'm definitely not overweight, dont smoke or drink, somewhat active...the only thing I have trouble with is my anxiety.  Ugh...this is frustrating!

[anxioushelp]

I am hoping this helps someone.  I have suffered from anxiety for about 12 years.  I developed a fear with the blood pressure machine while pregnant with my first child and it continued through the birth of my second.  

I have found relief, however, from anxiety in general without using prescribed meds:

1.  Take a magnesium supplement
2.  Radically change your diet to one of "clean eating."  It turned out that artificial sweeteners were root cause of most of my "freak out" episodes.  Unfortunately, they are in most products.  Look up their names so you can be familiar with them and read every label before you consume any item because they are in a lot more than just diet and low sugar items.  Sacchrin, dextrose, (anything with a "ose") to name just a few.  They are in jello, powdered drinks, frozen desserts, the list goes on and on.... You may have a different trigger but clean eating should help you figure out what it is.
3.  Avoid caffeine and alcohol products.  I am convinced that some wines (they are not required to have an ingredient label) have BAD stuff in them.
4.  Exercise regularly - it doesn't have to be crazy, but anyone can take a 30 minute walk each day.
5.  Pray, pray, pray!  God is good and He is always willing to help!  "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

It will probably take about three weeks for all of the "bad stuff" in your system to be gone enough that you will notice a difference in how you feel.  

[Hometowner]

My story is very similar to yours.  I never had fear having my BP done, but ever since i found out my BP was done at my Gp's office, i was terrified of having my BP measured.  The number would usually be high at first, and then later drops to the normal range.  I am very interested in the meditation technique that you had mentioned in your article.  can you talk a little more about it.   Thanks a lot

[madgy62]

Hi IIucy, I put a post on this site yesterday, I read yours and I really felt for you. I am the same, suffered with anxiety for years. Sometimes with panic attacks.I also developed the bp phobia, and only this week had a traumatic experience at the doctors. The thing is, there is a way out of this. Maybe youve heard of Mukta Vati by now, it lowers bp amazingly and fast. Ive brought mine back down again in a few days. Even so, when I first sit down to take it I get the phobia, pounding heart etc. But even with that the first readings are not bad at all.  Then I start to relax because of that and it comes down further. Are you in USA ?   if so I see they are sold on Amazon. I have recently got some on ebay here in the UK. Hope this will be of help to you.

[madgy62]

Hi, I only found this site a couple of days ago. It has been such a relief to see that so many people have this phobia about having their bp taken, and even when doing it theirselves at home. I am exactly the same.  I had a very traumatic experience 3 days ago at my doctors . Three days before this my bp had been 107 /71. I went for a flu jab and the nurse said she would take my blood pressure.  She said you can refuse if you like. Even though I know its high when I have it done at the doctors, I stupidly agreed to have it done. Oh my god !  Did I regret it. It shot up to 220 over 115, she kept doing it over and but it either went up higher or down a point or two. They wouldnt let me leave. They took me into another room and had the receptionist sit with me as they thought this would calm me down. It had  no effect whatsoever as I knew it wouldn't. After about an hour I had to go in and see the doctor. She immediately wrote me a prescription  for bp meds. Wants me to go back on anti depressants,  ( I have been on them within the last year)  but I dont feel depressed anymore. She also wants me to see a councilor. Anyway, I really didnt want to go on bp meds, especially the one she was giving me. I couldnt find anyone who said anything good about it. I decided to take my mukta vati  tablets that I took last year when my bp went up due to stress. I took 2 when i got home from the doctors, about 6pm. Then 2 more at 10pm. Took 2 at 6am the next morning. I have my own bp monitor and took my bp about 9 am.  Iwas getting average readings of 158/83 so my bp had come down a lot since the docs the evening before.  I took 2 more lots of 2 tablets that day.. To day I took 2 tabs about 7am. Took bp about 10 am and  it was now averaging 145/77. Took another 2 tablets at 12 midday. By 3pm my bp was averaging 132/73  and even had some in the 120's over 68. It is such a relief. I will keep taking them now and monitor every day for a while. They definately always work. I buy the Divya Mukta Varti, you can buy it on Amazon or just google it. Some of you may have heard of it already but more people with this awful problem need to know about it. It really helps with the phobia, because even though you feel stressed when taking your bp, it gradually lowers it anyway. It may take a few days longer to work with so e people but persevere because it does work.

[llucy]

I am so glad i have found this site,everything i have read on here i can relate to,my bp problem started when i had my first daughter,every time  i went for my antenatel check my bloodpressure would be slightly raised,but the way the doctors and nurses spoke to me made me feel like it was something really serious this in turn made me really really anxious everytime i went for a check up and with time my bloodpressure would go from being slightly raised to very high,,viscious circle.After my daughter was born i had to have mt bloodpressure checked regularly and of course because the seed had been planted it was always high.eighteen months later i got pregnant again i was really happy to be having another baby but then the fear kicked in about the antenatel checks and the bloodpressure going up,i tries on numerous occassions to exsplan it was because i was so anxious but it didn't make any difference still had the omg comments from the medical proffession.After i had my 2nd daughter i was  left alone for a while,i then started having panick attacks and general anxiety disorder and was quite poorely with it,inthe back of my mind during all this what really sticks in my mmiind is bloodpressure checks i don't know if this caused my anxiety and panic but i'm sure it didn't help,i went for a routine doctors appointment oneday ans shhe said oh i will take your bp its not been taken for a while,i felt really really sick when she mmentioned aking my bp i told her oit would be really high because i always got really really anxious visting doctors annd having bloodpressure taken and that it would be really high cos iit always had been inthe past,she had a look into my medical records and said no your bllodpressure was ok really,but the day she took it cos of all the severe anxiety i felt it was sky high.I then had to book an appointment with the nurse for a repeat test,has you can imagine when it was  checked cos of my bp phobia it was  sky high,i now have a really good nurse and we had a good chat and i exsplaine my bp fears with her and she under stood,she advised me to get a bhome bloodpressure monitor and record my readings at home,then to take my readings to her when i had taken then at home and we would take it from there,the outcome was when i took my readings at home they were wiithin the normal range,she checked my machine was  giving accurate readinds by checking it with hers it was,she exsplained about white coat syndrome annd said thats what i have and its a recogniised condition i goo and see her every 6 mnths with my home readings and my machine so she can check its accurate,upto now it has been,she said my readings at home are normal so not to worry i go twice a year to see her annd evenn weeks  before my appointments due i get really worked up,i really wiish i could control this fear but as of yet i can't,i think its the bp phobia thats caused the anxiety and fear

[dcnd87]

Hi when I woke this morning  my pulse was 61 lunch time when I took my pb reading my pulse rate 142 and of cause it was high, doctors did this to me fear and anxiety of the taking my bp . 30 years ago,