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327 points jamesbelchamber | 3 comments | | HN request time: 0.745s | source
1. Arainach ◴[] No.45893799[source]
Testing blood pressure after a shot seems weird.

I have high blood pressure, managed with a low dose of medication. I've had plenty of advice from my PCP and other actual doctors on how to take blood pressure - how to sit, how long to sit still, how to position your arm, etc.

It is remarkable how many medically-adjacent professionals are bad at this. My dentist starts my sessions with a blood pressure reading - theoretically in case they have to numb me or something, probably because it's billable or whatever. What always seems to happen is that I get in for my appointment (driving, which can be stressful even if I'm not running late), they take me to the chair within 2 minutes max, immediately put some sort of wrist cuff on me, hold my arm at an angle that is not what most actual doctors have recommended to me and take a reading that is often high enough to surprise both the hygenist and myself.

The thing is that I have two sufficiently-calibrated Omron units, one at home and one at the office. I take my blood pressure often enough to know what it usually is (and my real doctor takes it at least twice a year). That is to say that no, it's not 200/160 or whatever nonsense the dentist thinks it is and you'd think that with a very small amount of reading they'd know better.

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2. quickthrowman ◴[] No.45894168[source]
> Testing blood pressure after a shot seems weird.

I was at the Dr last week and my first BP reading was 154/95, a second reading a few minutes later was 141/89. The doctor asked for one more reading before I left.

The medical assistant gave me my vaccines and then took my BP, 130/81 right after a Hep B and COVID vaccine. I told the tech that needles didn’t bother me at all, she believed me after she saw my blood pressure :)

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3. mh- ◴[] No.45895759[source]
Needles don't bother me, but being made to wait 30+ minutes past my appointment time does.

They should measure it right when I walk in, before I find out how behind the doctor is.