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I didn't reverse-engineer the protocol for my blood pressure monitor in 24 hours

(james.belchamber.com)
327 points jamesbelchamber | 1 comments | 11 Nov 25 21:25 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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cestith ◴[11 Nov 25 21:45 UTC] No.45893306[source]▶
Regarding white coat hypertension, the shot isn’t always necessary. Some people’s blood pressure just goes up from the stress of the clinical setting.
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wkjagt ◴[12 Nov 25 11:02 UTC] No.45898702[source]▶
I had a doc appointment a couple of weeks ago. My wife was driving and we were running late, so I was getting stressed about missing the appointment on top of being stressed about going to see the doctor. There was a lot of traffic so I decided to get out at a red light and run to my appointment while my wife parked the car. I only barely made it and the first thing they did was take my pressure. They took it twice, because at the first they were like, this can't be right. When I explained, they asked if I had a blood pressure monitor at home so I could take my own pressure at a more quiet moment.
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1. stuffn ◴[12 Nov 25 17:51 UTC] No.45903290[source]▶
I've never been to a doctor where they waited the appropriate amount of time. It's always almost immediately as you sit down. This has caused a lot of problems for me. I learned most insurance companies require a doctor hold you until your blood pressure is "normal" (where normal is < 140/90 for their purposes). This resulted in several times where I was kept in an office with nurses coming in and out every 3 minutes to repeatedly take measurements which simply made it worse.

Blood pressure is highly variable even moment by moment. A single data point at your yearly visit is basically meaningless. Even your posture can shift it. Legs in a different position? Too much tension in one arm over the other? Seated awkward? Have gas? Unfortunately, it's also very difficult to get a 24 hour monitor unless you have another suspected condition (such as kidney problems).