I don't know who to believe

[willheal]

I had my screening yesterday to see if I was eligible for health care, and sure enough the doctor said not only was I a candidate for healthcare but she also signed a thing basically saying I'm temporarily disabled so I can get benefits for a year or until I can get my anxiety treated properly. Great news, it's really gotten worse and I can finally get it taken care of!

On the flip side I was told I have high BP by a bunch of different doctors before using their automated cuffs. Yesterday I got my BP taken with a regular cuff and the nurse said it was perfectly normal. I was shocked. Relieved, really, but I have this nagging doubt that it was taken wrong. How can they be nearly 30 points of a difference? Did my BP drop that much in a couple of weeks? No way. I'm not finding anything about the accuracy of these things online, but you'd think the ones they use in hospitals HAVE to be accurate. It isn't adding up. Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to know my BP has actually been normal this whole time and their machines at the hospital just don't work correctly on my physiology--but I have no clue. (Not sure if this is relevant but I have to get my BP taken in my right arm because of nerve damage in my left, but the numbers should be close.) She said she was going to take another reading but it skipped my mind and I walked out, only to remember it now.

I've had anxiety issues for over 18-ish years now. A lot of doctors have a fundamental misunderstanding of how people with anxiety feel or they're just plain insensitive. Some of them have the parent-like wonderful patience like the Dr I got to talk to yesterday, while some are completely dismissive. They can be on the right path (prescribing a drug or treatment they feel is right according to their experience or knowledge) they may have a rude "just-take-your-anxiety-drugs-you-wackjob" demeanor or they just don't exude the same confidence about their own inconsistent treatment options.

I think I'm a bit wary of it from the inconsistency, and when my trust is shattered in the doctors how can I know I've been taken care of properly? The uncertainty is frustrating!!!

[Anne1221]

Well, I do know BP can vary wildly. My mother's does that. It can be sky high if she's stressed and then when she calms down, it comes way down.

[willheal]

So maybe all the readings were correct? That was my initial reaction but when I get in a tizzy about it like I did this morning I start doubting everything.

I was very wound up at the doctors office so I was expecting a high reading but it was 118/80. Maybe it did just go down a lot. Or maybe I'm tensing up my arm a whole bunch without knowing it? See, it's already happening again! I'm ridiculous. I should just trust the doctors because they have more experience than me.

[Im-Suffering]

]I had my screening yesterday to see if I was eligible for health care, and sure enough the doctor said not only was I a candidate for healthcare but she also signed a thing basically saying I'm temporarily disabled so I can get benefits for a year or until I can get my anxiety treated properly. Great news, it's really gotten worse and I can finally get it taken care of[/B]!

On the flip side I was told I have high BP by a bunch of different doctors before using their automated cuffs. Yesterday I got my BP taken with a regular cuff and the nurse said it was perfectly normal. I was shocked. Relieved, really, but I have this nagging doubt that it was taken wrong. How can they be nearly 30 points of a difference? Did my BP drop that much in a couple of weeks? No way. I'm not finding anything about the accuracy of these things online, but you'd think the ones they use in hospitals HAVE to be accurate. It isn't adding up. Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to know my BP has actually been normal this whole time and their machines at the hospital just don't work correctly on my physiology--but I have no clue. (Not sure if this is relevant but I have to get my BP taken in my right arm because of nerve damage in my left, but the numbers should be close.) She said she was going to take another reading but it skipped my mind and I walked out, only to remember it now.

I've had anxiety issues for over 18-ish years now. A lot of doctors have a fundamental misunderstanding of how people with anxiety feel or they're just plain insensitive. Some of them have the parent-like wonderful patience like the Dr I got to talk to yesterday, while some are completely dismissive. They can be on the right path (prescribing a drug or treatment they feel is right according to their experience or knowledge) they may have a rude "just-take-your-anxiety-drugs-you-wackjob" demeanor or they just don't exude the same confidence about their own inconsistent treatment options.

I think I'm a bit wary of it from the inconsistency, and when my trust is shattered in the doctors how can I know I've been taken care of properly? The uncertainty is frustrating!!!

Congratulations on the news, all the best.

Pressure fluctuates daily, from morning to evening its not uncommon for a 15- 30 pt spike, and back.

Now, leading up to your screening was a stressfull time, so you will see the correlation of long periods of stress in test results. Intuitively you felt good about your recent visit, and confident in the parent like patience/understanding of the doctor. This plus your comfort level of finally getting the screening over with, helped to lower the pressure that day, if it was morning hours then it would be especially low.

I think you will find now that the screening is finalized, you receive your benefits, and the worry could be over, it has been long suffering on your part, but now the pressure should return to normal ranges.

More importantly, your current beliefs are in line with ill health, so any normal readings will be questioned. Now with your new reading, your benefits, and your hopefull outlook of help in the coming months, you will feel more relaxed, and begin to believe that all can be well with you. Do you understand?

Lastly, the second reading seemed to skip your mind, and it literally did. You cannot corroborate information that you cannot accept. Now after giving the ego time to question old beliefs for validity, you can return and accept a healthy diagnosis. Go in the morning and have it taken again.

[willheal]

Congratulations on the news, all the best.

Pressure fluctuates daily, from morning to evening its not uncommon for a 15- 30 pt spike, and back.

Now, leading up to your screening was a stressfull time, so you will see the correlation of long periods of stress in test results. Intuitively you felt good about your recent visit, and confident in the parent like patience/understanding of the doctor. This plus your comfort level of finally getting the screening over with, helped to lower the pressure that day, if it was morning hours then it would be especially low.

I think you will find now that the screening is finalized, you receive your benefits, and the worry could be over, it has been long suffering on your part, but now the pressure should return to normal ranges.

More importantly, your current beliefs are in line with ill health, so any normal readings will be questioned. Now with your new reading, your benefits, and your hopefull outlook of help in the coming months, you will feel more relaxed, and begin to believe that all can be well with you. Do you understand?

Lastly, the second reading seemed to skip your mind, and it literally did. You cannot corroborate information that you cannot accept. Now after giving the ego time to question old beliefs for validity, you can return and accept a healthy diagnosis. Go in the morning and have it taken again.

Thank you, this is exactly what I needed to hear at the present moment. you snapped me out of it. I will try not to worry and just have it taken again.

[willheal]

As a side-note there was one nurse that made me start worrying about this in particular. She told me that BP didn't fluctuate that much so that had to be my baseline. And I think I was getting caught up in the fact that this was an abnormal constant that was literally killing me. I've been obsessing over it in one way or another for so long now, worrying that the abnormal readings I've been getting might've been just silently going on with this problem for a really long time.

It's good to know that was probably not the case, just the anxiety and time of day was making it fluctuate naturally. thanks again

[Im-Suffering]

As a side-note there was one nurse that made me start worrying about this in particular. She told me that BP didn't fluctuate that much so that had to be my baseline. And I think I was getting caught up in the fact that this was an abnormal constant that was literally killing me. I've been obsessing over it in one way or another for so long now, worrying that the abnormal readings I've been getting might've been just silently going on with this problem for a really long time.

It's good to know that was probably not the case, just the anxiety and time of day was making it fluctuate naturally. thanks again

Dont forget, its important to recognize the mind body cooperation so to speak. With the stress of the high readings, the mistrust, the anxiety over the results of the screening and subsequent treatments......

The body just reflects your mental state, its important to snap back time to time from the belief the body is capable of attack on its own...always remember, the body always works to reset equilibrium and optimum health/balance for its occupant. That is innate in the cellular structure. Another words you do not fight against your DNA, the body is your most intimate immediate, feedback source, to guage if you are thinking aright. Do you understand? I hope so.

Ignoring or repressing feelings/emotions is the beginning of a biological breakdown, as your thoughts wear at it in a barrage of negetivity for years. There are always small signs, however they often go as unnoticed as the emotions themselves.

[willheal]

I think I have the confidence to get some momentum going forward and start healing. I don't know what's different honestly. Maybe just looking up a little bit or not feeling as hopeless about the whole situation. I may come back and post that I'm freaking out about the same thing. I know the phobias don't just vanish instantly, but I don't think that's as important. I feel like I have the power to get over this and I'm going to make that my goal now.

I've had months of clarity before where I just thought entirely differently. Everything wasn't a million thoughts at once, I wasn't always hyper-sensitive to every single feeling in the world and I just experienced everything in a different light. I think I can get out of this rut.

Thank you for the kind words and the push!