Blood pressure; doctor didn't listen to me

Hi everyone. 

Yesterday I had an appointment with my primary care doctor for the first time since my insurance for the VSG has been approved. I went back with the nurse who took my blood pressure.  I have previously had borderline high blood pressures but the reading she got was SUPER high.  She took my blood pressure with the cuff around the lower part of my arm because the cuff squeezed my arm so tight last time.  The reading said 171/107!!! Never has my blood pressure been that high ever! It might be 140/90 or something but its not been much above that. 

I told my doctor I wasn't sure about that reading and asked him to check again but he didn't and he just said that my surgeon won't operate on me with a bp that high.  He started me on blood pressure medicine, something I have never been on before.  He pretty much ignored my request for a recheck and gave me my scrip and ushered me out the door.  That was at 430 pm. 

That night i went to Publix to pick up my prescription and my husband told me to use the bp machine there.  I did and the read out was 127/89.  I know those machines aren't totally accurate either but I just can't believe that my bp would be that high since it has never been that high before. 

I meet with my surgeon next week and I am scared she won't set my surgery date if she is worried about my bp.  Anyone have any suggestions?  She probably won't have the paperwork from my doctor with the high bp reading so I am thinking I should tell her that I am now on medication but I think that reading was a fluke. Will my surgeon have a big issue with my blood pressure?  I don't want them to postpone my surgery!

Thanks!

get back into them and have them recheck! it takes minutes or less to recheck, that's just silly

Walk right back into the office and tell them that something is really wrong here and you don't want to take medicine if this is THEIR mistake.  Look a bit angry.  Demand that they recheck it NOW!  We are too easy going when it comes to our health.  Make them feel a little uncomfortable about making a major error and they will do whatever they can to correct it FAST.

I would call the surgeon's office first, since that's your main concern, and tell him what happened, and ask if you can come in and have the nurse check your BP.

I'd be concerned that if I returned to the PCP's office, I would be made enough that my BP would go up.

But the whole point of surgery is to help your BP, if it's high, and many of us take BP meds before surgery. You just have to stop the meds before surgery.

Since your surgeon will decide, I'd just talk to his office and go from there.

Thanks for the advice!  I thought about going back into the doctor's office today and have them recheck it but I got busy with work.  I think I will see if my surgeon's office can check it.  I am also going to keep a log of my BPs from now until I go back to the doc.  (I live 3 minutes from the Publix so I will just be that person that goes in everyday to check it. lol)

I am mad at myself for not demanding that they do it again. They were all chomping at the bit to leave. I won't be booking an appointment that late again, that's for sure. :-)

My PCP used to use the larger size cuff and I have never heard of BP being checked on the lower part of the arm unless the cuff is specifically designed to take BP at the wrist. I have one of those for home monitoring. It is also surprising that he would shove a script at you before doing a 24 hour study of your BP with a halter contraption that records your BP over a 24 hr period. You should definitely have more investigation before taking meds that you may not need and worse yet, that may make your BP go low. Insist that it be checked out carefully and thoroughly.

go down to your local fire station every day at the same time for the next 4 days or so and have them check it and record it.  then take that to your doctor..

 

 

jeris

I'd be super leery of taking the BP meds if you don't think you have high blood pressure. I've NEVER heard of a doctor putting someone on meds from ONE reading which was not even done properly!

 

If your PCP  is that busy then I think it is time to find a new one. You are in CONTROL remember that. 

Holy Hell, it is absolutely time to find a new primary care doctor.  Everything about your experience there that day was a pile of horse **** and you should be outraged.  I'm so tired of doctors not listening to their patients.  The arrogance is flabbergasting.  All og the above suggestions are very good.  Be careful if you decide to take those meds since your blood pressure could become dangerously low.