jwsadler

Hi there,

I was wondering if anyone (particularly with experience of the medicals) could answer the following:

My wife recently gave birth. She suffered with raised blood pressure from going into labour onwards - prior to that everything was fine. As a precaution she was kept in hospital for five days to ensure that she didn't have pre-eclampsia. - She was fine.

Unfortunately they put her on a course of beta-blockers. When she came off these her blood-pressure went up and up, and she has been on some fairly mild drugs to keep it down. She suffers from what doctors call white coat syndrome - in that as soon as she knows she is going to have a blood-pressure taken it starts going up and up! She has just come back from the doctors hoping to have a drug dosage reduced - but guess what; her blood pressure went up to 180/100!!!! The doctor has said that as long as the blood-pressure is under control, she shouldn't have a problem with the medical for Canada - is this correct?

Is there anything we can do/take with us, as inevitably her blood-pressure is going to rise as we approach the day! Does anyone have any advice?

Many thanks,

James.

sheadboy

the medical people want the BP to be under 140/90. if there's no way that's going to happen, I suggest she get a letter from her doctor advising her BP is normally under this level and is controlled by x drug.

the medical team will still probably seek their own confirmation but at least you're covering your back.

jwsadler

Thanks.

sheadboy

no worries, I know this because I was over the benchmark for my medical too haha

Zoe Bell

Just to add my reassurance as well , High blood pressure on its own (especially if well controlled) is not usually a problem. They are looking for problems caused by it , for example kidney problems.

Take all the supporting evidence (GP, specialists notes etc) , worse case scenario , you have to pay for extra kidney function test and maybe a specialist referral.

sheadboy

yeah you may even need a report from a cardiologist. which is really outdated as to how BP is actually treated these days.

jwsadler

Thanks Guys,

That's really good to hear - thank you.

Regards,

James.

jwsadler

She had this done during her pregancy (3-5 months ago) would that still count? She was also monitored for kidney problems.

She was clear on both counts.

Regards,

James.

sheadboy

fingers crossed it will, ask for the notes and take them along with you to the medical. the more you have and the more open you are the better as far as I'm concerned.

and good luck

jwsadler

Thank you.

gibsonslanding

blood pressure is not an 'exact science'....some people 'run' high and some 'low' naturally......if there is an undelying problem, as mentioned, kidneys etc. then get supporting letter from doc.......

i naturally run high and have had various problems with various 'authorities', ie: adoption......and it took months to prove to social services that i naturally run high. i had to get my doc to go back through years worth of medical stuff and even then i had to get a letter from the british medical association to say that it's not an exact science....i have no medical problems and am not taking any medication.....good luck but don't give up.....

jwsadler

Cheers,

Its nice to know we are not alone in this...

It seems to be a family thing - in that all my wife's mothers family have inexplicable high BP.

Regards,

James.

Zoe Bell

Real sneaky trick ( and I'm not in any way suggesting that this is a good thing to do ) is to hold your arm as high as possible when they take the reading .

Basic physics tells you that the higher your arm , the lower the reading.

A good doctor will realise this and take your BP so your upper arm is level with your heart , however it is possible to stick your arm out in a show of enthusiastic cooperation and knock about 5 points off the reading!!!!!!!

jwsadler

Thanks Zoe

Zoe Bell

Ermm , remember I'm just passing on information for interests sake , Under no circumstances did I recommend it as a course of action