charlie5

Does anyone else suffer from “white coat” syndrome?

Normally my blood pressure is at a very good level but when I go anywhere near to a doctor’s surgery it shoots through the roof. I am concerned that I will have the same problem when I go for my visa medical.

Can anyone offer help or reassurance please?

snipsta

Hi,

I am no expert but ....

I have the same problem, the requirements are for it to be under 140/90. Mine was higher at the start of the medical and the doctor was excellent, he left me to relax and tried again about 5 times in the end and still it was over. I asked for one last try and it was just ok 140/80, you just need one reading that is OK. If it is over then I dont think this is a big problem, the doctor said that he would have been happy with a letter from my doctor explaining that I had done home checking over a period and that it was just down to white coat syndrome.

My Medical was passed in Sydney with no issues.

In short I would speak to your GP and take in some readings from home then get him to write you a letter to take to your medicals incase you are to high during the medical.

hope this helps

Inglewhite

Yes, I had the same problem at meds and panicked.!The panel doctor had to refer me for further tests with a cardiologist , to the tune of about 650 quid!!
In the end after all the tests they put it down to heightened anxiety when at the docs- I think they understand that people are nervous but i was told by the panel doctor i had to be referred. Anyway i've still passed my meds and GOT THE VISA eventually, although i was very worried at the time.

annqldau

Make sure your husband thinks of something nice/calming and breathes while getting his BP done. Many people hold their breath while it is taken which puts it up as a rule so remember to do nice slow breathes.

My husband has mega 'white coat syndrome' and his BP was up on the day as the doctor tormented him more by making him go last when we'd agreed before hand for him to go first.

So by the time they did him he was a gibbering wreck. Anyway, he passed the rest but had to go to the practice nurse (he's only scared of doctors) and get 3 clear readings which he did no problem. Given the all clear after that.

Flutterby

This happened to my husband, the panel doctor was really good about it and let him go back for another test at which as he was not having all the other tests done, he was fine. I suggest that you contact the panel doctor before hand and tell them your concerns and as another poster advised you could take a letter from your GP explaining that you have white coat syndrome.

Good luck..!

charlie5

Hi

Thanks everyone for your advice.

My normal bp measured at home on approved equipment is about 110 over 60 but it shot up to 155 over 90 at the last visit to the GPs.

I do not really want to pay a lot of money for a specialist consultation, so I think I will speak to my GP.

I hope this solves the problem.

annqldau

You could always try some of those herbal relaxants before hand like quiet lives or St. Johns Wort or happy backy but won't work for everyone and can't vouch for the outcome but may chill you enough to get your bp down or the good old Diazepam or Valium if you happen to have a prescription lying around for it..

mvt550

Feel free to speak to your GP but please remember that your GP is well within their rights to charge you a fee for writing a letter for this purpose.
GPs are getting increasing amounts of requests for letters for non NHS purposes and most will now charge you for this so be prepared.

By the way, before anyone starts whinging about GPs charging for things like this (as has happened on here before) - please don't. If you do, you simply don't understand how the system works.

GPs doing medicals (ie panel doctors) are generally well aware of white coat problems and will have usually strategies in place to deal with this.

Hope it's all fine on the day!

moneypenny20

Blood test results could be interesting One way for anyone's BP to go through the roof

swstephenwood

Hi my wife has white coat syndrome and when we went for our medicals My wife explained to the doctor exactly what happens to her. We passed our medicals.Just be open and honest the worst what can happen is they might want you to wear a blood pressure monitor for a few days the down size is you might have to pay for the experience. Hope every thing goes ok.Keep positive

annqldau

Don't think they do a drugs test or half of London wouldn't be here...

CazBeckham

Charlie

I too suffer with white coat syndrome and what I did before my meds was to go to my GP and pay to have a blood pressure monitor put on me for 24 hours.

It takes a reading every hour and when you go back to your gp to have it taken off they give you a print out of the hourly readings and it also gives you an average reading.

My 24 hour average reading ws normal so well worth the £90 I paid for it.

Every time I go to GP my BP is very high and the first reading on the monitor was high and the last one when I was back at the GP's so to save being asked to go for cardiac tests as a result of high BP at the meds its best to pay out the £90 and have a 24 hour test done first. It worked for me.

Good luck

Caz

velma

I take temazepam to sleep (prescribed by doctor) - do they actually test you for drugs like that? I can't see anything on the form about that - what is the urine analysis for?

Pollyana

They don't test you for it but you are asked about any drugs that you are taking and you should put them on the form.
The urine test is for diabetes.

loubiegreen

Hi, my OH has the same problem but we only found out when going for the meds for our visa. What we did was bought a home tester that collected upto 90 readings and took 3 reading for 10 days before we saw our own GP. She then wrote some of these down and did us a letter stating that the home ones were fine but the med one and the 3 other visits to the surgery were all high. She believed that he was suffering from some White Coat Hypertension.

We have been granted our visa today and other than his medical taking a little longer to finalise we have had no problems.

Hope this helps but speak to your GP and Panel Dr before the meds.

Kind regards and good luck.

Lou xxxx