Over the past 9 months I've been to many medical appointments while being treated for cancer. (Recent tests show the cancer is now gone.) At most of these appointments, my blood pressure was taken and was considered to be "high". The nurse usually suggested waiting 5-10 minutes and taking another reading ... and often the reading was even higher!
I have a wrist blood pressure monitor at home. When I take my blood pressure at home, its in the "normal" range. When I've told this to nurses, they usually just noted their high reading and suggested I discuss this with my primary care provider. One suggested my wrist monitor may need to be re-calibrated.
One nurse got very concerned and called a doctor to get approval to give me some medicine before she would take me to the area for chemotherapy. As that nurse grew more and more concerned, my blood pressure really increased!
Overall, this blood pressure issue kept coming up and I didn't see a way to keep this from happening, although I didn't think there was a real problem.
Recently I went to a new primary care provider, a Physician's Assistant named Jamie.
Before going to this appointment I had talked with God about this blood pressure matter and had the thought to take my wrist monitor and check it against the reading at Jamie's office.
So at the appointment, after the nurse took my blood pressure (which was high) I started putting my wrist monitor in place and explained that I wanted to see if it showed a similar reading to what the nurse had gotten. Although the nurse was starting to leave the room, she stopped and watched me, saying she wanted to make sure I was using the monitor correctly. As I put my feet flat on the floor and lifted my arm so the monitor was at the same level as my heart, she said "You're doing that exactly right". She stayed until my monitor gave a reading. The nurse saw that my monitor gave the same reading she had received with her equipment.
Jamie and I discussed my blood pressure and I explained to her that it is in the "normal" range at home using the same wrist monitor we had just verified was accurate with their equipment. Jamie suggested waiting a little bit and then the nurse would take my pressure again. As usual, my pressure was even higher! which the nurse reported back to Jamie.
While the nurse talked with Jamie, I prayed about what to do and had the thought to tell Jamie that before starting blood pressure medicine, I would like to take my blood pressure at home for 30 days and keep records of the findings and send them to her.
When she returned to the exam room, Jamie said she thought it would be good for her to prescribe a mild blood pressure medicine. I told her the plan I had been impressed with after praying. She agreed to do this, but wanted me to send the results after 2 weeks instead of 30 days. I agreed to do this.
So for the next 2 weeks, I took my blood pressure at home each day and noted the results, and sent these readings to Jamie at the end of 2 weeks.
She responded that the readings look great and that no blood pressure medicine is needed.
I smiled, knowing this plan was from God and had freed me, not only from unnecessary medicine, but I think will also help me with future medical appointments with other doctors. Now I can let them know that my primary care provider is satisfied that there is not a blood pressure problem.
(A rather fun note ... One nurse told me they call a rise in blood pressure when in medical settings like I was seeing "white coat syndrome"! )
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I was diagnosed with high grade bladder cancer in September 2022. In April 2023, tests showed the cancer was completely gone! God gave me several dreams to show me what to do during this time.
Even though 5 medical people on my case said I was not an ideal subject for the type of medical treatment I was choosing, because I felt God was leading me after prayer, I chose this treatment and the medical people agreed to treat me this way. To read this story, click here.
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