Doctors and healthy lifestyle. Grrr

gunforhire

Went to the Doctors this morning with a suspected perforated eardrum after racing at the weekend.
Anyway, it's all good. Ear's fine, eardrum's just taken a 'pressure related injury'.

The Doctor seemed hell bent on insisting that any ear problems must be from a prior infection or boil. It couldn't possibly have anything to do with the fisticuffs during an open water tri, or the fact I'd managed to get my self repeatedly kicked and slapped in the head and ear during it!

It gets better. He takes my blood pressure at the end of all this.
Now I don't know if this has something to do with body recovery post race, or the 45 minutes I spent in the waiting room (I had the 3rd appointment of the day), having to go out and put money in the meter twice, wrangle my 4 year old or put up with 2 different Doctors sticking torches down my lug hole...
It was HIGH. 145/94. I'm not worried though, as it was taken a few months ago 110/90.
Cue a lecture on healthy living!
Do I exercise? Do I eat healthily? Do I drink a lot?
It's the height of the tri season - what do you think?!

Anyone else have to put up with this?

Jack Hughes

Blood pressure varies dramatically. He should have certainly taken a second one a bit later. It's notoriously affected by the process of observation! For men, blood pressure tends to rised during the day - it will be a lot higher at 3pm than at 8am.

You can only really get an accurate idea of what it is if you measure it on daily basis, at the same point in time - ideally, just after you get up! Mine is typically around 115-117/70-75. But, when I get it measured it is quite often around 135/80.

So, it is meaningless, but he was right to ask the supplementary questions - if you had said no exercise, smoked a lot, then it might not have been a false reading! Of course, he should have done another reading a minute or so after.

jibby26

I was told for years I had high blood pressure till it was pointed out they should be using a large cuff not the medium one they normally do (I exercise therfore have muscles, which make my arms big). All of a sudden my blood pressure is normal.

Zacnici

There is also 'white coat' syndrome

Have always had high blood pressure readings but when readings taken by my GP brother in law or at a gym men's health day I had 'normal' readings.

didds

you can tell your doctor that the ONLY time I have EVER had a perforated ear drum was when i was punched flat on the ear from behind, and not suffering from any infections at the time.

didds

willieverfinish

Cuff size can make a huge difference for BP readings... generally the GP will have what's called a "standard Adult cuff" - and while that may suffice for some people for others it WILL be too big or too small.

here can be a variable of 20 systolic or 20 diastolic from an incorrect fitting cuff.

Worth bearing in mind for your next visit.

As has been said times of the day make a difference, as does a huge array of factors.

Unless your flushed in the cheeks, headaches all the time, CP etc etc then it's fine.

GP's I shit em.

md6

not quite the same, but i had a GP who was convinced the liver problem i had last year was down to excessive drinking etc. As i was having several blood tests with a reguler 3 month gap between them i decided to disprove this and didn't drink anything at all between 2 of the tests and my liver condition did not improve at all, when i pointed this out, it was dismissed. I was then told i drank too much - after i had stated that I'd not had a drink for 3 months. At my next test - i'd started drinking again ass i clearly wasnt that - the Dr asked how much i drank. I again explained that i hadn't had much, outlined it some weeks nothing some i would have a bit - a very heavy week before i had 2 pints, a bottle of wine and then 2 bottles of beer. He wrote down, 2 pints and 3 bottles of wine...i corrected and he didn't change it. My liver cleared itself up (mostly) over the following 8-10 months whilst i carried on drinking at the same level I had done - no explanation or actual diagnosis from the Dr who still insisted it was drink related. As far as I'm concerned it wasn't.

IMO if Dr's were smart they'd do something else

md6

LOL sorry just realised the irony of my pic combined with the above post

Swizzlenap

Also OT but....

I once had an excruiating pain from my ear down the side of my jaw. Went to a destist who said there's nothing wrong, go see your GP. After lots of Hmmmm-ing GP says there's nothing wrong and finished with the immortal line "if you figure out what it is though could you tell me, I'd be interested to know"!!!

Can't say I bother much with GP's any more..