Has the world gone mad?

[Daisy]

I don't mean major situations as in world affairs, but day-to-day nuts.

OH was collecting a prescription medicine from our local chemist yesterday. The young lady behind the counter said they were having to check Blood Pressure, instructions from the surgery, for patients collecting prescriptions. OH thought it was a bit odd, and took a bit of convincing, but agreed in the end.

She proceeded to take his BP 5 (yes, five) time, on each arm!! OH wouldn't let her try again. She then told him, according to the reading he should be dead. By this time there was something of a pantomime crowd gathering - "oh yes he is", "oh no he's not" - so she disappeared into the back room and came back and said "it's alright, you are alive".

He came home very relieved!!!!!

[Gemini]

Good grief!!!

I'm not sure I have any faith in the pharmacist bp taking.

A few weeks ago the optician advised my OH to have her BP checked. She did so at our local pharmacy and it was high.

She was told to take daily readings and send those in to the GP. Almost every one was completely normal.

[Daisy]

Gem, I haven't got a lot of faith in the surgery taking BP either. Mine is always higher in the surgery than at home, and we have the same machine. I didn't ask OH what reading they got in the chemists - it must have been zero over zero!!

[Gemini]

Poor OH!
I'm glad he's still here to tell the tale!

[Oma]

Opticians told me to have mine checked with the Dr asap , I went straight up got into see the nurse she took it sitting down standing up and said nothings wrong with it.
Said to take it every day at home for a week and ring in with results , it was fine each time.

B like my DD has very low BP , every time he goes to the hospital he has to tell them it's normal for him or they start to get concerned.

[Nanto2girls]

I'm another that is pleased he's still here.

When i first found out i had high blood pressure at the surgery, they told me i shouldn't be here.
They sent me to hospital and i had to stay in overnight.
Fortunately the tablets keep doing their job.

[Daisy]

Nanto, thank goodness your surgery was wrong, but it was better to have the overnight check up to be certain.

Oma, I think like many aspects of our health, there's a range of BP levels that are ok for an individual. We don't all fit the same pattern though and these days I think a lot of medical people are given very specific figures and anything outside that alarms them.