So guys got a medical with a HGV firm. Only thing is I dread the blood pressure test! I’m 39, reasonably fit and not overweight by any means! In fact I go running twice a week.
When I joined the armed services, had no issues with medical and passed the with no problems.However , since getting older I can’t stand medical environments!
When I went for my PCV medical, the doctor did my blood pressure a few times and was still quite high! Even when I registered at my local doctors surgery, the doctor did it a few times. She the did it the old fashioned way with the pump and said it was normal.
It’s that bloody cuff, I get worked up as soon as it goes on my arm!!
Anyone got advice about passing this test. I genuinely believe it’s white coat and not actual high blood pressure.
Any advice?
KALMS tablets - increase as it gets closer to the test
Do Kalms really work mate?
I can empathise, some years ago I lost my entitlements for a couple of months when my BP was too high - it was all stress induced.
Physical exercise (minimum 20-30 minutes cardio at 80% of the max for your age group) approximately 1 hour before the reading will generally cause a reduction in blood pressure (due to the release of nitric oxide which dilates your blood vessels).
Casein - the stuff some body builders use for night time protein release, can work too, as it contains natural ACE (acetylcholinesterase) inhibitors which help dilate blood vessels too
5 hydroxy-tryptophan supplements can yield results too, as do arginine supplements (again BB suppliers)
Basically anything which encourage the production of nitric oxide will have a beneficial effect.
And staying off alcohol for several days prior to a reading can work wonders as well.
Our doctors offices usually have a small and a large cuff, make sure you use the big un’.
Get yourself your own blood pressure monitor , doctors will also have sheets you can fill in ( I get issued with them ) which you fill in with 2 readings am / pm
I have to do it as mine are high at hospital / clinics / doctors , but checked at home ok ish , so I’ve photo copied mine , one for doctors as requested / one for my records ( daughter , nurse , advice ) then if I have issues on next medical I have evidence its the wondering what there going to tell me next , the hospital procedures ( biopsy’s ) etc etc that are getting me agitated , wound up which is causing the high bp, rather than having high blood pressure full stop
I would say though they’ve never mentioned bp & not driving , only mention of driving , being allowed to carry on was diabetis ,
Just dont go to your GP, go to a backdoor doctor online they cost £50 literally they dont care, u just urinate in the pot , blood pressure with that squeezy thing and eye test whole process less than 4mins he takes cash in hand and you get your stuff signed and are legal
TruckDriverBen:
Just dont go to your GP, go to a backdoor doctor online they cost £50 literally they dont care, u just urinate in the pot , blood pressure with that squeezy thing and eye test whole process less than 4mins he takes cash in hand and you get your stuff signed and are legal
And your free to roam around the country in an HGV for the next 5 years not knowing if you have an underlying health issue that could cause you to pass out or maybe even die at the wheel, yeah great idea! But hey,you’ve saved a few quid. It’s your health, don’t put a price on it
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If concerned about a health condition and not wanting to get ripped off by paying over £60 for a D4 medical then do the NHS free health check at local surgery followed by a cheap D4 medical elsewhere
As Rog says.
Plus if you go to the NHS site they will link you to the British Heart Foundation.
Free reliable information.
If concerned about possible hypertension buy an APPROVED machine for home use. This should tell if you do have a problem or it is a case of “white coat syndrome” where b.p. increases in a Dr surgery.
Go to the NHS and British Heart Foundation before you believe too much from TNUK of other sites.
Your high blood pressure could be linked to what is commonly known as "white coat syndrome " and possibly nothing to do with any sort of serious medical condition.
Down to being tensed up and anxious in case you have a problem. Buy yourself a good monitor and take your pressure relaxed in your own home.
Anyone know what the actual pass mark is for the medical? Seem to think no higher than 170 or something like that?
180 /100 is the max they allow according to DVLA. Mine is iffy close on the second one bit docs won’t do anything about it as apparently that’s healthy, wish someone would tell DVLA.
The doctors probably want you to do something about it yourself (ie lifestyle choices). You really don’t want to HAVE to take medication, they all have side effects.
High BP when attending a Doctors or Hospital is common its known as “white coat syndrome”
Get yourself a decent BP Monitor and take your BP in a relaxed environment and record your readings.
Last time I took my medical, I booked online rather than use local GP. Was in a hotel on outskirts of Kirkby. Walked into the foyer, and noticed doctor walking around and chatting to various guys. He called me in, and when I asked about the guys outside, he told me they had all failed BP requirement. There was probably about six all trying to relax themselves, and get their BP down. Picture stuck in my mind, and this thread bought it back.
Whether they were suffering from white coat syndrome or had longer term problems, I don’t know. What I do know is, a bit of knowledge on breath control can help reduce high BP.
Your body only truly relaxes during exhalation .Your bodies fight and flight response triggers an instant inhalation. Think about how you respond to stress, say somebody pulling out in front of your truck. The response is the same as our ancestors when faced with a wild animal. You don’t exhale and say ‘don’t give a ■■■■■■ Your body instantly primes its response. Increased cortisol secretion, instant inhalation and a concomitant increase in blood pressure. Drivers do this all day long, and suffer the long term consequences of inflammation and chronic high BP.
Psychological issues like white coat syndrome illicit a similar response. The response can be controlled. Your nervous system is relaxed by a long controlled exhalation, and your body enters a rest and digest state, blood pressure reduces, and secretion of stress hormones stops.
Your nose is for breathing and your mouth for eating. An inhalation via your nose is an automatic diaphragmatic breath.
If you expel too much air by mouth breathing, your BP will increase. You have expelled too much CO2, which means you will not release enough oxygen into your blood, and your body increases its breathing rate to try and fix the situation.
There is a reason special forces and snipers etc are taught ‘box breathing’, and that is to stay calm and in control.
Chronic overbreathing through the mouth leads to poor health, it reduces fitness and leads to anxiety, asthma, insomnia, heart problems and obesity, and more.
So my advice would be, buy your own BP monitor, and do some breathing exercises and watch pressure reduce. Then walk into surgery and not be fazed by any white coats…can’t help you if she is blonde and fit though.
trevHCS:
180 /100 is the max they allow according to DVLA. Mine is iffy close on the second one bit docs won’t do anything about it as apparently that’s healthy, wish someone would tell DVLA.
Read what the Gov article says
The max of 180/100 is in the case of Malignant Hypertension and requires medical treatment
A normal BP should be close to 120/80
So I got myself one of those Argos blood pressure machines, a Kineton one for 20 quid. It seems ok. As long as on the medical it’s under 170 will that be a pass? I still get anxious in those environments!