Thanks -- I eat dark chocolate pretty much every day (86%) at least two squares. Also I was eating two tablespoons of cocoa in my flaxseed muffin with dark chocolate on top. My BP was 160 over 100 today. It is just weird it has risen so fast in such a short amount of time. I'll monitor it for a few days.

Boy you are right about the nurses taking it incorrectly. At the dentist's office I'm laying down and at the doctor's office the nurse is asking me a whole bunch of questions while she's taking it -- I asked her if it isn't important to remail still and she looked preturbed and said it made no difference.

My diabetes is staying pretty good (blood sugars). That's why I really hate to take BP meds if at all possible because I don't want a medicine that raises blood sugars when I've worked so hard in keeping them normal. The nurse at school said if it stays 100 on the bottom for a week then I need meds asap. but I have read that it takes years for damage to occur. Kind of hard to know who to believe.