rumrunn6

just bought a home blood pressure kit. haven't opened the box yet. anyone do this at home? any comments about doing it?

IBOHUNT

My doctor had me doing this when I had high blood pressure. All it really did for me was to remind me to get off my fat arse and do stuff.
It worked to the extent that my doctor questioned the nurse the last time I went in. (140's/90's to less than 120/70's in a year)


If your doctor is advising this I'd recommend that you have him allow you to come in once a month or so along with the machine you bought to have the nurse take your blood pressure and then you take it to ensure you both are close. Some home machines are terrible.

ericm979

I'll second that. I got one when we cleaned out my mom's house. It reads very high for me but is accurate for my wife. If you're seeing funny numbers from it, compare it to what's at your doctor.

rumrunn6

thanks guys, doctor didn't recommend it. last time I was in the numbers were higher than I'm used to. they weren't worried but i was not happy. I've always had great numbers, perfect in fact. been more active past few months and was hoping to see positive results but didn't want to miss work just to get it taken.

Myosmith

Don't get upset about a single higher than usual blood pressure reading. There are many things that affect blood pressure and it rises and falls throughout the day. Think of blood pressure as a normal range, not a single set of numbers. Unless the reading was very high, your best bet is to have it taken a couple more times over several days. If the results are consistently high, then you need to consult your physician about measures to control it. If you do get a reading that is very high, then get it rechecked using a manual blood pressure cuff of the proper size. Machines can be inaccurate and too small of a cuff will give you a false high reading. Adult cuffs come in small, medium, and large as well as a "thigh" cuff that is larger yet. Each cuff has range marks with two lines on one end and a single line or arrow on the other. The single line or arrow must fall between the two lines on the other end of the cuff for the readings to be accurate.

NCbiker

I've found the machines that auto inflate with a digital readout to be so inaccurate as to be useless.

AlanFD

I have the IHealth monitor and took that the the Doctors and calibrated I against his blood pressure equipment, it was very close to his readings and he was pleased with it. The IHealth equipment cost me $99.00!

Rootman

I agree that MANY of the cheap BP monitors are VERY inaccurate, especially the ultra cheap wrist ones. Expect to pay about $100 for a decent one. I got one that does a BP test 3 times ain a row and averages them, it waits one minute or so between tests so it does take a bit longer to use. Many keep a running record, while I found just recording the tests in a book was good enough for me.

Looigi

Used to use a cuff, bulb, and stethoscope. 8-10 years ago I got an inexpensive automatic one with an upper arm cuff and have been using since. It produces essentially identical results to the manual setup.

rumrunn6

re: cuff, bulb, and stethoscope

that's what I got. still haven't tried it yet ugh

Closed Office

The most important thing about blood pressure readings is that you have to sit still for at least 5 minutes before taking them. If you have been doing strenuous physical activity, it can take up to half an hour for the pressure to come down to normal resting values.

It's a major irritation that public blood pressure machines usually don't have that information. I put up a page with more detail.

009jim

That's wrong - physical activity lowers your blood pressure.

jimblairo

Are you taking heart meds? If so, allow about 2 hours for the meds to do their job. I take 2 readings about 5 minutes apart. My readings are very close to what the Dr. gets. I chart the readings including BP and give them to the Dr. when I visit every 3 months.

Whit68

Regular Physical activity lowers your blood pressure over time. Closed office is correct. If you are up and about your BP will rise. You need to take a few minutes and sit before taking your BP. I have a home blood pressure monitor and it seems to work fairly well. As mentioned earlier, it is not the single reading but to monitor the readings over time.

rumrunn6

my gym had someone taking blood pressure one day and I had mine done in the middle of my workout and it was perfect.

late

A lot of guys need a big cuff.

If they use a regular cuff, the numbers get screwy.

009jim

I've often taken my blood pressure directly after activity and it lowers it. My doctor has confirmed this is correct. Try it !!!!

However, if you are in a position of stress, it will be higher.