When I went for my annual medical checkup last September, my blood pressure (which had been normal for years) was very high during three consecutive tests at the clinic. My GP wanted me to check my blood pressure several times a day, either with a home monitor by or wearing one of those 24-hour machines. She told me that the OMROM wrist monitor that I had been using was not accurate, and that I needed one with a cuff for the upper arm.
I decided against the 24-hour monitor because I had done it before, and the travelling time to have it fitted and then removed the day after would not work with my work schedule.
I went to the pharmacy, and bought the middle version of the three OMRON monitors they had in stock. There was a 30% discount so I could buy the ‘middle’ one at the same price of the ‘lowest’. I reasoned that I should be taking my blood pressure regularly anyway, and that a decent monitor would be a good investment. This one was about $60, and can store the history of two users.
The doctor sent me a very useful electronic form to complete over the course of a week. I had to take my blood pressure twice in the morning and twice in the evening for seven days. When I added each reading to the form, the table automatically calculated an average for the day and week. This meant I could see that my blood pressure was high only on the day I visited the doctor (stress, maybe?) and then dropped to normal for the rest of the week. As a result, I did not need medication.
Since then I have taken my blood pressure for a week, using the same form, and it is still normal.
How many of my readers have home monitors of any kind? Do you have a watch that can perform health functions?
I have a Withings BP Connect blood pressure monitor it works via bluetooth/wifi to record the readings in their app. I do three tests, morning and three in the evening on three consecutive days before my regular consultations at the Doctors every 4-6 months.
It’s always good to know your numbers, mine used to be very high, but it’s more normal now.
How much was your blond pressreleaser?
During my “crisis” before Easter, the doctor had measured my blood pressure which was really high. It’s normal for it to be higher because of the “white coat effect”. For many people it’s always a bit unsettling to be at the doctor, even if things are not too bad. You can imagine how much of an effect it can have for someone with anxiety who’s not feeling good!… So the doctor asked me if I had measured my blood pressure lately and I had and it was good. I then proceeded to measure it again after all my appointments and sometimes it was high, sometimes it was low. But then I discovered I was having panic attacks, so I gave up measuring regularly.
I use a blood pressure with an cuff, like yours and the brand of mine is Beurer, which I believe is a German brand. I had a smart watch that I used for sports and to count my steps but it was very basic and I gave up after a while because I was obsessing over my step count… It did measure my sleep, which was always good. I wonder if there are any watches that measure other functions and that would be interesting from a medical point of view.