I have the doctors panicking over my high blood pressure. So I dug out
a digi BP monitor we had for a few years #1. That had a problem with
its over pressure safety valve, which I repaired whilst waiting for a
new one to be delivered. It's readings were completely inconsistent, so
today (still waiting for #2 to arrive), I went out and bought an over
the counter #3.

#3 (a cuff auto digital) seems to provide consistent values, no rapid
wild variations, but how to be sure the displayed readings are correct?

I have already been advised that any of the larger pharmacists should
have a device to check the calibration of BP monitors, but I wonder if
there might be a way to check it at home?

On 21/09/2017 15:43, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
I have the doctors panicking over my high blood pressure. So I dug out a
digi BP monitor we had for a few years #1. That had a problem with its
over pressure safety valve, which I repaired whilst waiting for a new
one to be delivered. It's readings were completely inconsistent, so
today (still waiting for #2 to arrive), I went out and bought an over
the counter #3.

#3 (a cuff auto digital) seems to provide consistent values, no rapid
wild variations, but how to be sure the displayed readings are correct?

I have already been advised that any of the larger pharmacists should
have a device to check the calibration of BP monitors, but I wonder if
there might be a way to check it at home?

Take it to the Surgert and compare the reading with one taken
immediately afterwards with a surgery machine.
I have what the doctor describes as 'White coat syndrome'

Apressure os say 1292/120 translates into n143/90 at home. When I go in
I take a series of recent reaqdings with me.

Malcolm

On Thu, 21 Sep 2017 15:43:40 +0100, Harry Bloomfield
wrote:

I have the doctors panicking over my high blood pressure. So I dug out
a digi BP monitor we had for a few years #1. That had a problem with
its over pressure safety valve, which I repaired whilst waiting for a
new one to be delivered. It's readings were completely inconsistent, so
today (still waiting for #2 to arrive), I went out and bought an over
the counter #3.

#3 (a cuff auto digital) seems to provide consistent values, no rapid
wild variations, but how to be sure the displayed readings are correct?

I have already been advised that any of the larger pharmacists should
have a device to check the calibration of BP monitors, but I wonder if
there might be a way to check it at home?

I supply a service to pharmacies, or at least did so before I retired
earlier this year and I never saw such a calibration device or service
offered.

My late father was a medical rep in the 1960s and carried a little
bottle of Hg to top up doctors traditional sphigs, so I suppose that
was a calibration service.

Is your machine an upper arm cuff type? The wrist type are notoriously
inconsistent.


--

Graham.
%Profound_observation%

Graham. has brought this to us :
On Thu, 21 Sep 2017 15:43:40 +0100, Harry Bloomfield
wrote:

I have the doctors panicking over my high blood pressure. So I dug out
a digi BP monitor we had for a few years #1. That had a problem with
its over pressure safety valve, which I repaired whilst waiting for a
new one to be delivered. It's readings were completely inconsistent, so
today (still waiting for #2 to arrive), I went out and bought an over
the counter #3.

#3 (a cuff auto digital) seems to provide consistent values, no rapid
wild variations, but how to be sure the displayed readings are correct?

I have already been advised that any of the larger pharmacists should
have a device to check the calibration of BP monitors, but I wonder if
there might be a way to check it at home?

I supply a service to pharmacies, or at least did so before I retired
earlier this year and I never saw such a calibration device or service
offered.

My late father was a medical rep in the 1960s and carried a little
bottle of Hg to top up doctors traditional sphigs, so I suppose that
was a calibration service.

Is your machine an upper arm cuff type? The wrist type are notoriously
inconsistent.

That might explain it. #1 is a wrist type, #2 when it arrives will be a
wrist type, #3 is a upper arm cuff type speced to be accurate to +/- 3
mmHg.

Malcolm Race laid this down on his screen :
Take it to the Surgert and compare the reading with one taken immediately
afterwards with a surgery machine.
I have what the doctor describes as 'White coat syndrome'

Me too, to some extent, even when I measure it myself :-?


Apressure os say 1292/120 translates into n143/90 at home. When I go in I
take a series of recent reaqdings with me.

That is my plan, but I tried that a couple of weeks ago and the values
I noted were way below correct values, down in the normal range. I'm
keen not to repeat providing them with erroneous data, hence my
question of how to check the calibration at home to be sure.

On 21/09/17 15:43, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
I have the doctors panicking over my high blood pressure. So I dug out a
digi BP monitor we had for a few years #1. That had a problem with its
over pressure safety valve, which I repaired whilst waiting for a new
one to be delivered. It's readings were completely inconsistent, so
today (still waiting for #2 to arrive), I went out and bought an over
the counter #3.

#3 (a cuff auto digital) seems to provide consistent values, no rapid
wild variations, but how to be sure the displayed readings are correct?

I have already been advised that any of the larger pharmacists should have a device to check the calibration of BP monitors, but I wonder if
there might be a way to check it at home?

I have any annual 'MOT' at my GP surgery. They offered to check the
meter I use at home if I took it in at the next check up. Without being
rude, I suspect you fall into the age bracket to qualify for the same
(free) 'MOT' check up, kill two birds with one stone- so to speak. They
do a blood test, pee in a jar test, BP, a few other things- nothing
painful.

On 21/09/17 15:49, Malcolm Race wrote:
On 21/09/2017 15:43, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
I have the doctors panicking over my high blood pressure. So I dug out
a digi BP monitor we had for a few years #1. That had a problem with
its over pressure safety valve, which I repaired whilst waiting for a
new one to be delivered. It's readings were completely inconsistent,
so today (still waiting for #2 to arrive), I went out and bought an
over the counter #3.

#3 (a cuff auto digital) seems to provide consistent values, no rapid
wild variations, but how to be sure the displayed readings are correct?

I have already been advised that any of the larger pharmacists should
have a device to check the calibration of BP monitors, but I wonder if
there might be a way to check it at home?

Take it to the Surgert and compare the reading with one taken
immediately afterwards with a surgery machine.
I have what the doctor describes as 'White coat syndrome'

Apressure os say 1292/120 translates into n143/90 at home. When I go in
I take a series of recent reaqdings with me.

Malcolm

I hope you mistyped that first one ;-)

As an aside, I happened to meet someone involved in the design of a new
type of BP meter. He told me the 'cuff type' was generally accepted to
be potentially wildly inaccurate - there are too many things in the
basic set up which are not controlled- eg initial cuff fit, the point
where the user detects the 'change' (I can't recall the correct term he
used), ...... While I accept he had reasons to criticise the 'old'
approach (he was working on the replacement), he knew I wasn't a
customer and his points did make engineering sense. He didn't share
details of the replacement, other than it worked by sensing flow as far
as I could tell.

On 21/09/2017 15:53, Graham. wrote:


Is your machine an upper arm cuff type? The wrist type are notoriously
inconsistent.


That's what I have read. I also note that when some of these wrist
devices are being demonstrated that the wrist has to be placed over your
heart (the monitoring point has to be at the same level as the heart).

I have two upper arm devices, from different manufactures[1*], and they
both give nearly the same reading when comparing BP tests 2 minutes apart.

I also have a 'sports' bracelet

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cospor-Wire.../dp/B06XZ6HLRR

which measures pulse rate and blood pressure by flashing LEDs at the
skin. When connected by way of Bluetooth to a smart phone while this is
happening the waveform being analysed can be seen.

This ALWAYS reads low by 15 to 20mmhg compared to my upper arm monitors
so cannot be trusted BUT as it takes regular readings throughout the
day/night I can see the trend when my BP rises/falls, synchronised to
the time when I take my daily BP medication.

[1*]
http://www.argos.co.uk/product/6167662

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Omron-Press...omron+m10+-+it

The smaller Argos/Kinetik is easier to carry around while the larger
Omron has more features that I don't really need.


--
mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 21/09/2017 16:30, Brian Reay wrote:

a few other things- nothing
painful.

I didn't even feel the needle when I had my flu jab on Monday.


--
mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

alan_m explained on 21/09/2017 :
http://www.argos.co.uk/product/6167662

Which is the #3 I bought today

Not really I went to my Gp to do mine. Mine is a talking one but its bedside
manner is, erm a little too casual.
According to the who guidlines you blood pressure is high to normal, or
whatever, though of course it gives the figures and stores them in a
continuously rotating memory historically.

All I will say is don't let them prescribe Ramopril, as it gives you a
nasty cough. there are other medications to dilate blood vessels that work
just as well. However they really need to find out why the pressure is high.
In my case its my liver being hard to push blood through, but I'm sure there
are lots of other issues.
Brian

--
----- -
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please!
"Harry Bloomfield" wrote in message
news
I have the doctors panicking over my high blood pressure. So I dug out a
digi BP monitor we had for a few years #1. That had a problem with its over
pressure safety valve, which I repaired whilst waiting for a new one to be
delivered. It's readings were completely inconsistent, so today (still
waiting for #2 to arrive), I went out and bought an over the counter #3.

#3 (a cuff auto digital) seems to provide consistent values, no rapid wild
variations, but how to be sure the displayed readings are correct?

I have already been advised that any of the larger pharmacists should have
a device to check the calibration of BP monitors, but I wonder if there
might be a way to check it at home?

Yes white coat syndrome is no more than a normal case of being very nervous
near any kind of medical person who is about to pronounce you ill! That is
why they usually take more than one reading to allow you to calm down a bit.

Brian

--
----- -
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please!
"Malcolm Race" wrote in message
news
On 21/09/2017 15:43, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
I have the doctors panicking over my high blood pressure. So I dug out a
digi BP monitor we had for a few years #1. That had a problem with its
over pressure safety valve, which I repaired whilst waiting for a new one
to be delivered. It's readings were completely inconsistent, so today
(still waiting for #2 to arrive), I went out and bought an over the
counter #3.

#3 (a cuff auto digital) seems to provide consistent values, no rapid
wild variations, but how to be sure the displayed readings are correct?

I have already been advised that any of the larger pharmacists should
have a device to check the calibration of BP monitors, but I wonder if
there might be a way to check it at home?

Take it to the Surgert and compare the reading with one taken immediately
afterwards with a surgery machine.
I have what the doctor describes as 'White coat syndrome'

Apressure os say 1292/120 translates into n143/90 at home. When I go in I
take a series of recent reaqdings with me.

Malcolm

On 21/09/2017 17:00, alan_m wrote:
On 21/09/2017 16:30, Brian Reay wrote:

a few other things- nothing painful.

I didn't even feel the needle when I had my flu jab on Monday.


Peripheral neuropathy then...

Bill

Brian Reay explained on 21/09/2017 :
I have any annual 'MOT' at my GP surgery. They offered to check the meter I
use at home if I took it in at the next check up. Without being rude, I
suspect you fall into the age bracket to qualify for the same (free) 'MOT'
check up, kill two birds with one stone- so to speak. They do a blood test,
pee in a jar test, BP, a few other things- nothing painful.

Which is exactly what I am going through at the moment, it all began
with a sudden onset of severe vertigo. BP checked and deep concerns
about that. The vertigo issue was pushed onto the back burner, due to
the BP - luckily the vertigo has almost cured itself.

On 21/09/2017 15:53, Graham. wrote:
On Thu, 21 Sep 2017 15:43:40 +0100, Harry Bloomfield
wrote:

I have the doctors panicking over my high blood pressure. So I dug out
a digi BP monitor we had for a few years #1. That had a problem with
its over pressure safety valve, which I repaired whilst waiting for a
new one to be delivered. It's readings were completely inconsistent, so
today (still waiting for #2 to arrive), I went out and bought an over
the counter #3.

#3 (a cuff auto digital) seems to provide consistent values, no rapid
wild variations, but how to be sure the displayed readings are correct?

I have already been advised that any of the larger pharmacists should
have a device to check the calibration of BP monitors, but I wonder if
there might be a way to check it at home?

I supply a service to pharmacies, or at least did so before I retired
earlier this year and I never saw such a calibration device or service
offered.

My late father was a medical rep in the 1960s and carried a little
bottle of Hg to top up doctors traditional sphigs, so I suppose that
was a calibration service.

Is your machine an upper arm cuff type? The wrist type are notoriously
inconsistent.



I've two wrist types - both Aldi/Lidl basic (non-bluetooth etc). Both
are within a couple of hg-things of each other and the doctor's.

--
Cheers, Rob

On 21/09/2017 17:13, Brian Gaff wrote:
Not really I went to my Gp to do mine. Mine is a talking one but its bedside
manner is, erm a little too casual.
According to the who guidlines you blood pressure is high to normal, or
whatever, though of course it gives the figures and stores them in a
continuously rotating memory historically.

All I will say is don't let them prescribe Ramopril, as it gives you a
nasty cough. there are other medications to dilate blood vessels that work
just as well.

I think it varies with the individual. I take amlodipine and, swollen
ankles aside for the first couple of months, no side effects. Except to
say I haven't had a hangover or headache in the 6/7 years I've been
taking it. You'd think there'd be a Nobel Prize in there somewhere, but
the doc doesn't seem interested :-)

However they really need to find out why the pressure is high.
In my case its my liver being hard to push blood through, but I'm sure there
are lots of other issues.

My succession of doctors have absolutely no interest in cause - or at
least an easily identified cause from a basic annual blood test. The
current doctor's opinion is 'it's one of those things'.


--
Cheers, Rob

It happens that alan_m formulated :
I didn't even feel the needle when I had my flu jab on Monday.

I certainly felt the needle for the blood sample two weeks ago, I still
have the bruise :-?

Graham. wrote:
On Thu, 21 Sep 2017 15:43:40 +0100, Harry Bloomfield
wrote:

I have the doctors panicking over my high blood pressure. So I dug out
a digi BP monitor we had for a few years #1. That had a problem with
its over pressure safety valve, which I repaired whilst waiting for a
new one to be delivered. It's readings were completely inconsistent, so
today (still waiting for #2 to arrive), I went out and bought an over
the counter #3.

#3 (a cuff auto digital) seems to provide consistent values, no rapid
wild variations, but how to be sure the displayed readings are correct?

I have already been advised that any of the larger pharmacists should
have a device to check the calibration of BP monitors, but I wonder if
there might be a way to check it at home?

I supply a service to pharmacies, or at least did so before I retired
earlier this year and I never saw such a calibration device or service
offered.

My late father was a medical rep in the 1960s and carried a little
bottle of Hg to top up doctors traditional sphigs, so I suppose that
was a calibration service.

Is your machine an upper arm cuff type? The wrist type are notoriously
inconsistent.

I have a basic 'uppper arm' BP monitor and when I first had it (to
get around the almost standard 'white coat syndrome') I took it with
me to the doctor for my next check up. She and I compared the
readings we got and confirmed that at least we agreed with each other
quite closely.

--
Chris Green
·

On 21/09/2017 17:00, alan_m wrote:
On 21/09/2017 16:30, Brian Reay wrote:

a few other things- nothing painful.

I didn't even feel the needle when I had my flu jab on Monday.



did you watch the needle, or look away ?.

She might have just cleaned your arm with meths and
nothing else.

Brian Gaff expressed precisely :
All I will say is don't let them prescribe Ramopril, as it gives you a nasty
cough. there are other medications to dilate blood vessels that work just as
well. However they really need to find out why the pressure is high. In my
case its my liver being hard to push blood through, but I'm sure there are
lots of other issues.
Brian

I have to take one of those per day, beginning last Thursday -I don't
have a cough.

They began me on Amlopodine 1 per day, 18 days ago.

I don't think the Ramopil dilates, the Amlopodine was supposed to do
that - so they said.

On 21/09/2017 18:01, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
It happens that alan_m formulated :
I didn't even feel the needle when I had my flu jab on Monday.

I certainly felt the needle for the blood sample two weeks ago, I still
have the bruise :-?

In my experience it's all down to the skill of the person taking the
blood sample. The last few times when I've been for blood tests the
samples have been taken quickly with no real pain or after effects.
However, I've also had blood samples taken by trainees and that has been
a different experience.

It's much like dentists - some jab a full foot of needle into your gums
and some just scratch the surface. The result is the same with regards
numbing the gums/teeth but one is painful and the other painless.


--
mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 21/09/2017 18:09, Andrew wrote:
On 21/09/2017 17:00, alan_m wrote:
On 21/09/2017 16:30, Brian Reay wrote:

a few other things- nothing painful.

I didn't even feel the needle when I had my flu jab on Monday.



did you watch the needle, or look away ?.

I watched the needle go in

--
mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

RJH has brought this to us :
My succession of doctors have absolutely no interest in cause - or at least
an easily identified cause from a basic annual blood test. The current
doctor's opinion is 'it's one of those things'.

You may be right, they gave me a tablet to 'take as necessary' to
control the vertigo. I tried it all ways and it had no effect, didn't
help at all, but I was promised they would try to address it better,
once my BP was under control.

Last evening, I decided to do some research on the cause(s) of vertigo.
I intend trying the fixes suggested online.

I documented it for a friend, using none tech terms...

http://www.chiropractic-help.com/Hom...r-vertigo.html

It is also called Brandt-Daroff exercise, this...

http://www.webmd.com/brain/brandt-da...-vertigo-16844

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voZXtTUdQ00

http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/PMR/V...onExercise.pdf


The NHSs version of the method..
http://www.ncuh.nhs.uk/our-services/...uick-guide.pdf

The flickering left and right of the eyes, is called nystagmus. That
caused by your brain trying to make sense of the confusing signals from
your eyes, versus the conflicting signals from your benign paroxysmal
positional vertigo from the canals behind your ears. Eyes say you are
the right way up, your ear sensors say you are leaning at an odd angle.
I have had a few bouts of nystagmus, when the vertigo has been at its
worst.

Loose particles in the canal flow at a different speed past the
filament sensors in the canals, compared to the fluid, confusing the
receptor filaments in the canal causing them to send confused signals.
The idea of the exercises is to let these particles fall by gravity, to
places in the canal where they will not cause a problem. Sometimes the
particles can stick to the sides of the tube, so they help these to
loosen by using some skull vibration.

"Bill Wright" wrote in message
news
On 21/09/2017 17:00, alan_m wrote:
On 21/09/2017 16:30, Brian Reay wrote:

a few other things- nothing painful.

I didn't even feel the needle when I had my flu jab on Monday.


Peripheral neuropathy then...

Nope, you don't get flu jabs in the peripherals.

Last time I ended up in ER with very intense stomach pain
the bugger managed to put a cannula into my wrist so
professionally that I didn't even notice he had done that
until after he had done it. I was just giving him the history etc.

And I didn't pass out and notice when they do a cannula normally.

"RJH" wrote in message
news
On 21/09/2017 17:13, Brian Gaff wrote:
Not really I went to my Gp to do mine. Mine is a talking one but its
bedside
manner is, erm a little too casual.
According to the who guidlines you blood pressure is high to normal, or
whatever, though of course it gives the figures and stores them in a
continuously rotating memory historically.

All I will say is don't let them prescribe Ramopril, as it gives you a
nasty cough. there are other medications to dilate blood vessels that
work
just as well.

I think it varies with the individual. I take amlodipine and, swollen
ankles aside for the first couple of months, no side effects. Except to
say I haven't had a hangover or headache in the 6/7 years I've been taking
it.

I didnt either for at least that long before I started taking any bp
medication.

And in my youth I used to get a bad headache next day if I didnt get
enough to drink fluids wise the day before, particularly in summer.

You'd think there'd be a Nobel Prize in there somewhere, but the doc
doesn't seem interested :-)

However they really need to find out why the pressure is high. In my case
its my liver being hard to push blood through, but I'm sure there are
lots of other issues.

My succession of doctors have absolutely no interest in cause - or at
least an easily identified cause from a basic annual blood test. The
current doctor's opinion is 'it's one of those things'.

Presumably because there is no obvious pattern in what they see.

On 21/09/2017 15:49, Malcolm Race wrote:
On 21/09/2017 15:43, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
I have the doctors panicking over my high blood pressure. So I dug out
a digi BP monitor we had for a few years #1. That had a problem with
its over pressure safety valve, which I repaired whilst waiting for a
new one to be delivered. It's readings were completely inconsistent,
so today (still waiting for #2 to arrive), I went out and bought an
over the counter #3.

#3 (a cuff auto digital) seems to provide consistent values, no rapid
wild variations, but how to be sure the displayed readings are correct?

I have already been advised that any of the larger pharmacists should
have a device to check the calibration of BP monitors, but I wonder if
there might be a way to check it at home?

Take it to the Surgert and compare the reading with one taken
immediately afterwards with a surgery machine.
I have what the doctor describes as 'White coat syndrome'

I have that too. But on one occasion, I sat in the waiting room with a
book for an hour and a half and took readings every 20 minutes or so.
These pretty much converged on the values I get from an Amazon ABPM when
not doing much.

"alan_m" wrote in message
...
On 21/09/2017 18:01, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
It happens that alan_m formulated :
I didn't even feel the needle when I had my flu jab on Monday.

I certainly felt the needle for the blood sample two weeks ago, I still
have the bruise :-?

In my experience it's all down to the skill of the person taking the blood
sample. The last few times when I've been for blood tests the samples
have been taken quickly with no real pain or after effects. However, I've
also had blood samples taken by trainees and that has been a different
experience.

Its also luck. I have awkward veins inside my elbows and the same
person can fluke it sometimes and other times has a hell of a problem,
even with the pros who do nothing but take blood samples.

It's much like dentists - some jab a full foot of needle into your gums
and some just scratch the surface. The result is the same with regards
numbing the gums/teeth but one is painful and the other painless.

In article ,
Brian Reay wrote:
On 21/09/17 15:43, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
I have the doctors panicking over my high blood pressure. So I dug out a
digi BP monitor we had for a few years #1. That had a problem with its
over pressure safety valve, which I repaired whilst waiting for a new
one to be delivered. It's readings were completely inconsistent, so
today (still waiting for #2 to arrive), I went out and bought an over
the counter #3.

#3 (a cuff auto digital) seems to provide consistent values, no rapid
wild variations, but how to be sure the displayed readings are correct?

I have already been advised that any of the larger pharmacists should
have a device to check the calibration of BP monitors, but I wonder if
there might be a way to check it at home?

I have any annual 'MOT' at my GP surgery. They offered to check the
meter I use at home if I took it in at the next check up. Without being
rude, I suspect you fall into the age bracket to qualify for the same
(free) 'MOT' check up, kill two birds with one stone- so to speak. They
do a blood test, pee in a jar test, BP, a few other things- nothing
painful.


I'm of an age where I got a nice letter from one of the GPs iin our group
practice telling me she was "my" GP. Nobody has ever offered me an MOT - I
even have to look on-line to get a flu jab.

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England

On 21/09/17 17:19, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Brian Reay explained on 21/09/2017 :
I have any annual 'MOT' at my GP surgery. They offered to check the
meter I use at home if I took it in at the next check up. Without
being rude, I suspect you fall into the age bracket to qualify for the
same (free) 'MOT' check up, kill two birds with one stone- so to
speak. They do a blood test, pee in a jar test, BP, a few other
things- nothing painful.

Which is exactly what I am going through at the moment, it all began
with a sudden onset of severe vertigo. BP checked and deep concerns
about that. The vertigo issue was pushed onto the back burner, due to
the BP - luckily the vertigo has almost cured itself.


Hope you get it fixed. It seems surprisingly common, I seem to have
heard of a lot of people suffering from it.

As for the BP, you may find it is linked - I can imagine vertigo is
just the kind of thing to cause all kinds of issues.

"Brian Reay" wrote in message
news

As an aside, I happened to meet someone involved in the design of a new
type of BP meter. He told me the 'cuff type' was generally accepted to be
potentially wildly inaccurate - there are too many things in the basic set
up which are not controlled- eg initial cuff fit, the point where the user
detects the 'change' (I can't recall the correct term he used), ......
While I accept he had reasons to criticise the 'old' approach (he was
working on the replacement), he knew I wasn't a customer and his points
did make engineering sense. He didn't share details of the replacement,
other than it worked by sensing flow as far as I could tell.

I can confirm that. I was discovered to have high blood pressure while in
hospital for something else. I always wonder if a given cuff will give
accurate results for both fat and skinny arms. Lidl had a recent offer of
a wrist-cuff meter for only £10 which I bought, but I found that the
readings
varied erratically from one to the next. When plotted on a graph my
average systolic is 140 which is "good" (compared with the doctors'
arm-cuff readings of over 180) but the peaks and troughs were about plus and
minus 40 on that, so I gave up using it.

When I was in hospital having arm-cuff readings every 6 hours, they also
varied wildly from sample to sample.
--
Dave W

On 21/09/17 17:24, RJH wrote:
On 21/09/2017 17:13, Brian Gaff wrote:
Not really I went to my Gp to do mine. Mine is a talking one but its
bedside
manner is, erm a little too casual.
According to the who guidlines you blood pressure is high to normal, or
whatever, though of course it gives the figures and stores them in a
continuously rotating memory historically.

All I will say is don't let them prescribe Ramopril, as it gives you a
nasty cough. there are other medications to dilate blood vessels that
work
just as well.

I think it varies with the individual. I take amlodipine and, swollen
ankles aside for the first couple of months, no side effects. Except to
say I haven't had a hangover or headache in the 6/7 years I've been
taking it. You'd think there'd be a Nobel Prize in there somewhere, but
the doc doesn't seem interested :-)

However they really need to find out why the pressure is high.
In my case its my liver being hard to push blood through, but I'm sure
there
are lots of other issues.

My succession of doctors have absolutely no interest in cause - or at
least an easily identified cause from a basic annual blood test. The
current doctor's opinion is 'it's one of those things'.

There are some known causes they check for- renal stenosis and the
artery in your neck. If they check clear, it is usually put down to
'essential hypertension' - not quite one of those things but some people
are prone to it.

On 21/09/17 16:02, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Graham. has brought this to us :
On Thu, 21 Sep 2017 15:43:40 +0100, Harry Bloomfield
wrote:

I have the doctors panicking over my high blood pressure. So I dug
out a digi BP monitor we had for a few years #1. That had a problem
with its over pressure safety valve, which I repaired whilst waiting
for a new one to be delivered. It's readings were completely
inconsistent, so today (still waiting for #2 to arrive), I went out
and bought an over the counter #3.

#3 (a cuff auto digital) seems to provide consistent values, no rapid
wild variations, but how to be sure the displayed readings are correct?

I have already been advised that any of the larger pharmacists should
have a device to check the calibration of BP monitors, but I wonder
if there might be a way to check it at home?

I supply a service to pharmacies, or at least did so before I retired
earlier this year and I never saw such a calibration device or service
offered.

My late father was a medical rep in the 1960s and carried a little
bottle of Hg to top up doctors traditional sphigs, so I suppose that
was a calibration service.

Is your machine an upper arm cuff type? The wrist type are notoriously
inconsistent.

That might explain it. #1 is a wrist type, #2 when it arrives will be a
wrist type, #3 is a upper arm cuff type speced to be accurate to +/- 3
mmHg.
I bought a Boots upper arm type. very consistent and agreed well with
doctor's


--
Microsoft : the best reason to go to Linux that ever existed.

On 21/09/2017 21:55, Dave W wrote:

When I was in hospital having arm-cuff readings every 6 hours, they also
varied wildly from sample to sample.


Around a month or two ago I was listening to a radio 4 article on blood
pressure drugs where it was suggested that the drugs perhaps should be
taken just before going to bed. This was to minimise the risk of a
stroke while asleep. A stroke at any other time was more likely to be
noticed by the victim or those around him during the day.

See also Nocturnal Hypertension
http://www.healthstats.com/index3.ph...hrabpm-pattern

--
mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 21/09/2017 17:15, Brian Gaff wrote:
Yes white coat syndrome is no more than a normal case of being very nervous
near any kind of medical person who is about to pronounce you ill! That is
why they usually take more than one reading to allow you to calm down a bit.

Brian

best practice before treating "high blood pressure" is to have a 24hour
BP monitoring test done.
My BP is always much higher at the surgery than at home and more
interestingly the 24 hour monitoring initially showed the same BP as at
home and then even lower BP for the rest of the 24hours.
Just taking my BP seems to have and adverse effect.

I suspect that white coat syndrome is not uncommon.

Whatever the accuracy of monitors used at home, their main use is to
show changes over time so absolute accuracy is not important.

"Harry Bloomfield" wrote in message
news
Brian Gaff expressed precisely :
All I will say is don't let them prescribe Ramopril, as it gives you a
nasty cough. there are other medications to dilate blood vessels that
work just as well. However they really need to find out why the pressure
is high. In my case its my liver being hard to push blood through, but
I'm sure there are lots of other issues.
Brian

I have to take one of those per day, beginning last Thursday -I don't have
a cough.

They began me on Amlopodine 1 per day, 18 days ago.

I don't think the Ramopil dilates, the Amlopodine was supposed to do
that - so they said.

I too am on Amlodipine and Ramipril. I was expecting the cough for the
latter,
but no, it only affects 10% of patients according to the leaflet.

Nobody knows why the elderly get high blood pressure, which makes me dubious
about taking pills to reduce it. Both these medications relax
the blood vessels so that the heart doesn't have to pump so hard and is
under
less strain.

It sounds plausible but I can't find any evidential studies to prove it. I
could argue that if the blood vessels are expanded, their walls would be
thinner and weaker, and might burst at a lower pressure. So although my
blood pressure is lower, my chances of having a stroke are the same!

When I was searching for academic papers, I came across an outfit called
Cochran. Their mission is to create an index of independent global medical
evidence on all sorts of topics. One is the question of whether giving
medication for mild hypertension to the elderly increases their chances
of survival. They could find nothing much, so I gave up looking also.
--
Dave W

On 21/09/17 22:16, Dave W wrote:
Nobody knows why the elderly get high blood pressure,

Yes they do. The blood vessels get plated with plaque. And narrow.


--
"If you dont read the news paper, you are un-informed. If you read the
news paper, you are mis-informed."

Mark Twain

On 21/09/2017 22:13, Robert wrote:


Whatever the accuracy of monitors used at home, their main use is to
show changes over time so absolute accuracy is not important.

Yes, it's the trend that's important and/or the difference when feeling
well and not well.

--
mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On Thu, 21 Sep 2017 22:13:11 +0100, alan_m wrote:

On 21/09/2017 21:55, Dave W wrote:

When I was in hospital having arm-cuff readings every 6 hours, they
also varied wildly from sample to sample.


Around a month or two ago I was listening to a radio 4 article on blood
pressure drugs where it was suggested that the drugs perhaps should be
taken just before going to bed. This was to minimise the risk of a
stroke while asleep. A stroke at any other time was more likely to be
noticed by the victim or those around him during the day.

I was told to take most of mine (I take three) at night, especially the
doxazosin. It's better to be lying down if you get a sudden drop in BP.



--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
news
On 21/09/17 22:16, Dave W wrote:
Nobody knows why the elderly get high blood pressure,

Yes they do. The blood vessels get plated with plaque. And narrow.

The cardiology specialist agreed with me.
--
Dave W

"Dave W" wrote in message
news

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
news
On 21/09/17 22:16, Dave W wrote:
Nobody knows why the elderly get high blood pressure,

Yes they do. The blood vessels get plated with plaque. And narrow.

The cardiology specialist agreed with me.

Then he's a fool that doesn’t have a ****ing clue.