Have you been asked to buy your own Blood Pressure Monitor?

xendistar said:

I received a letter this morning stating that my Annual Review is now due (have a 3 months review booked for the 13th Jan). But in the letter I have been advised to purchased my own blood pressure monitor and bring along 1 weeks resutls. Well that not going to happen on the 13th, but has anybody been asked to do this?

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Yes, I was advised it would be good practice. Surgery has loan machines they give out for 7 days at a time, but for some reason Boots had a sale on BP machines(!) and I got one for about £40..I suffer from white coat syndrome too, so it seemed like a good investment...

TashT1 said:

I just got advised to buy one yesterday. For the first time ever I had a high BP reading at the docs. I don’t think I have white coat syndrome. They said usually they would send me home with one but can’t due to infection control at the moment.

Since I’ve mentioned feeling like my pulse is racing more than once this week I opted to get one & it’s arriving today.

It’s really useful to know you need an average of readings because I’d have worried if the first one was high.

When is the best time to test? I was thinking first thing in the morning & early evening?

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Not sure it makes a lot of difference unless there's a particular time when you are more stressed.
Don't forget to sit somewhere very quiet and still before doing the test I think 10 minutes is recommended.. it always amazes me that that's the advice given with the home monitor yet at the docs (when we're usually more stressed anyway) they insist on doing it there and then.. kinda crazy I always thought.

That’s great thanks. Finding 10 mins of quiet time in my house might be challenging, early morning before the rabble get up might be the best bet then.

BP’s never been a worry before, they’re usually shocked that it’s so calm. Probably just a blip but better to investigate I guess. I know too many people that have had strokes in their 30’s.

BP is higher and lower at different times of day, so best to not just take it at a set time.

I have actually forgotten whether the highest time for most ppl is likely to be morning or evening. Mine is definitely higher in the mornings.

if you are looking for an average, I would suggest 2 or 3 tests one after the other in the morning, then the same in the evening, then average them.
And repeat for 5 days.
For me, the 1st test is always higher than the 2nd and then the 3rd is even lower. So averaging is a good idea.

My surgery gave me those instructions when they wanted to get a good understanding of what was going on

since then, since I know my readings are highest in the morning, I just do 1 test every 2 weeks or so (if I remember). If that test is ok, then I assume that subsequent tests are likely to be lower, and things are ok.

bulkbiker said:

Not sure it makes a lot of difference unless there's a particular time when you are more stressed.
Don't forget to sit somewhere very quiet and still before doing the test I think 10 minutes is recommended.. it always amazes me that that's the advice given with the home monitor yet at the docs (when we're usually more stressed anyway) they insist on doing it there and then.. kinda crazy I always thought.

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and not only that but when you give a higher reading, the GP says 'Sit there for a few minutes and relax, I'll do it again' and then starts talking about statins!!!!

KK123 said:

and not only that but when you give a higher reading, the GP says 'Sit there for a few minutes and relax, I'll do it again' and then starts talking about statins!!!!

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Almost like they get financial rewards for prescribing them.... oh wait!

KK123 said:

and not only that but when you give a higher reading, the GP says 'Sit there for a few minutes and relax, I'll do it again' and then starts talking about statins!!!!

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Lol she did say that minus the statins. 2nd time it went down a bit, 3rd time it went higher! I know enough about statins to know I want to avoid them if possible.

Thanks for the tips. New tests, new data to interpret, what a fun week I’ll have! I said to my supervisors I needed more quantitative experience so looks like my body will provide.

So after 10 days of readings my average is 130/80 with testing 3 times a day & 3 readings each time. I can’t get a dr to call until next Thursday (unless I feel it’s an emergency).

So I’m wondering can this be fixed with exercise & dropping alcohol? Or are meds inevitable?

There’s some family history with my Nanna being diagnosed in her 40’s, she’s pretty happy on her meds but at 35 I’m not so sure I’m there yet.

130/80 isn't terrible, its right at the top end of nhs "acceptable". You still want to get it down a bit, particularly if there's family history, but I'd certainly try lifestyle changes before going onto meds which would probably be a permanent addition.

I figure it’s better to get a grip on it early before it becomes a bigger challenge.

I’m a bit miffed at what’s caused the sudden increase though. I probably hadn’t had my BP taken since the diabetes diagnosis & on that day they were surprised I was so calm.

My diet is arguably a lot better since diagnosis, exercise has decreased due to lockdowns & alcohol intake has increased I suppose.