home blood pressure testing

[TexasGal]

To rumki8

My mother is 62 years old and she had high blood pressure for years. She still works regularly but is staying home this week to see if her blood pressure can be moderated after spiking to 236/145. She was given a new medication. Her blood pressure was always high but the 236 even scared her. So, is it close to someone to a heart attack when blood pressure goes that high?

rumki8, I agree with runningbum and newguy.

From the American Heart Assoc:

• Normal: 120 and less than 80 (120/80)
• Prehypertension: 120-139 and 80-89
• High Stage 1: 140-159 and 90-99
• High Stage 2: 160 or higher and 100 or higher (160+/100+)

High blood pressure (or hypertension) is defined in an adult as a blood pressure greater than or equal to 140 mm Hg systolic pressure or greater than or equal to 90 mm Hg diastolic pressure (140/90).

You said your mother's BP was 236/145.

Stroke or heart attack might be imminent if it is still that high . . . I wish doctor Rich or one of our terrific nurses would stop by to respond, but I believe this is a critical level requiring immediate attention. You said she has started on a new medication, but I can't believe a doctor has not already admitted her into the emergency room if he/she is aware of this blood pressure reading.

Was that high reading last week or Monday or yesterday and did it last for 5 minutes or a day? Has it gone down from this unbelievable high? I am not a medical professional, but my opinion is that she needs medical attention urgently. If it were my mother, I'd have her in the hospital emergency room now if the BP has not come down significantly and even if it is down I would get her to a doctor today.

TG

 

[kaneohe]

I have a Life Source UA702 that I like (they have some newer models also). Costs about $30 and also uses an arm cuff (not around the wrist). You pump it up manually with that rubber (plastic?) bulb.......batteries last a lot longer since they only power the electronics. You can sometimes find them on sale for $5 or less after rebate (esp around black Friday thru Xmas). Not sure who else carries them but in CA, Fry's Electronics does.

I agree w/ the other poster that charting is useful since blood pressure can vary w/ time of day and can have long term drifts over time and combined with uncertainty about the absolute accuracy of any meter means that if you are in the borderline area, it can be hard to know whether you have a problem or not.

My experience is that, for some reason, nurses almost always end up measuring lower blood pressure than when doctors measure it (both using the old method of measuring while listening w/ stethoscope (?). ). Having tried that and having measured a very low BP because my ears didn't know what to listen for, I have decided that I believe the doctor's higher numbers more. Perhaps nurses are more rushed in their work and so are not as careful when they take the BP??

One thing about meds........if you do start taking them, I would insist on being monitored periodically, at least for the first year. When I first started on a common low dose med,
the doctor called with an urgent message to stop, a few wks after I started taking them.
Turns out I was allergic to that first medication and some liver enzymes went sky high because of them. I had to start taking a different type of medication and would not have known I had a problem until much later had I not had that monitoring.

 

[whitestick]

My experience is that, for some reason, nurses almost always end up measuring lower blood pressure than when doctors measure it (both using the old method of measuring while listening w/ stethoscope (?).

I went through that whole thing of having the Omron with extra large cuff model and tubes, and getting different readings - took it to the Fire Station and compared it with their readings, took it to the Cardiologist and his nurse and compared readings, turns out for me, that the Cardiologist had the lowest readings, and that was very close (within 3-5 ) of my meters, when I did it myself. IMHO the placement of the cuff and the sensor lines, seems to have a much more dramatic effect then anything else with getting different readings. Seems even the nurses hit different spots, as their readings are ususally higher then the docs, and no they weren't that good looking.
I believe that it is about mesuring the trend from day to day and environmental conditions (what and how much you ate, stress, etc) that is what you really want to be concerned with. Of course I'm not a doctor, just my personal observations, and I have been taking my own BP for better then 12 years now, for whatever that's worth.

 

[Kronk]

I normally tested high when having my BP taken -- but I was always really nervous when getting it taken. I got an home BP reader, and took a bunch of readings, and they were mostly in the normal range. Helped me get over my nervousness hangup, too -- last doctor visit was 118/74.

But one thing I noticed was that my BP readings were inversely related to my pulse rate. My normal resting rate is in the lower 50's -- just checked and it is 55 here at work. The lower my pulse rate is, the higher my BP. I got my lowest BP readings when my pulse was in the 70's.

Haven't really been able to find articles about the relationship of pulse and BP. Just kind of thought it was interesting.