Measuring Blood Pressure

[Mick F]

How great are the variations in your readings?

Good question.
I've been writing my readings on an A4 sheet for the last few of days.
Each time I've taken a reading, I've been relaxed and calm. Sat down and happily relaxed.
Some of the readings have been seconds or minutes or half-hours between them, and sometimes hours.
Highest is 134/93
Lowest is 109/68

However, if I do it now whilst sitting here ..............not necessarily as relaxed as I should be ............ I get this:
132/91
HR is 69bpm BTW.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Good news..............your alive

Bad news..............your perfectly normal.........Did I just Say That.................

[Mick F]

Normal?
Me?
You have to be joking!

[Mick F]

Saw the Doc this afternoon and I handed her a long list of my BP readings over the last five days. The readings were taken at random when I thought about it and when I was relaxed in the armchair. Maybe four or five per day.

The readings varied wildly. Lowest 108/68 and highest 160/100.

The Doc took my BP in the surgery. 168 over something!
She checked into my eyes with a light unit whilst saying that if I had high BP my eyes would show it. They were fine and she said that they were the best eyes she'd seen into.

Meanwhile, I'm to be fitted with a 24hr thingy to measure my BP automatically every hour and record the results, and to hand in a wee sample to check my kidneys are ok.

[MikeF]

Saw the Doc this afternoon and I handed her a long list of my BP readings over the last five days. The readings were taken at random when I thought about it and when I was relaxed in the armchair. Maybe four or five per day.

The readings varied wildly. Lowest 108/68 and highest 160/100.

The Doc took my BP in the surgery. 168 over something!
She checked into my eyes with a light unit whilst saying that if I had high BP my eyes would show it. They were fine and she said that they were the best eyes she'd seen into.

Meanwhile, I'm to be fitted with a 24hr thingy to measure my BP automatically every hour and record the results, and to hand in a wee sample to check my kidneys are ok.

The 24hr thingy was the thingy I referred to in my previous post.

The widely fluctuating blood pressure maybe the result of these random readings! If you've been on a long/regular cycle ride your blood pressure will be reduced - maybe for sometime afterwards. Your BP ought to be more consistent and representative if you take it say before breakfast or 9pm every day, but not after a meal or cycle ride, and compare these readings.

Blood pressure generally increases with age. Amlodipine, which I take, is a common prescription. 160/100 is a bit high especially the 100, and the 160 ought to be 140.

[Mick F]

I have a BP measuring thingy fitted at the clinic at 16:30 this evening.
Tight strap round my left upper arm and my BP is checked every half hour.

Stayed at the clinic for the first test at 17:00 then drove home and it went off half an hour later as planned en route.
Fifteen minutes later I was in the pub.
Half an hour later, it went off again, and again half an hour after that.

My BP was sky high in the clinic ........ 200 something over 150 something when they tested me, but after fitting the device it had gone down to 175/110. Last check before I left is was 163/108.
Not looked at the unit strapped to my waist since, and I await the 24h results.

They have given me a diary sheet and told me to carry on with "normal life" recording my thoughts and activities, so I intend on riding my bike tomorrow ......... and finding as many hills as I can. First one is Gunnislake Hill of course!

Sleep tonight?
Goodness knows if I can get any.

[Monsieur]

I'm becoming quite obsessive about measuring my BP after starting medication a year or so ago.

I'm 53 and somewhat overweight and pretty idle to boot.

Average readings are around the 135/85 mark with highest ever about 150/95. Palpitations after eating are my bugbear now - not serious but enough for me to notice it.

What's classed as a 'high' BP reading anyway?

[Mick F]

What's classed as a 'high' BP reading anyway?

Good question.

There is a "standard" out there, but not everyone has been tested all the time, so no-one knows what is "normal".

Here's a standard layout, but I don't believe it for one minute.

BP Chart.png (48.79 KiB) Viewed 1181 times

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Its the diastolic one which is harmful.
Above 125 and you have problems

https://www.caring.com/charts/blood-pressure-185-125

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Condition ... rticle.jsp

I wouldn't poo poo any of it...................laughing about your health wont make it go away.

I went to the docs and my BP was 175 / 125, this was over twenty years ago (35) went on meds and still on them but only one.
Because I have been on meds along time as soon as my BP goes up to 145 / 90+ I can feel it in my neck and head and feel unwell.
This last happened when I was ill and did not exercise much in six weeks, normally 120 / 80 - 110 / 75 say.
Without exercise is creeps back to 145 / 95.

180 / 10 is bordering on heart attack land.

[axel_knutt]

I can feel it in my neck and head and feel unwell.

What does it feel like?

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Its normally regarded as hypertension does not give any symtoms that the person can feel.

But as I said with me and I was suffering from migraines because of hypertension, then they never returned when BP was normal.

The symptoms listed in my links as nausea etc, is what I feel when my bp rises.

But its starts with a tightness in my neck like a gripping sensation then headache and over active saliva glands (mouth watering) and just feeling unwell, verging on a migraine, and as I suffered them back then that would be next if it went on.

[axel_knutt]

I get ocular migraines and a nauseous feeling like travel sickness, and I also get tinnitus for a day or so after exercise, but the biggest problem is a feeling like you get when you hang upside down and the blood rushes to your head. It feels like my head is going to burst with my lips tingling. I don't know how much normal BP should increase during exercise, but there was a marked increase in my exercising BP after I started getting the feeling of pressure in my head. At cruising heart rates there was about a 25-30mm increase:

[Mick F]

Can't sleep.
Went to bed at 21:15 and gave up at 01:00
Now 02:30 ....................

This damned thing going off every half hour isn't conducive to relaxation!
I very much doubt that it will give a meaningful and sensible result. All it will do is make me tense, tired, and bad tempered.

I'd love to go on a bike ride with this thing attached, but without any sleep I doubt I't get any enjoyment out of it.

BTW, I may or may not have a BP problem. There's nothing to convince me one way or another, and I don't have any symptoms one way or another either.

[anniesboy]

Funny thing blood pressure, for many years I had high blood pressure. I took bendroflemethazide that resulted in reading of around 140/80.

Then April this year I had major surgery for bladder cancer see initial post viewtopic.php?f=49&t=92670

Whilst in hospital BP had reduce to around 100/80 , not needed pills since.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Before I was diagnosed (by accident) with high BP I only had migraines which I did mention to my GP but their was no connection given at that time.
I now know different.

If you are not being treated for hypertension then you might have no other symptoms other than a headache if that. so Mick F's "I feel ok" at the moment does not mean anything, at the moment, the monitor he has may tell the GP something, as some of the readings he has posted are just a bit higher than the nerves visiting the docs.

Edited -
I was originally given the full works in my 30 's kidney scans etc, etc.

The consultant said at the time 99 % of hypertension cases have no reason for developing high BP.

I do not smoke and drink in moderation more now than back then and led a very active life style, stress on the other hand was high as still today, but I was an underweight baby when born.