Measuring Blood Pressure

axel_knutt
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by axel_knutt »

Psamathe wrote: 26 Nov 2022, 1:27pmMy consultant asked my GP to run one on me for 24 hrs (but GP just ignored the request so it never happened).
Over a decade ago, a GP at the hospital said to me that at her surgery they had a Holter monitor that would record my ECG for 24 hours, and to ask my GP for one. My GP: "Oh, only rich surgeries have those". It took another year, and an ambulance ride to A&E before I got one.

It's nearly two months now since the surgery blocked the online access to my records, after they found something they've categorised as "Major" on a head MRI. Since then, all I've had is a letter telling me to send them some blood pressure measurements.
“I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
Psamathe
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by Psamathe »

axel_knutt wrote: 26 Nov 2022, 1:53pm
Psamathe wrote: 26 Nov 2022, 1:27pmMy consultant asked my GP to run one on me for 24 hrs (but GP just ignored the request so it never happened).
Over a decade ago, a GP at the hospital said to me that at her surgery they had a Holter monitor that would record my ECG for 24 hours, and to ask my GP for one. My GP: "Oh, only rich surgeries have those". It took another year, and an ambulance ride to A&E before I got one.

It's nearly two months now since the surgery blocked the online access to my records, after they found something they've categorised as "Major" on a head MRI. Since then, all I've had is a letter telling me to send them some blood pressure measurements.
I has a weird GP consultation earlier this year where I wanted them to record a "lack of need" i.e. that I didn't need something. GP was helpful and I ended-up dictating what he wrote on my record and when I said "I don't want to put words in your mouth ..." he responded "they are your medical notes and you have the right to see them anyway".

That said, when my current condition started I did get a Patient Access online account so I could access test results online without troubling the GP practice and it's been a surprise how little of my GP medical record & GP requested test results are available through Patient Access or the NHS app.

Ian
axel_knutt
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by axel_knutt »

Psamathe wrote: 26 Nov 2022, 2:17pm I has a weird GP consultation earlier this year where I wanted them to record a "lack of need" i.e. that I didn't need something. GP was helpful and I ended-up dictating what he wrote on my record and when I said "I don't want to put words in your mouth ..." he responded "they are your medical notes and you have the right to see them anyway".

That said, when my current condition started I did get a Patient Access online account so I could access test results online without troubling the GP practice and it's been a surprise how little of my GP medical record & GP requested test results are available through Patient Access or the NHS app.

Ian
I have paper copies of my GP records which are fairly comprehensive (~300 pages IIRC), but not complete. I also had a much lower level of access to online records, up until they decided they didn't like me publishing excerpts from them, then it got restricted further. Summer last year I happened to be on the phone to the practice manager, so I asked her if I could have the access reinstated: "Yes, of course" she said, and I heard her typing. As soon as I put the phone down, I went to look, and found that she'd blocked my login altogether, so I couldn't even order prescriptions.

There then followed a month of her denying that she'd blocked me, during which time she gave me multiple new passwords, none of which worked. When my next prescription was due I suddenly got my account back, but with the user name changed, and no more access than when I asked a month earlier. When I asked why the username had changed she denied that too, even though the change log is visible to me on the screen. My access to her email account has now been blocked too.

You don't have right of access to your records, they can withhold anything that they can unilaterally argue will cause "harm", and nobody's in any position to challenge it, because nobody's allowed to know what they're withholding. You can apply to the court under Section 6, but if they're allowed to give confidential reasons the judge, I don't see how that will get you anywhere other than a lot poorer. You have the right to put your notes on your records along with theirs, but my local hospital's policy is to put them in a sealed envelope so that they can't be read.
“I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
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Mick F
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by Mick F »

I really really can't win! :shock:

Here I am with very high BP - 200odd above 110odd .............. and it seems to be coming down, and down and down and down ................

21 Nov I was 178 over 48
23 Nov I was 163 over 84

Measuring twice a day now due to my health check at the ill-health centre annual review.
Couple of days ago on the 28 Nov - AM was 136/71 and PM was 106 over 56.

Today 29 Nov - AM was 124 over 72, and as many times as I can check it for the PM reading, seems to be 100 over 50 or thereabouts.

Just done it again, half an hour later since the last measurement.
117 over 46

What's wrong with me?
Mick F. Cornwall
rjb
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by rjb »

New batteries needed.
Sorry Mick, good job you have a health check due, hope they sort you out.
At the last count:- Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X3, Raleigh 20 stowaway, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840 :D
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Mick F
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by Mick F »

rjb wrote: 29 Nov 2022, 10:30pm New batteries needed.
Sorry Mick, good job you have a health check due, hope they sort you out.
It's me who needs the jump leads! :D

117/67 this morning, and it's usually high in the AM and better in the PM.
Having a blood test on Monday, and they want me to take my BP records with me.
Mick F. Cornwall
softlips
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by softlips »

Just a quick note for people. When measuring your BP the inflatable cuff should be at heart level. Having it higher than this will give a artificial low reading, having it below the heart will give a artificially high reading.

BP measured by wrist monitors in particular are often wrong for this reason ....... they are being used incorrectly.
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by rualexander »

softlips wrote: 12 Jan 2023, 12:20pm Just a quick note for people. When measuring your BP the inflatable cuff should be at heart level. Having it higher than this will give a artificial low reading, having it below the heart will give a artificially high reading.

BP measured by wrist monitors in particular are often wrong for this reason ....... they are being used incorrectly.
Very true, if I measure my BP with my arm at my side (using an upper arm cuff), the result is around 8-10 mmHg higher than if I measure it with the cuff at heart level (the level of the right atrium being the correct level).
Unfortunately no medical professional that has taken my BP has ever bothered about this and done it correctly.
softlips
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by softlips »

rualexander wrote: 12 Jan 2023, 6:01pm
softlips wrote: 12 Jan 2023, 12:20pm Just a quick note for people. When measuring your BP the inflatable cuff should be at heart level. Having it higher than this will give a artificial low reading, having it below the heart will give a artificially high reading.

BP measured by wrist monitors in particular are often wrong for this reason ....... they are being used incorrectly.
Very true, if I measure my BP with my arm at my side (using an upper arm cuff), the result is around 8-10 mmHg higher than if I measure it with the cuff at heart level (the level of the right atrium being the correct level).
Unfortunately no medical professional that has taken my BP has ever bothered about this and done it correctly.
That doesn't surprise me in the UK. I've worked in acute healthcare for 37 years and only seen it measured as per the guidelines once (outside the operating theatre or cardiac cath lab).
axel_knutt
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by axel_knutt »

I've just had a 24 hour ambulatory recorder, I don't know whether there was someing up with it (or me), but it kept inflating the cuff to a normal pressure, then stop for a while, but then start inflating again until the cuff was quite tight, stop again, then carry on inflating a third time until it became really painful and my hand was turning blue. It then held that pressure for what seemed like forever before it started deflating. I was on the brink of ripping it off several times.
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Eyebrox
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by Eyebrox »

That's what it did with me. Keeps going until it gets a measure. It can be quite painful a second or third time. It would happen if I continued to move about (which I shouldn't have been doing).
axel_knutt
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by axel_knutt »

I assumed it was because I was moving around at the time, but it did it when I kept still too.
“I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
softlips
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by softlips »

axel_knutt wrote: 8 Mar 2023, 9:09pm I assumed it was because I was moving around at the time, but it did it when I kept still too.
Sounds like it wasn't fitted correctly.............which is often the case.
rualexander
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by rualexander »

If you are moving about, your systolic blood pressure will generally be higher therefore the cuff will have to be tighter in order to cut off the blood flow which it has to do before starting to gradually lower the pressure and analyse the pressure variations in the cuff to obtain your blood pressure reading.
If it's doing it when you are sitting and relaxed then either your systolic blood pressure is higher than the machine was anticipating or the cuff is not fitted properly or perhaps your arm muscles are tensed.

The machine anticipates the systolic pressure required to cut off the blood flow and inflates the cuff to a bit above that pressure, if it still senses a pulse (in the air pressure of the cuff) then it inflates the cuff a bit more and checks again, if there is still a pulse, it inflates again, etc.
axel_knutt
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by axel_knutt »

rualexander wrote: 9 Mar 2023, 9:31amIf you are moving about, your systolic blood pressure will generally be higher
I don't think so.
BP tmp.png
Even with my BP at 170, the cuff on my monitor doesn't get even remotely near as tight as the hospital monitor was. It didn't get excessively tight when I was walking home from the bus, but it was too tight when I was stood at the kitchen worktop cooking.
softlips wrote: 9 Mar 2023, 8:19amSounds like it wasn't fitted correctly.............which is often the case.
With my arm bent the cuff was snug, but with my arm straight it was slack and dangling loose from the hose.

This is the inflation pressure on my Omron M2 Basic, HEM-7120-E monitor:
BP mon.png
It's not inflating to a preset pressure, or for a preset time.
It's not inflating until it exceeds sys bp by a predetermined pressure, or time, or number of pulses.
Inflation pressure isn't dependent on how tightly the cuff is wrapped.

The data is clustered in two distinct groups though, both of which exceed all the measured pressures.
“I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
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