To not want take my own blood pressure for GP appointment

[user1471593137]

Is this a thing now? I have a telephone appointment next week and have been asked to sort my own BP reading before.

Everyone will be paying a lot more than £20 soon at point of use for healthcare. To be honest some things people should be doing for themselves (bar those who genuinely need support and assistance). The NHS is teetering near collapse, people keep blaming covid and whilst it's sped up the process these issues are deep rooted and we are probably at the point of no return. People should take more care of their own health, the shortage of GPs and other healthcsre staff is incresding at a terrifying rate, if people knew just how bad it was I think they'd be scared too. Yet here we are.

I was hugely over-medicated for hypertension before I bought my own Omron BP machine.

(I know, I sound like an advert. 'I'm Victor Kiam and I bought the company', anyone?)

I did a fornight's reading's x4 a day, and now I seem to be on the correct dosage.

(Sorry, sorry, that advert vibe is getting worse ...)

I don't believe that people can't club together or borrow someone else's machine if twenty quid is unaffordable. The attitude here is why should I spend money when I am entitled to the service for free. It's not too different to getting paracetamol on a free prescription when you can buy them in Aldi for 20p even though it costs the NHS much more than that to process the prescription. The cost of the doctors' time for repeated blood pressure tests is much more than the cost of a twenty quid machine which will probably last for ten years worth of blood pressure appointments. Our NHS free at point of delivery is worth so much to the individual but let's be grown ups and not abuse it.

@WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps you know you could always pay for private if you find the NHS GP service so bad.

It is not about being entitled, or even being able to afford it.
£20 right now could mean someone not eating for a week.
And even if they could get a BP monitoring device, there might be other issues that would mean it is not so wise to have one at home.

I could not have one at a home. I would be testing all the time and it would send me on a very bad mental health spiral. I will never have a smart watch for the same reason.

When I started on blood pressure medication 3-4 years ago I suggested to dr I buy a home machine to check it and they told me not to add they were unreliable and would need to be regularly calibrated.

DP told exact same, only 3 years ago. He had a 48 hour monitor on to diagnose high BP. Said to GP we could buy or borrow one only for GP to say they are not adequate and will need calibrating.
Yet now it's the best thing for us all to buy?

YANBU, Yes perhaps many of the mumsnet community may easily be able to buy or access a BP monitor in order to provide a reading for a routine appointment.
However, a significant proportion of the population may not be able to afford this, or manage to carry out the readings, for many reasons.
An alternative should be provided for the OP if this information is requested.
I despair for the future of the NHS.
Yes telephone/video calls should be an option, but I fear that the pushing of this to be the new normal, due to the pressure caused by the pandemic may lead to even more vast inequalities in the provision of health care.
Face to face consultations and clinical examination would always be my preference.

The OP hasn't said that she has any issues with anxiety or any other reason for not wanting to do it other than not thinking it's appropriate. Accepted that there might be cases where it is not appropriate for someone to do it themselves for a whole raft of reasons but for most of the population, it really isn't that complicated.

@WeAllHaveWings · Today 20:36

When I started on blood pressure medication 3-4 years ago I suggested to dr I buy a home machine to check it and they told me not to add they were unreliable and would need to be regularly calibrated.

@Terfydactyl . Today 20:50

DP told exact same, only 3 years ago. He had a 48 hour monitor on to diagnose high BP. Said to GP we could buy or borrow one only for GP to say they are not adequate and will need calibrating. Yet now it's the best thing for us all to buy?

Exactly this. It is NOT a long term solution for everyone to do their own blood pressure at home. And there are some really rude and arrogant responses on here, from a couple of posters, getting all huffy and sniffy because some people, (GASP) want to actually see a health care professional. face to face to have their blood pressure taken.

Many people want - and NEED to see HCPs face to face. For many reasons... Older people prefer face to face, and many people have various mental health issues and anxieties and disabilities, and a myriad of reasons for not being able to do it at home.

And then there is the reason (mentioned) that they often don't give accurate results when people do it at home!!!

Only in the world of mumsnet do you see people so arrogant and cold that they say 'this is where the NHS is going, get over it, and suck it up buttercup. Buy a blood pressure machine and STFU moaning. And if you can't AFFORD one (and I don't believe you can't) just BORROW one.' In real life NO-ONE would have this attitude. Just bore off with this patronising, cold, unfeeling shit!"

@luckynumber7

YANBU. Yes perhaps many of the mumsnet community may easily be able to buy or access a BP monitor in order to provide a reading for a routine appointment.

However, a significant proportion of the population may not be able to afford this, or manage to carry out the readings, for many reasons. An alternative should be provided for the OP if this information is requested. I despair for the future of the NHS.

Yes telephone/video calls should be an option, but I fear that the pushing of this to be the new normal, due to the pressure caused by the pandemic may lead to even more vast inequalities in the provision of health care. Face to face consultations and clinical examination would always be my preference.

Yeah this too. In spades!

Also, as for the 'I was doing my own blood pressure at home for YEARS before covid' trope..... I have literally NEVER known anyone buy a blood pressure machine and do it at home, before the covid pandemic.

Also....... before the pandemic, I never ever came across any nurse or doctor who asked me to do my blood pressure at home - on a machine (which I needed to buy myself,)

Never heard anyone else (in real life) say this has ever happened to them either.... (not before the covid pandemic.)

The rudeness is only coming from you with your goady approach. The reality is that it is NOT too much to ask of the general population to take their BP and if there are specific circumstances where people can't then of course make adjustments. But there is more distortion by white coat syndrome than by people taking BP at home with reliable machines.

You put a band round your arm, fasten it with velcro, press a button and take a reading. That's it. Not flipping rocket science.

You have to remember, a lot of the general public don't want to do anything for themselves.
It really isn't a big ask.

My parents, in their 80s before Covid, used a BP monitor at home.

I’ve had mine for at least ten years. My husband bought a second one seven years ago.

Lots of us worked out that high readings in the surgery were not accurate and didn’t want to medicated for conditions we didn’t actually have.

@WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps do you not see the irony in your post?

The majority of patients can, and are, open to doing their own BP. This then frees us up to see those that NEED to be seen.

If you ask for a face to face appointment to get your BP checked you’re not going to see a GP. You’ll have an appointment with the HCA or a practice nurse. This then means fewer appointments available for all the other things we do. And we are so busy. I have no routine appointments now for weeks (I’m a nurse practitioner).

If you’re asked to check your own BP for a contraceptive review, for example, and you are in a position to do it then please do. If you really can’t, then of course we will. But don’t get shirty because we ask.

You can buy a blood pressure machine for£35 from Amazon
I suffer fromWhite coat syndrome so my BP shoots up in A&E and GP surgery when it's usually on low healthy side

I much prefer taking BP at home or my Gp would have worried and likely tries to erroneously put me on high BP meds and I'd be fainting all the time as I have very labile BP !!

My Dad (ahes 81) has the same he has BP diatomic if 60 but in GP surgery and A&E it jumps up / he can't hear (he's deaf) he gets highly stressed but doesn't show it as he's stiff upper lip British man... he's super super stressed in those environments

They'd have killed my dad off with inappropriate meds if I hadnt bought him a Blood pressure machine to use at home and got him
To chill when they strangly arm band goes On His arm!!

I’m currently pregnant and take my own BP at home to ensure I don’t have preeclampsia. I also have some pee sticks and check my urine once a week for protein, blood, etc. I also measure my bump once a week. None of these take any specialist training to obtain the same result as a midwife and it helps me to be responsible for my own health without bothering the NHS 🤷🏻‍♀️

My mum has high blood pressure so I bought machine for her - as we monitor her BP regularly at home too- but was very happy to get dad to use it! It's v accurate

We make dad a cup of tea, put his cricket in the box sit him in sofa and say "Dad ignore this it'll pinch your arm but ease off soon enough but you hum a tuneless tune and watch the cricket.., "

I’ve had a BP monitor for years. My gran had one which she used regularly. Why wouldn’t you keep an eye on your heart health yourself. Why expect others to always take responsibility for your health? All those saying they can’t afford one, I bet in the last year or so you’ve spent £20 on something you didn’t need. It’s a small price to pay for sometime that might save your life.

Everyone during Covid bought and became an expert in checking theirs Sats with an oxymeter. Simplest thing. It’s not hugely different to buying and using a BP machine. We all get older, we’ll all get high blood pressure. You’ll need it.

Just buy the thing. Don’t cut your nose to spite your face.

Do you take a stand about not paying for parking at your hospital? Not looking after your teeth?

I have a BP monitor, a thermometer and a pulse oximeter at home . Basic healthcare essentials and between five adults in our house it's the equivalent the price of a few lottery tickets or a couple of bottle of wine, or a slab of cans .

And DH has an ecg monitor on his smartphone ( recommended by his cardiologist) and it's been really useful

The stethoscope is a step too far. The surgery are really NEVER going to expect you to start listening to your own lungs/heart valves and bowel sounds. And I certainly wouldn’t attempt to listen and interpret on anyone in your family either.