24hour blood pressure monitor

[GiveMe2PinaColadas]

My doctor had me do a 24hour blood pressure monitor a few years ago. For anyone who never had that done you get a strap around your arm and it's wired to a box that's on your belt. It goes off every half an hour and when you feel it go off, you have to relax your arm.

It wouldnt be too bad if I didn't have to work. When you are working and carrying out duties, it's not always possible to relax your arm especially in a physical job. The monitor and the pumping would nearly give you high blood pressure. My readings were borderline the last time. I got some good readings in parts and in other parts, not so good readings. That was a few years ago.

I was asked to loose weight. I worked on that. I lost three stone last year but unfortunately I put it all back on again over the winter. I haven't managed to loose that weight again. The original lockdown motivated me to loose weight. I made time for myself for the first time in years. Now I find it hard to get that original motivation back again. In there somewhare but I think I may have some low levels of depression or situational depression. Just a few different factors contributing - family and work stress.

I was at my doctor earlier in the week and she would like to do the 24 hour blood pressure monitor again. I took a reading in the office. I wasn't particularly nervous in the office. I got an elevated reading in her GP room. I did walk to the practice which was about 25 minutes. I was a little bit late and I met someone along the way and I was nearly held up a little bit more. I think all of that might have contributed to the elevated reading.

Basically I am writing this because I am not one bit keen on another 24hour blood pressure monitor. I don't want to do it. It wouldn't be too bad if I didn't have to work but I do have to work. I doubt I will be able to get a day off.

PS, if I do decide to take up the 24hour monitor - is there any way to cheat on these machines and get some lower readings?

I've had the 24hr monitoring and I hated it. My GP asked if I had my own machine though (certified one) which I didn't at the time. If I'd had one, I would have been able to do regular readings instead of the 24hr monitor. Would that be an option?

I've had that type of monitor several times because I get 'white coat syndrome' and therefore have high readings in the office.

It's not in your best interest to cheat the machine. You can't really as they are most interested in your readings taken while you are asleep to check your blood pressure is okay.

It is a nuisance having it on and I do sympathise but untreated high blood pressure is dangerous so it's best to know where you stand.

Why not ask them if you're can do it over a weekend, or a day you're not working?

And why would you want to cheat it?! What would be awful if it revealed your had high blood pressure? Do you want hate the treatment?

Unchecked high blood pressure can cause strokes. Having a stroke would be much worse than anything else you've got going on.

Take care of yourself.

Firstly there's absolutely no point in cheating the machine. And secondly, some of the most significant readings are taken at night when you're sleeping, so being at work has little to do with it.

BP medication is highly effective with little side effects, if you do need to take it. Untreated high bp causes permanent damage.

Trying to cheat the monitor defeats the object of wearing it!!!! If a GP has ordered one it will be for your benefit not theirs. Trying to ascertain when the episodes of hypertension are occurring will also help identify your risk factors for strokes etc.

Buy your own monitor.
Record your BP at different times of the day over several days. That will suffice. We haven't used a 24 hour monitor in years.
Practice nurse.

When I ask for cheating tips, I mean if I was to avoid coffee for the day, as an example, would it give a better reading? Same if I was to avoid alcohol or if I was to give up alcohol for a week or two before booking the monitor would it help with achieving a better reading.

I'm hoping it might buy me some time so that I can get my ass in gear and loose some weight so that I hopefully get the blood pressure lower.

I would like to avoid the 24 hour monitor for as long as possible after this one.

I would absolutely invest in my own monitor. If there was a machine with Bluetooth and an app that would be great and I could email my results over.

Is there such a thing? What do I do? Will I phone up reception and ask for recommendations for my own device?

If I had my own monitor I wouldn't feel the need to cheat the monitor.

I have a home monitor but unfortunately they still insisted on the 24 hour monitor because they wanted the night readings. The best thing long-term for blood pressure is exercise and some weight loss. And salt reduction.

Buy your own monitor, some have paper in them that you can print out for the doctor. Write down on each strip what you were doing at the time you recorded it. Ask the doctor how often they would like you to record it and under what activity.

I have awful white coat syndrome and cannot get a proper reading at any kind of medical facility!
I have made it clear to my GP that I will never do a 24 hr bp monitor again. You cannot relax, it wakes you up every hour throughout the night and it was impossible to do a 1.5 hr commute with it going off every 30 mins.
I take my own BP with a decent monitor and give any interested HCP the results.

I've had to do home blood pressure monitoring a couple of times. (For background, I was admitted to hospital a couple of years ago with a bp of 240/160 mmHg.) I make a note of the readings on my phone and put them in a table after a week and e-mail that to the GP. You can just write them on pieces of paper, photograph them and e-mail the images.

Don't cheat the monitor. It's important to know what your bp is. The GP can't force you to have antihypertensive medication, but she/he does have a responsibility to ensure you understand what your risk of a heart attack or stroke is if you don't get it down.

I had one of these and because I haven irregular heart beat it kept inflating because it couldnt get a proper reading, after 12 hours I had to take it off as my arm was so painful from it keeping squeezing !

As others have said, you can buy a blood pressure machine either online or from Boots for about £25 - £35. If your blood pressure is a problem then it's probably a good idea to have one at home. You can then check your blood pressure yourself, keep a diary for a week or two, taking it at different times of the day at home and at work if possible. Try and sit quietly for five minutes before you take it. Then show the diary to your GP.

Oh gosh yes a high bp can cause lots of damage to your kidneys without any symptoms showing. Definitely get your own monitor for starters but put your health first and don't cheat.