Guest guest Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 I've been using a B/P kit for over 1 year. I keep a journal (made up a form on WORD or you can make up a form on EXCEL). I copy the results to the PC and bring the form into the neph. Jack (NY) In a message dated 9/22/2003 8:37:32 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Jitzo writes: > > > Hi all! > Was wondering if any of y'all out there use your own BP monitors. I went to > my neph today and because I am pregnant, she wants me to take my blood > pressure twice a day and keep a journal so I can show her on my next visit. Can > anyone recommend one over another? She did say it had to be a cuff one and not > one on my finger or wrist. > Thanks > > 13 weeks along and test have come back pretty good. Creatine is down to .8 > and 24 urine is also down. > > Keeping my fingers crossed in Oakland, CA. > > Hope everyone is doing well. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 Just a little warning. Not all home bp monitors are equally accurate. My son had an electronic, digital read-out one that was very easy to use but turned out to be very inaccurate for him, mostly overestimating his bp. We finally bought the basic stethoscope, listen for the sounds of your pulse kind. The stethoscope is permanently attached to the cuff so you can do it all by yourself, and it really isn¹t that hard to learn what to listen for. If you do go for the automatic kind, check ratings in something like Consumer Reports at the library to find which ones are reasonably accurate. Good luck - Betsy > Hi all! > Was wondering if any of y'all out there use your own BP monitors. I went to > my neph today and because I am pregnant, she wants me to take my blood > pressure twice a day and keep a journal so I can show her on my next visit. > Can > anyone recommend one over another? She did say it had to be a cuff one and > not > one on my finger or wrist. > Thanks > > 13 weeks along and test have come back pretty good. Creatine is down to .8 > and 24 urine is also down. > > Keeping my fingers crossed in Oakland, CA. > > Hope everyone is doing well. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 Congrats on getting that creatinine and protein down. It is always so wonderful to hear good news! Thanks for letting everyone know. We've been using the high end Omron model (about $89-$99 at Walgreens, Longs or the like) for . I can't say I really recommend it. takes it three times in a row and averages the readings. The point spread is as often as high as 10 points. However, it's easy and convenient for a kid to use and allows him to be largely independant with it. At least every couple days, I use the old fashioned manual-BP-cuff-and-stethoscope method. Drawbacks are that it requires two people and a bit of training. However, I trust my ears much more than an automated cuff! Jack's tip on keeping the results in a Word doc or excell spread sheet is a good one - particularly if you have an email relationship with your neph. usually brings his BP notebook (always lives on the kitchen counter) to the neph's. It looks a bit sloppy (very much like a kid's notebook), but it's good practice. I'm always copying info from it to mail to the neph. If anyone finds a good RELIABLE cheap monitor, let us know. I'd love to dump the Omron! Cy Re: Blood pressure kits > I've been using a B/P kit for over 1 year. I keep a journal (made up a form on WORD or you can make up a form on EXCEL). I copy the results to the PC and bring the form into the neph. > > Jack (NY) > > > In a message dated 9/22/2003 8:37:32 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Jitzo writes: > > > > > > > Hi all! > > Was wondering if any of y'all out there use your own BP monitors. I went to > > my neph today and because I am pregnant, she wants me to take my blood > > pressure twice a day and keep a journal so I can show her on my next visit. Can > > anyone recommend one over another? She did say it had to be a cuff one and not > > one on my finger or wrist. > > Thanks > > > > 13 weeks along and test have come back pretty good. Creatine is down to ..8 > > and 24 urine is also down. > > > > Keeping my fingers crossed in Oakland, CA. > > > > Hope everyone is doing well. > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 I think being able to monitor your own BP is a terrific advantage. As long as it's not overdone, it provides very useful information. Some people can get a little obsessed with BP once they get a machine, like measuring their BP 10 times a day I have to say right off that the single most accurate method is to get a good cuff and stethoscope and learn to do it manually. However, I've had good success with AND and OMRON models. I've had various brands and models over the past 13 years, and, if my current OMRON were to stop working, I would get another OMRON. Some brands have more cheaply-made cuffs and flimsly tubing and connections. One thing you should do when you get one is to take it with you on your next appointment, so you can test its accuracy compared to the doctor or nurse's measurement (preferably a nurse . Some machines just aren't accurate on some people. These machines don't actually " hear " the sounds normally used to measure BP the traditional way. Instead, they rely on detecting oscillations from the brachial artery in your arm. In some people, machines have a tough time reliably picking up these oscillations. So it's a good idea to test it. They also don't work well if you have an irregular heartbeat. Do get a machine that auto-inflates the cuff. Manual inflation models are cheaper, but just the act of pumping up the cuff can raise your BP, plus, this component tends to be failure prone. Pierre Blood pressure kits > Hi all! > Was wondering if any of y'all out there use your own BP monitors. I went to > my neph today and because I am pregnant, she wants me to take my blood > pressure twice a day and keep a journal so I can show her on my next visit. Can > anyone recommend one over another? She did say it had to be a cuff one and not > one on my finger or wrist. > Thanks > > 13 weeks along and test have come back pretty good. Creatine is down to ..8 > and 24 urine is also down. > > Keeping my fingers crossed in Oakland, CA. > > Hope everyone is doing well. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 I think being able to monitor your own BP is a terrific advantage. As long as it's not overdone, it provides very useful information. Some people can get a little obsessed with BP once they get a machine, like measuring their BP 10 times a day I have to say right off that the single most accurate method is to get a good cuff and stethoscope and learn to do it manually. However, I've had good success with AND and OMRON models. I've had various brands and models over the past 13 years, and, if my current OMRON were to stop working, I would get another OMRON. Some brands have more cheaply-made cuffs and flimsly tubing and connections. One thing you should do when you get one is to take it with you on your next appointment, so you can test its accuracy compared to the doctor or nurse's measurement (preferably a nurse . Some machines just aren't accurate on some people. These machines don't actually " hear " the sounds normally used to measure BP the traditional way. Instead, they rely on detecting oscillations from the brachial artery in your arm. In some people, machines have a tough time reliably picking up these oscillations. So it's a good idea to test it. They also don't work well if you have an irregular heartbeat. Do get a machine that auto-inflates the cuff. Manual inflation models are cheaper, but just the act of pumping up the cuff can raise your BP, plus, this component tends to be failure prone. Pierre Blood pressure kits > Hi all! > Was wondering if any of y'all out there use your own BP monitors. I went to > my neph today and because I am pregnant, she wants me to take my blood > pressure twice a day and keep a journal so I can show her on my next visit. Can > anyone recommend one over another? She did say it had to be a cuff one and not > one on my finger or wrist. > Thanks > > 13 weeks along and test have come back pretty good. Creatine is down to ..8 > and 24 urine is also down. > > Keeping my fingers crossed in Oakland, CA. > > Hope everyone is doing well. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 In a message dated 9/23/2003 2:15:42 AM Eastern Daylight Time, cyashleywebb@... writes: > > > If any member of our group is a US veteran, the Veteran's Administration provided me with an OMRON B/P monitor at no charge. It was model HEM-412C. A manuel inflation B/P monitor which also provides pulse information. Jack (NY) > > We've been using the high end Omron model (about $89-$99 at Walgreens, Longs > or the like) for . I can't say I really recommend it. takes it > three times in a row and averages the readings. The point spread is as > often as high as 10 points. However, it's easy and convenient for a kid to > use and allows him to be largely independant with it. > > At least every couple days, I use the old fashioned > manual-BP-cuff-and-stethoscope method. Drawbacks are that it requires two > people and a bit of training. However, I trust my ears much more than an > automated cuff! > > Jack's tip on keeping the results in a Word doc or excell spread sheet is a > good one - particularly if you have an email relationship with your neph. > usually brings his BP notebook (always lives on the kitchen counter) > to the neph's. It looks a bit sloppy (very much like a kid's notebook), but > it's good practice. I'm always copying info from it to mail to the neph. > > If anyone finds a good RELIABLE cheap monitor, let us know. I'd love to > dump the Omron! > > Cy > > > Re: Blood pressure kits > > > > I've been using a B/P kit for over 1 year. I keep a journal (made up a > form on WORD or you can make up a form on EXCEL). I copy the results to the > PC and bring the form into the neph. > > > > Jack (NY) > > > > > > In a message dated 9/22/2003 8:37:32 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Jitzo > writes: > > > > > > > > > > > Hi all! > > > Was wondering if any of y'all out there use your own BP monitors. I > went to > > > my neph today and because I am pregnant, she wants me to take my blood > > > pressure twice a day and keep a journal so I can show her on my next > visit. Can > > > anyone recommend one over another? She did say it had to be a cuff one > and not > > > one on my finger or wrist. > > > Thanks > > > > > > 13 weeks along and test have come back pretty good. Creatine is down to > .8 > > > and 24 urine is also down. > > > > > > Keeping my fingers crossed in Oakland, CA. > > > > > > Hope everyone is doing well. > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 Pierre, What's the reproducability of results like on your OMRON? For example, if you took your BP three times in a row, what would be the point spread on the systolic? Even with sitting very still to minimize the artifactual movement, our point spread can be pretty wide. This drives me nuts. We tried to calibrate ours with the neph's office - which given the point spread just wasn't possible. What I ended up doing was our doc and I sat side by side with manually taking his BP just to show we could more or less reproduce each other's results. Needless to say, was not very happy Talk about negative attention! Cy Blood pressure kits > > > > Hi all! > > Was wondering if any of y'all out there use your own BP monitors. I went > to > > my neph today and because I am pregnant, she wants me to take my blood > > pressure twice a day and keep a journal so I can show her on my next > visit. Can > > anyone recommend one over another? She did say it had to be a cuff one > and not > > one on my finger or wrist. > > Thanks > > > > 13 weeks along and test have come back pretty good. Creatine is down to > .8 > > and 24 urine is also down. > > > > Keeping my fingers crossed in Oakland, CA. > > > > Hope everyone is doing well. > > > > > > > > To edit your settings for the group, go to our Yahoo Group > home page: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/iga-nephropathy/ > > To unsubcribe via email, > iga-nephropathy-unsubscribe > Visit our companion website at www.igan.ca. The site is entirely supported by donations. If you would like to help, go to: > http://www.igan.ca/id62.htm > > Thank you > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 24, 2003 Report Share Posted September 24, 2003 Cy, It depends. If I space 3 readings apart by 5 minutes as is the ideal scenario, each subsequent reading seems to be a little better as I keep sitting at rest. It can easily go down 10 points sometimes, but usually more in the neighbourhood of 5. These machines have about a 4 point margin of error, which, incidentally, if true, is better than a doctor's measurement. There can be a margin of error of up to 10 points there. I don't know if you already know this, but even just talking or reading can raise BP. When I was being followed at the hypertension unit of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, the nurse would make me sit, my arms supported on a pillow, feet on the floor (no crossing of the legs). Then she would darken the room a bit, and leave me for a minimum of 10 minutes, with instructions not to read anything (not even the stuff on the walls). Then she would repeat that twice more at 5 minute intervals. That's the way they do it for clinical trials that involve BP. That's a far cry from the quick and dirty measurements we get in the average doctor's office! When you get right down to it, the only real comparison between our machines and the doctor's measurement that would truly be valid would be the average of 3 measurements as above, but there's never really any time to do that. Pierre Re: Blood pressure kits > Pierre, > > What's the reproducability of results like on your OMRON? For example, if > you took your BP three times in a row, what would be the point spread on the > systolic? Even with sitting very still to minimize the artifactual > movement, our point spread can be pretty wide. This drives me nuts. We > tried to calibrate ours with the neph's office - which given the point > spread just wasn't possible. > > What I ended up doing was our doc and I sat side by side with > manually taking his BP just to show we could more or less reproduce each > other's results. Needless to say, was not very happy Talk about > negative attention! > > > > Cy > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 In a message dated 9/24/03 11:17:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time, pgl-groups@... writes: > It depends. If I space 3 readings apart by 5 minutes as is the ideal > scenario, each subsequent reading seems to be a little better as I keep > sitting at rest. It can easily go down 10 points sometimes, but usually more > in the neighbourhood of 5. Very true, Pierre, I note the lowest reading on the chart. Jack (NY) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 Thanks Pierre! Thanks for getting back to me on this one. I'm impressed with the routine at the U. of Ottawa. If one is looking to reproducability, that sounds like it's the way to go. However I can just see it driving " type A " personalities absolutely nuts! We don't space apart by five minutes (rather three readings immediately back to back). generally stays very still with no talking or no extraneous muscle movement. We do have the same experience with the latter readings being lower. My hunch is it takes him that minute or so to " settle " . Cy Re: Blood pressure kits > > > > Pierre, > > > > What's the reproducability of results like on your OMRON? For example, if > > you took your BP three times in a row, what would be the point spread on > the > > systolic? Even with sitting very still to minimize the > artifactual > > movement, our point spread can be pretty wide. This drives me nuts. We > > tried to calibrate ours with the neph's office - which given the point > > spread just wasn't possible. > > > > What I ended up doing was our doc and I sat side by side with > > manually taking his BP just to show we could more or less reproduce each > > other's results. Needless to say, was not very happy Talk > about > > negative attention! > > > > > > > > Cy > > > > > > To edit your settings for the group, go to our Yahoo Group > home page: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/iga-nephropathy/ > > To unsubcribe via email, > iga-nephropathy-unsubscribe > Visit our companion website at www.igan.ca. The site is entirely supported by donations. If you would like to help, go to: > http://www.igan.ca/id62.htm > > Thank you > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 Hi Cy, I know we see doctors doing it all the time, but... If you take multiple BP readings in quick succession, it can definitely affect the accuracy and reliability of those numbers. This is because of two reasons: one, the blood flow may not have completely returned to normal in the arm after the cuff compressed the artery during the time it took to do the measurement (the arm may still be engorged with blood), and two, the brachial artery itself may not have had time to return to its normal state after being compressed. LOL! I suspect that Type A's especially would benefit from it being done this way I'm somewhere in between type A and B, I think. More like a B+ Pierre Re: Blood pressure kits > Thanks Pierre! Thanks for getting back to me on this one. > > I'm impressed with the routine at the U. of Ottawa. If one is looking to > reproducability, that sounds like it's the way to go. However I can just > see it driving " type A " personalities absolutely nuts! > > We don't space apart by five minutes (rather three readings immediately back > to back). generally stays very still with no talking or no > extraneous muscle movement. We do have the same experience with the latter > readings being lower. My hunch is it takes him that minute or so to > " settle " . > > Cy > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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