Blood pressure home testing

Hi everyone.
I just wanted to share this ongoing BP home testing experment.
The past couple of visits to my doctors found my blood pressure up 140/70. Both doctors said it was likely
stress and they are probably right to an extent , the past year has been very stressful . So I bought a Omron BP tester. In the morning before coffee my readings were low to mid 130s . But sure enough, during the day readings were up in the 140s & 150s . At one point this week I started playing with the machine and taking multiple readings in one sitting And as my attention shifted from the fact that my mother-in-law will be euthanized next week to how the machine worked, my BP slowly dropped to the mid 130s and stayed there for 3 or 4 readings. The mid 130s is where I was last year. I have also just started the DASH diet which is low salt & fat and can show results in BP in two to three weeks. I will also consult my cardio about two 30% blocked arteries that were discovered two years ago during my pre AVR tests. Could they be an issue in higher BP readings?
I will keep you up to date.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-...ealthy-eating/in-depth/dash-diet/art-20048456​

What you write about how what your thinking seemed to affect your blood pressure reminds me of a study I read some time back, I wish I’d kept a copy of it. It was done on some US airforce guys. On the first occasion they put an arm in a bucket of ice water which led to pain, and then their blood pressure was taken. On the second occasion they were instructed to subtract backwards in 3’s or 7’s, I forget which, from 100 in their heads, not out loud, and then their blood pressure was taken. The blood pressure of all the subjects was higher in the subtracting in their heads section !

I take my blood pressure for GP and cardiologist as it’s always elevated when they take it…I have to take several readings every day for a couple of weeks twice a year, I’ve been doing this for many years now. I find all sorts of things affect the individual readings and they can vary from minute to minute.

Paleowoman said:

What you write about how what your thinking seemed to affect your blood pressure reminds me of a study I read some time back, I wish I’d kept a copy of it. It was done on some US airforce guys. On the first occasion they put an arm in a bucket of ice water which led to pain, and then their blood pressure was taken. On the second occasion they were instructed to subtract backwards in 3’s or 7’s, I forget which, from 100 in their heads, not out loud, and then their blood pressure was taken. The blood pressure of all the subjects was higher in the subtracting in their heads section !

I take my blood pressure for GP and cardiologist as it’s always elevated when they take it…I have to take several readings every day for a couple of weeks twice a year, I’ve been doing this for many years now. I find all sorts of things affect the individual readings and they can vary from minute to minute.

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It really is interesting, thanks for the replay. Before 2015 , 140 was the accepted level for a 70 year old male but then the revised it to 120/80! Reading the new blood pressure guidelines - Harvard Health

Reading those Harvard Health new blood pressure guidelines I see they state: "The new guidelines stem from the 2017 results of the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), which studied more than 9,000 adults ages 50 and older who had systolic blood pressure (the top number in a reading) of 130 mm Hg or higher and at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease”

The issue which I consider important is that blood pressure varies a lot throughout the day and for various reasons - even my cardiologist says that, so for example, I might get a systolic reading of 147 and a short while later one of 110. If I was prescribed a blood pressure medication on the basis of the high reading then there’s every chance I would get side effects when my blood pressure went too low - I could even fall over down the stairs with dizziness and fracture my back or something worse. Incidentally the high systolic number in the 140s still isn’t the kind of high which can lead to strokes which is much higher.

I’d love to know what was considered normal blood pressure in the past….I do know that the considered normal has dropped over the years…but those Harvard ones take the biscuit ! I think I’ll stick with "The previous guidelines set the threshold at 140/90 mm Hg for people younger than age 65 and 150/80 mm Hg for those ages 65 and older.”

Of interest ;over the past four days I have gone for two long vigorous walks. On my return I took my blood pressure and both times it was in the low 120's ; 122 & 123 . Before leaving it was above 135

There used to be a story about doctors (nurses?) taking blood pressure.

They found that after the first blood pressure test, if they say 'uh oh,' the next reading is 5 or 10 points higher.

I'm using a BP meter that my cardiologist gave me. It sends the result to a monitoring service.

Recently, BP has been fairly steady - around 130 - 140 over 75-85.

When I was in Cardiac Rehab - they sometimes got 100/60 (which still puzzles the hell out of me). They used a meter that attached a circular dial to the arm sleeve and measured the resistance on the dial - the result always seemed to be lower than other devices - and they didn't seem to be a bit concerned.

My BP is naturally low anyways, but I can definitely lower it just by thinking soothing thoughts.

Protimenow said:

There used to be a story about doctors (nurses?) taking blood pressure.

They found that after the first blood pressure test, if they say 'uh oh,' the next reading is 5 or 10 points higher.

I'm using a BP meter that my cardiologist gave me. It sends the result to a monitoring service.

Recently, BP has been fairly steady - around 130 - 140 over 75-85.

When I was in Cardiac Rehab - they sometimes got 100/60 (which still puzzles the hell out of me). They used a meter that attached a circular dial to the arm sleeve and measured the resistance on the dial - the result always seemed to be lower than other devices - and they didn't seem to be a bit concerned.

Click to expand...

In rehab I was all over the place as high as 160 which really stressed me but did not bother my rehab team. I was 138 over 70 this morning , I did a ten minute walk to get some bread , came back , relaxed for five minutes , took two readings, and I was 126 & 125.......... I will see how long it takes for it to rise again!

dornole said:

My BP is naturally low anyways, but I can definitely lower it just by thinking soothing thoughts.

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Yes , facinating

Protimenow said:

When I was in Cardiac Rehab - they sometimes got 100/60 (which still puzzles the hell out of me). They used a meter that attached a circular dial to the arm sleeve and measured the resistance on the dial - the result always seemed to be lower than other devices - and they didn't seem to be a bit concerned.

Click to expand...

Weird, similar for me in cardio rehab. I consistently was measured by them as anywhere from around 90something/60something to 100-105ish. They told me they felt my BP was too low!

Then quite often after the rehab I would have to go to my Dr's office who at the time was located about a 5 minute walk away in the same building. And every time HE took my BP I was around 130-140. I discussed this with him as well as the folks in cardio rehab who then switched to taking my pressure two diff ways (one by hand with a cuff and a dial and the other using a machine that squeezes your arm and then reports a result). I always came out the same at rehab who insisted they were doing it right, and the same higher #s at the Doc's. The Dr's take on it was that they were doing it wrong.

Quite often due to past experience I do get stressed out if going to a DR office because of having to "fight" with them over stupid crap and mistakes they make but with this doc I was always pretty relaxed and surprised by his readings.

slipkid said:

Weird, similar for me in cardio rehab. I consistently was measured by them as anywhere from around 90something/60something to 100-105ish. They told me they felt my BP was too low!

Then quite often after the rehab I would have to go to my Dr's office who at the time was located about a 5 minute walk away in the same building. And every time HE took my BP I was around 130-140. I discussed this with him as well as the folks in cardio rehab who then switched to taking my pressure two diff ways (one by hand with a cuff and a dial and the other using a machine that squeezes your arm and then reports a result). I always came out the same at rehab who insisted they were doing it right, and the same higher #s at the Doc's. The Dr's take on it was that they were doing it wrong.

Quite often due to past experience I do get stressed out if going to a DR office because of having to "fight" with them over stupid crap and mistakes they make but with this doc I was always pretty relaxed and surprised by his readings.

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For me, at times, I will have a what I call a High BP at doctor visits and when I go to get Protime done. But it is not high enough to worry. I get nervous and it cause the BP to go up. Even one time had cardio take my BP and he no idea how to read it, said I was 500, over what I will never know, because I should have been dead then. Never had it done by a doctor again.

Heart Chamber (Max/Min Pressure


in mmHg)


Left ventricle (120/15)


Right ventricle (25/5)


Right atria (mean 4 to 5)


Pulmonary arteries/left atria (25/10)


Aorta (120/80)

Sorry to hear about your high blood pressure issues and also about your mother in law's situation.

There is a lot of good data to support the new lower blood pressure guidelines.

When I was first diagnosed with aortic stenosis in 2019 I also was diagnosed with mild/moderate LVH. One surgeon at Cedar Sinai wanted to operate soon, due to the LVH. As my AS was only moderate at the time, I wanted to see first if I could reverse my LVH. This is not an easy thing, but lowering blood pressure sometimes is effective. At the time my typical reading was about 135/85. My systolic reading had for years been in the 130s but I was never put on any medication.

I should also add that I have always exercised hard, but with respect to cardio and martial arts, and this can result in Athletes Heart, with slight enlargement.

So, my strategy was to 1) lower my blood pressure by losing weight and 2) shift from intense exercise to brisk walking only- but a lot of brisk walking.

To the surprise of my cardiologist, I was able to reverse my LVH to the point where my LV mass was in the normal range. I was able to get my blood pressure from 135/85 to 115/75, which I attribute to my weight loss. I did get a little carried away with the weight loss and lost a significant amount of muscle along with the fat, to the point where people that knew my thought that I was getting too thin. It is hard to know for certain how much of the reversal of my LVH was due to the drop in blood pressure and how much was due to my shift to less intense exercise. My cardiologist believes that it was mostly the drop in blood pressure.

Since surgery, my weight has gone back some and so has my blood pressure, but not into the 130s thankfully. I just took my reading and it is 127/77 this morning, which is about what I've been seeing for the past 12 months. I'd like to get my systolic back under 120 again. My plan is to take off about 8 pounds and see if that does it. I have no desire to get as lean as I was and lose all that muscle again, which I have worked to put back on, but I could definitely stand to lose 5 to 8 pounds in my opinion and there is good data to support that being under 120 is ideal.

While I was losing the weight, I was walking a lot, and I mean a lot. Walking and weight loss are both associated with dropping blood pressure, but the two are often overlapping, as walking can certainly aid in weight loss. What I have discovered is that walking is more effective than any other form of exercise for losing weight for me- more effective than more intense forms of exercise, such as running or biking.

Anyway, just wanted to share my experience and I hope that you get yours back to your ideal levels.

FWIW - and it's not a big deal - but I'll bring it up anyway.

In around 1975, Cedars of Lebanon Hospital merged with Mount Sinai Hospital, to form Cedars-Sinai. (FWIW - the old Cedars of Lebanon hospital is now the home of Scientology). I worked there, running the Tumor Registry and Tumor Board from 1976 - 1980 (or so). Moving from building to building, which they subsequently tore down - usually after realizing that there were still offices in the buildings).

This medical center has (and had) a lot of jewish donors, helping to keep it running, and helping to make it grow.

Two streets intersect across the complex - One is called George Burns. The other is Gracie Allen.

Greetings
I would like to share with you an interesting situation I experienced yesterday evening.
Yesterday evening I became extremely stressed because I was not sure whether I had swallowed my daily 5 mg warfarin pill.
Obviously, I am a little inexperienced as I have just started using Warfarin, I literally could not remember whether I had taken the pill or not.
Anyway, I gave up because it was dangerous to take a second dose, I will continue my normal routine dose today, but this situation has caused me extreme stress.
Since yesterday evening, my blood pressure has been in the range of 13/10, 12/9, that is, my small blood pressure is high!
Do you think stress causes this condition?
My other question is, if we forget to take warfarin for only 1 day, can this lead to a very serious consequence?

Also, as a result of the test I had done today, my inr value was 1.74, whereas last month it was 2.17. I texted my doctor, I think he will adjust the dose.

Jeff Lebowski said:

Greetings
I would like to share with you an interesting situation I experienced yesterday evening.
Yesterday evening I became extremely stressed because I was not sure whether I had swallowed my daily 5 mg warfarin pill.
Obviously, I am a little inexperienced as I have just started using Warfarin, I literally could not remember whether I had taken the pill or not.
Anyway, I gave up because it was dangerous to take a second dose, I will continue my normal routine dose today, but this situation has caused me extreme stress.
Since yesterday evening, my blood pressure has been in the range of 13/10, 12/9, that is, my small blood pressure is high!
Do you think stress causes this condition?
My other question is, if we forget to take warfarin for only 1 day, can this lead to a very serious consequence?

Also, as a result of the test I had done today, my inr value was 1.74, whereas last month it was 2.17. I texted my doctor, I think he will adjust the dose.

Click to expand...

Put a notification on your phone to remind you, also buy a weekly pill box and you will never have doubts again if you forgot to take the pill

Jeff Lebowski said:

Greetings
I would like to share with you an interesting situation I experienced yesterday evening.
Yesterday evening I became extremely stressed because I was not sure whether I had swallowed my daily 5 mg warfarin pill.
Obviously, I am a little inexperienced as I have just started using Warfarin, I literally could not remember whether I had taken the pill or not.
Anyway, I gave up because it was dangerous to take a second dose, I will continue my normal routine dose today, but this situation has caused me extreme stress.
Since yesterday evening, my blood pressure has been in the range of 13/10, 12/9, that is, my small blood pressure is high!
Do you think stress causes this condition?
My other question is, if we forget to take warfarin for only 1 day, can this lead to a very serious consequence?

Also, as a result of the test I had done today, my inr value was 1.74, whereas last month it was 2.17. I texted my doctor, I think he will adjust the dose.

Click to expand...

Hi Jeff.

Per your question, stress can cause your blood pressure to rise.

Jeff Lebowski said:

Yesterday evening I became extremely stressed because I was not sure whether I had swallowed my daily 5 mg warfarin pill.

Click to expand...

Jeff Lebowski said:

Also, as a result of the test I had done today, my inr value was 1.74, whereas last month it was 2.17. I texted my doctor, I think he will adjust the dose.

Click to expand...

Is your doctor aware that you might have forgotten to take your dose the day before, which could be the reason for the low INR reading below range the following day? How frequently are you being tested? You said "last month it was 2.17". So are you testing monthly?
The 1.74 INR could be bad data, based on a missed dose. After he adjusts your warfarin upwards, I would retest again in about 4 or 5 days- I would definitely not wait a month.

And, I want to second the recommendation by @ATHENS1964 to use a daily pill box so that this does not happen again. I have been using this method since being on warfarin and would not do it any other way. If you had such a method, there would be no uncertainty as to whether you took your dose or not.

Chuck C said:

Hi Jeff.

Per your question, stress can cause your blood pressure to rise.



Is your doctor aware that you might have forgotten to take your dose the day before, which could be the reason for the low INR reading below range the following day? How frequently are you being tested? You said "last month it was 2.17". So are you testing monthly?
The 1.74 INR could be bad data, based on a missed dose. After he adjusts your warfarin upwards, I would retest again in about 4 or 5 days- I would definitely not wait a month.

And, I want to second the recommendation by @ATHENS1964 to use a daily pill box so that this does not happen again. I have been using this method since being on warfarin and would not do it any other way. If you had such a method, there would be no uncertainty as to whether you took your dose or not.

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Hello Chuck

The doctor who performed my surgery, when ı was see him routine check after 2 weeks operation told me to do my INR tests monthly and send it to him.
In short, my test result today is the value two weeks later. By the way today ı finally clearly realised that I had taken the Warfarin that I should have taken yesterday, I counted the pills in the box and made sure.

Since the Roche Caougcheck XS test device is not yet in stock in the country I am in, I could not buy it, so unfortunately I do not have the chance to test myself at home for now, but it is said that the device will arrive in May.

Next week I will go to the hospital again and have an INR test again.
Well, don't you think it is possible that the INR value caused by Warfarin use may vary in everyone (weekly or monthly)? ı mean is it impossible to dropping my İNR value even from 2,17 to 1,74 without any logical reason?
By the way ı am gonna take that pill box.

I agree that worry about missing a dose CAN cause your BP to rise.

If you miss a dose, the effect of the missed dose WILL NOT show up in an INR test the next day.

You should test weekly -- waiting a month - or even two weeks between tests is dangerous.

Doctors don't understand how to manage INR and, apparently, your doctor doesn't understand the risk he puts you under by testing so infrequently. When you get your meter, please test weekly.

There are people here (Pellicle) and dosing charts that are more current than the old stuff that your doctor or clinic use.

If you DO increase your dose, do it in small increments -- adding more than .5 mg can possibly push your INR out of range -- at that point, you really don't know how much to drop it to keep you in range.

The use of a pill box is probably the best way to assure that you're taking your daily dose. I use one. I KNOW if I missed a dose.

Jeff, which warfarin company did the doctor tell you to buy?