Blood Pressure Monitors
This is not a piece of equipment all diabetics need, but if you are an overweight Type 2 diabetic then it is very possible that you also suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure) then this can be a very useful article to possess. Let me illustrate this with my own story.
Blood pressure was not something that I even thought about when I was first diagnosed with Diabetes. I was far too involved with blood glucose and diet, as I am sure you will all understand.
Then when I went to the Doctor's surgery to get the results of my first lab work the diabetic nurse took my blood pressure as a matter of course and I saw her eyebrows rise. She informed me that my blood pressure was high, 144/90 and that something would have to be done to bring it down.
However, she is a very practical lady and told me that there was something known in the profession as 'White coat hypertension', which basically meant that many people get elevated blood pressure the moment they walk through the surgery door - not surprising when you consider that everyone going to a doctor does it because they have some sort of problem that causes stress, which then causes raised blood pressure.
She suggested I come back in a few weeks time and have it taken again, and if it was still elevated I would need to see my GP and get medication.
I realised that my knowledge of high blood pressure, what caused it and what could be done about it, was scanty, so once I got home I turned to my old and trusty friend, the Internet, to find out more.
There I discovered that normal blood pressure was considered to be 120/80 and that they liked it even lower for diabetics, as they were susceptible to heart problems.
I also learnt about all the medications that could be given to lower it, and, needless to say, their accompanying side effects. (see hypertension)
Now I am prepared to take medication if it is absolutely necessary, but I must be certain that that is the case, and in this instance all I had to go on was a single reading under stressful circumstances.
I also felt that returning to the doctor's surgery for a second reading would just be a repeat of the previous circumstances and I still would have no idea what my day to day blood pressure was like.
There was no way I was going to take any more pills unless I had hard proof that I needed them, so I had to find a way to get that proof. That meant I needed my own blood pressure monitor so I could check my blood pressure myself in the peace and quiet of my own home.
Back I went to the Internet to find out about Blood Pressure Monitors.
The first thing I discovered was that there are two basic types, the ones health professionals usually use and we generally see in our doctors surgery, known as mercury sphygmomanometers, and the ones usually suggested for home use, the newer digital electronic sphygmomanometer.
The latter are easier to use as they automatically inflate and deflate the cuff for you, detect your systolic and diastolic pressure, plus your pulse rate in most cases and give you a digital readout Some will even store your readings in their memory and connect to your computer, allowing you to use a computer programme to record readings and provide you with a printout.
One company, A and D instruments, make a version for the visually impaired, which 'talks' to you.
So having decided that digital is best I then discovered that they were two main types of those, ones that measure blood pressure from the upper part of your arm, just like the ones in the doctor's surgery, and another that measures blood pressure from the wrist.
All the info that I could find told me that the wrist monitors were considered to be less accurate than the top of the arm monitors and as accuracy is very important in my life I opted for the latter.
Now I just had to decide on which one.
It suddenly dawned on me (I am sometimes a little slow) that there were a lot of people out there, besides diabetics, who must suffer from high blood pressure and that there was sure to be some sort of society that catered to them and they would surely have info on the best monitors to buy.
This turned out to be a good idea as I found the sites for the British Hypertension Society and the Blood Pressure Association and they gave me exactly what I needed. If you ever want to buy a monitor it is worth checking their websites. (click on the link!)
I found a range of monitors at a variety of different prices. They were not super cheap, prices range from £40 to £170, but I wanted one that was known to work and these claimed to do just that.
I had received a number of catalogues, through the post, that sell blood pressure monitors very cheaply but I must admit I was dubious about their quality. I felt that if the monitor was endorsed by these societies then it probably worked properly.
One other fact I discovered was that using the right size cuff was important.
Most folk can use the standard cuff that is sold with the monitor but if you have very thin arms or very large ones the standard cuff may not give you an accurate reading.
If the cuff is too small you may get a reading that is to high.
If the cuff is too large you may get a reading that is too low.
Suppliers will usually sell 3 cuff sizes.
These are:-
Small 17-22cm
Standard 22-32cm
Large 32-42cm
Luckily I was in the standard range. I decided on a monitor and ordered it. Once it arrived I set about taking my blood pressure at various times throughout the day.
Blood pressure fluctuates naturally throughout the day,
sometimes by as much as 30-50mmHg, so a single reading will not give you an accurate picture.
The idea is to take a number of readings each day at regular times so you are comparing 'apples with apples' so to speak. This should give you a pretty accurate idea of your blood pressure.
One must also remember that you may get different results depending on which arm you use so when you first begin taking your blood pressure you need to try both arms and then stick to the arm that gave you the highest reading.
Taking a reading, I found, was easy.
The manual that came with the meter was very helpful.
First I sat down at my desk and rested for about five minutes as instructed.
My arm, I was told, had to be supported, on a firm surface, in such a way that the cuff would be at the same level as my heart. Luckily my desk is just the right height so I did not need to look for other props, though I believe a pile of books works well.
I wrapped the cuff around my upper arm, about 2-3cm above my elbow, so that it was tight, but I could still get a couple of fingers in between it and my arm.
My monitor required me to set the systolic level using a switch on the side. This controls how much the cuff inflates. You usually take your previous systolic reading and choose a setting that is a bit above that. For instance my systolic reading at the doctor had been 144 so I set my monitor to inflate to 180.
Then I pressed the Start button. Once I had done this I knew to sit still and be quiet until the measurement was finished or it would be inaccurate.
The cuff felt very tight but I knew this was normal.
Once the measurement was finished a buzzer sounded and the cuff deflated.
At last I could read my systolic, diastolic and pulse rate off the digital display and I got a pleasant surprise. Instead of 144/90 it was 128/84 - not perfect but much better.
However this was just the first reading, we would have to wait and see if it was just a fluke.
By the way, do remember, before taking your blood pressure, to go to the toilet - believe it or not a full bladder causes it to rise!
Over the next couple of weeks I found that my blood pressure was averaging out at around 123/82. This was sufficient for me to decide I was not going on medications, or at least not prescription ones.
My parents had a friend who suffered with high blood pressure and who controlled it with garlic and parsley tablets.
There were various articles on the internet that also claimed that garlic (the parsley is only there to control the smell) had blood pressure lowering abilities.
So off I went to my local health food store and bought garlic tablets. They did not have the ones with parsley but did have specially coated ones that were time released and which they swore would not make me socially unacceptable.
After taking these for a while my trusty monitor started giving me readings of 114/78 and occasionally as low as 96/72.
One always wonders however, when one is doing this oneself, if maybe you are getting it wrong. I eagerly awaited my next visit to the diabetic nurse to see if her monitor would still give me very high readings.
I expected it to be elevated in some fashion because I was, as always, stressed about what the results of the various tests, never mind the blood pressure, would show.
I showed her the records I had kept over the last few months and explained why I had not returned for another reading at the surgery. She said "Okay, lets see what your reading is now" and proceeded to take it.
Again her eyebrows rose, but this time it was for a totally different reason. Even under the stressful circumstances my blood pressure was only 130/80.
This put it in the pre-hypertensive range (120/80 to 139/89) for normal folk and at the very start of hypertension for a diabetic - It was agreed that medication was not needed, especially as I now had the ability to keep a check on my own blood pressure and take action if it was ever needed.
Having my own monitor has been worth every penny we paid for it.