Re: Blood pressure variability seems almost random

In article <[email hidden]>,

Dr. Andrew B. Chung said:

It shouldn't be. Would suggest you see your doctor. S/he should be willing
to
teach you about how to take blood pressure properly and to go over what
things
might make your blood pressure highly variable (including poor technique).

Just this morning I had a followup BP test - new doc who wasn't
convinced with my white coat anxiety excuses at the initial visit last
week (142/70) - (I could feel my heart beating in my chest as I sat in
the exam room).

Today, the nurse recorded a first reading of 156/72; then used my auto
monitor to check how similar it is to her manual readings, 140/68;
retested using her manual cuff, 132/70; one last test with her manual,
144/70. All this within a few minutes.

My cardiologist said not to worry about the upper figure as it
fluctuates substantially throughout the day, all dependent on stress,
exertion levels and things like caffeine & salt intake.

BTW, my home readings with the auto unit are routinely <=115/70. To the
original poster, buy a reputable unit (mine cost about $60, Consumer
Reports did a test a couple months back on home BP units - even manually
doing it is simple and relatively inexpensive) then track your results
at the same time of day over several months. I suspect the variablity in
operators, time of day and/or environmental stresses may have something
to do with your variables.