Tracking BP...

AggieMike88

AggieMike88

Touchdown! Greaser!
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The original "I don't know it all" of aviation.
As part of my renewed commitment to improve my health through better lifestyle choices (better nutrition, more exercise, lose 20 lbs or more), I'm going to monitor and track my blood pressure.

The various threads on the various pilot boards about pilots who are working to improve theirs is providing some inspiration to improve mine. I'm on Lisonopril now and have the benign hypertension "rider" on my DM2 SI. My desire is to gain more positive notes from my primary doc and keep pushing the risk of CAD towards a complete yawn.

  • What is a good daily routine of when to conduct measurements?
  • Would it be like tracking my sugar level where having data points at similar times of the day would provide useful trends?
  • How about before/after exercise? (currently getting back on the treadmill while Texas is still set on "broil")

Thanks folks!
 
Whenever I've had to do it, the doctor(s) always recommended taking it at various random timeS during the day, keeping the results on a scorecard to give her at the next appointment.

If you do it only once per day, doing right after exercise is likely to skew the result. Doing before the exercise might be better. Also, don't do it right after eating or having coffee/tea/soda
 
AggieMike88 said:
As part of my renewed commitment to improve my health through better lifestyle choices (better nutrition, more exercise, lose 20 lbs or more), I'm going to monitor and track my blood pressure.

The various threads on the various pilot boards about pilots who are working to improve theirs is providing some inspiration to improve mine. I'm on Lisonopril now and have the benign hypertension "rider" on my DM2 SI. My desire is to gain more positive notes from my primary doc and keep pushing the risk of CAD towards a complete yawn.

  • What is a good daily routine of when to conduct measurements?
  • Would it be like tracking my sugar level where having data points at similar times of the day would provide useful trends?
  • How about before/after exercise? (currently getting back on the treadmill while Texas is still set on "broil")

Thanks folks!
Click to expand...


Why not track under varying circumstance? It may even give you some useful data on behavior and activity modification to increase what creates a good result and avoid what creates a poor result.

Oh yeah, meditation is actually a good thing to try as well as you can control your blood pressure mentally. If you have the time and inclination to try it, these people have a very interesting program. http://www.dhamma.org/

Also, you need to embrace the word Junkyard...:rofl:
 
I have lost about 40 pounds and have cut my bp med by 75%. I cut my cholesterol and blood sugar med out completely. Neither diet alone or exercise alone works. You have to do both. The thing that worked for me is setting low but positive goals. I have been working on this for two years. Sometimes I do get frustrated and am tempted to starve myself to lose weight but that is what causes the yoyo. You have to have a plan you can stick with for a lifetime or you are wasting your time

20 pounds to go and then re-evaluate!!

My doc said to take bp readings at the same time every day. That way you can measure changes due to your wt and exercise. You can take readings randomly but that only shows changes thru the day, not changes due to your efforts.

Good luck and stick with the plan that works for you.
 
Henning said:
Also, you need to embrace the word Junkyard...:rofl:
Click to expand...

If you come to visit, and are willing to pose for a photo in the middle of the bone yard wearing the tube top and mini-skirt you posted in another thread, I'll embrace the J word.
 
JOhnH said:
My doc said to take bp readings at the same time every day. That way you can measure changes due to your wt and exercise. You can take readings randomly but that only shows changes thru the day, not changes due to your efforts.
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:yeahthat: My doc said the same thing. You want to change as few variables as possible. First thing in the morning is best, ideally before you even get out of bed. That'll be the closest to your resting BP.
 
I got an Omron BP710 and took resting bp morning and night for a month or two. Easy enough to plot in a spreadsheet and establish a good baseline.
 
GeorgeC said:
I got an Omron BP710 and took resting bp morning and night for a month or two. Easy enough to plot in a spreadsheet and establish a good baseline.
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I got the iPad BP device and will use its tracking and charting feature.

Some googling found this from the Mayo Clinic:
Tips for accurate use

No matter what type of home blood pressure monitor you choose, proper use requires some practice and training. Take the device to your doctor or nurse to make sure the one you've chosen is the best fit for you and to learn how to use the monitor correctly and keep it calibrated so that it continues to give you accurate readings.

You can also follow these tips to help ensure accuracy when you measure your blood pressure at home:

  • Check your monitor's accuracy. Before using a monitor for the first time, have your doctor or nurse check its accuracy against the office model. Also have your doctor or nurse watch you use the device to see if you're doing it properly. If you drop the device or damage it, take it in to be checked before using it again, as it may no longer work properly.
  • Measure your blood pressure twice daily. You should measure your blood pressure twice daily, once in the morning before you take any medications, and once in the evening. Each time you measure your blood pressure, take two or three readings to make sure your results are accurate. Your doctor may recommend you try to take your blood pressure at the same times of day each time you measure it. Always use your left arm when taking your blood pressure.
  • Don't measure your blood pressure right after you wake up. You can prepare for the day, but don't eat breakfast or take medications before measuring your blood pressure. If you exercise after waking, take your blood pressure before exercising.
  • Avoid food, caffeine, tobacco and alcohol for 30 minutes before taking a measurement. Also, go to the toilet first. A full bladder can increase blood pressure slightly.
  • Sit quietly before measuring your blood pressure. When you're ready to take your blood pressure, sit quietly for three to five minutes beforehand. Sit in a comfortable position with your legs and ankles uncrossed and your back supported against a chair. Try to be calm and not think about stressful things.
  • Make sure your arm is positioned properly when measuring. Rest your arm, raised to the level of your heart, on a table, desk or chair arm. You may need to place a pillow or cushion under your arm to elevate it high enough. Place the cuff on bare skin, not over clothing. Rolling up a sleeve until it tightens around your arm can result in an inaccurate reading, so you may need to slip your arm out of the sleeve.
  • Don't talk while taking your blood pressure. Take a repeat reading two to three minutes after the first one to check accuracy. You can wait as little as one minute in between your readings. If your monitor doesn't automatically log blood pressure readings or heart rates, write them down in your own log.
Your blood pressure at home may be slightly lower than it is in a medical office, typically by about five points. For instance, a reading at home of 135/85 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) is about the same as 140/90 mm Hg at the doctor's office.

Talk to your doctor about what your home blood pressure goal is. If you have diabetes, chronic kidney disease or cardiovascular disease, you may need a goal lower than that of someone without these conditions.
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AggieMike88 said:
If you come to visit, and are willing to pose for a photo in the middle of the bone yard wearing the tube top and mini-skirt you posted in another thread, I'll embrace the J word.
Click to expand...

You provide the tube top and miniskirt, (leather preferred, 30"waist) don't forget the wig and your choice of fruit for fake tits... I'll come.:D The "Junkyard" has always been one of my happy places. When I pick from the junkyard I take pieces of trash and turn it into treasure, there is pride and satisfaction there. If I pick at the recyclers, I'm just bolting together used parts into an assembly, meh. I can spend an entire day wandering a junkyard, at the recyclers I'm in and out as soon as I have the part I came for.
 
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Unpacked and set up the iHealth Blood Pressure home system while home for a break and late lunch (kinda nice to live within 2 miles of office).

Took a few readings to check it out and got

Date:08-28-2012 Time:02:49 PM SYS:125 DIA:80 Pulse:79
Date:08-28-2012 Time:02:50 PM SYS:121 DIA:84 Pulse:79
Date:08-28-2012 Time:02:50 PM SYS:125 DIA:83 Pulse:75
Date:08-28-2012 Time:02:57 PM SYS:129 DIA:79 Pulse:74

That's an average of 125/82. Perhaps not optimum, but not terrible either for what I'm starting with.

What's a reasonable goal to set for improvement?
 
AggieMike88 said:
Unpacked and set up the iHealth Blood Pressure home system while home for a break and late lunch (kinda nice to live within 2 miles of office).

Took a few readings to check it out and got

Date:08-28-2012 Time:02:49 PM SYS:125 DIA:80 Pulse:79
Date:08-28-2012 Time:02:50 PM SYS:121 DIA:84 Pulse:79
Date:08-28-2012 Time:02:50 PM SYS:125 DIA:83 Pulse:75
Date:08-28-2012 Time:02:57 PM SYS:129 DIA:79 Pulse:74

That's an average of 125/82. Perhaps not optimum, but not terrible either for what I'm starting with.

What's a reasonable goal to set for improvement?
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What's wrong with those numbers? You could get them below 120/80, but the stress of trying may be worse than the extra couple of points above perceived optimum.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Unpacked and set up the iHealth Blood Pressure home system while home for a break and late lunch (kinda nice to live within 2 miles of office).

Took a few readings to check it out and got

Date:08-28-2012 Time:02:49 PM SYS:125 DIA:80 Pulse:79
Date:08-28-2012 Time:02:50 PM SYS:121 DIA:84 Pulse:79
Date:08-28-2012 Time:02:50 PM SYS:125 DIA:83 Pulse:75
Date:08-28-2012 Time:02:57 PM SYS:129 DIA:79 Pulse:74

That's an average of 125/82. Perhaps not optimum, but not terrible either for what I'm starting with.

What's a reasonable goal to set for improvement?
Click to expand...
Your numbers are not bad. Of course lower is better (to a point). And age is a factor. But you might find that you vary a lot. Be sure to take it to your doc to compare with theirs.
 
JOhnH said:
Your numbers are not bad. Of course lower is better (to a point). And age is a factor. But you might find that you vary a lot. Be sure to take it to your doc to compare with theirs.
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For a 46yo and Diabetic type 2, I agree. But if some more exercise and improved diet can slowly drop it toward 120/80 and keep it there, I'll take that for sure.

Sharing with the doc was my plan. Last year's visit got the comment that the Nurse's reading was much more favorable than prior visits and he was happy with it. I'm hoping providing more information from the home readings will aid him with both the hypertension and the diabetes management.
 
AggieMike88 said:
For a 46yo and Diabetic type 2, I agree. But if some more exercise and improved diet can slowly drop it toward 120/80 and keep it there, I'll take that for sure.

Sharing with the doc was my plan. Last year's visit got the comment that the Nurse's reading was much more favorable than prior visits and he was happy with it. I'm hoping providing more information from the home readings will aid him with both the hypertension and the diabetes management.
Click to expand...

Type II diabetes at 46? Yikes, are you carrying significant extra weight?
 
Henning. You are stating the obvious.....that is UNLIKE you.....

What did you to do the real Henning? Where did you put him?
Is he still alive?
 
bbchien said:
Henning. You are stating the obvious.....that is UNLIKE you.....

What did you to do the real Henning? Where did you put him?
Is he still alive?
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Yeah, still recuperating from 21 days of 6&6 watches...:rolleyes2: what a crap schedule that is. Although subtlety has never been one of my strong qualities, with fatigue the filters start failing.
 
Henning said:
Type II diabetes at 46? Yikes, are you carrying significant extra weight?
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Yes. Check back 2.5 yrs ago on the red board and you'll find the posts about how my desire to fly saved my life. First A1c had me nearly in the 9's. Pre-AME doctor visit caught the condition and helped me work on control.

I was a soda pop junkie, rarely exercised, and ate too much high carb / high fat
prepared foods and fast foods.

Doing much better and have learned how insidious that A1c number can be if I'm not paying attention. Especially for a class 3 medical.

Now I'm recommitting to better eating and more exercise.

Current goal is 185 by January. 7 down, 38 to go, slow and steady.
 
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AggieMike88 said:
Yes. Check back 2.5 yrs ago on the red board and you'll find the posts about how my desire to fly saved my life.

I was a soda pop junkie, rarely exercised, and ate too much high carb / high fat
prepared foods and fast foods.

Doing much better and have learned how insidious that A1c number can be if I'm not paying attention. Especially for a class 3 medical.

Current goal is 185 by January. 38 to go, slow and steady.
Click to expand...


Rock on, you going mini skirt shopping for me yet? One of those rainbow tubetops would be awesome.
 
Henning said:
Rock on, you going mini skirt shopping for me yet? One of those rainbow tubetops would be awesome.
Click to expand...

I'll see what can be found on my next foray to the vintage clothing store.
 
Found a better iPhone/iPad app to log and track your BP: Heartwise

I'm using the iHealth cuff to get the readings (uses the iDevice to drive the cuff and then process the readings). It too has some basic tracking and graphing. But the depth of the detail of stats on Heartwise is a bit better.

Here is what one of the charts looks like (screen capture from my iPad)

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I know there are some other apps out there to track BP. If you're using one, what are you using and what do you like about it?
 

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AggieMike88 said:
I know there are some other apps out there to track BP. If you're using one, what are you using and what do you like about it?
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I use an app called a 'pencil'. It runs on a platform called 'the back of a business card that fits in my wallet'.

Has served me well for years.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Found a better iPhone/iPad app to log and track your BP: Heartwise

I'm using the iHealth cuff to get the readings (uses the iDevice to drive the cuff and then process the readings). It too has some basic tracking and graphing. But the depth of the detail of stats on Heartwise is a bit better.

Here is what one of the charts looks like (screen capture from my iPad)

attachment.php



I know there are some other apps out there to track BP. If you're using one, what are you using and what do you like about it?
Click to expand...
I recommend waiting at least 20 minutes after vigorous exercise otherwise the measurements might be falsely elevated.
 
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