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I didn't reverse-engineer the protocol for my blood pressure monitor in 24 hours

james.belchamber.com

81–90 of 163 posts

Re: I didn't reverse-engineer the protocol for my blood pressure monitor in 24 hours

#81
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got it when an eye clinic wanted to do my blood pressure (which is kind of weird in itself), which they did shortly after the glaucoma test which never works for me because I have an overdeveloped blink reflex and it turned up high. It really amazes me how people whose job it is to take blood pressure don’t recognize the stress situations that people are in might result in abnormal readings.

> It really amazes me how people whose job it is to take blood pressure don’t recognize the stress situations that people are in might result in abnormal readings. I've had a doctor measure my heart rate right after remarking on my "elevated HR during intake" (I walked there and I was running late), after telling me some slightly distressing news on what was already a very stressful day, knowing about my white coat a…

110 isn't high, though?

Re: I didn't reverse-engineer the protocol for my blood pressure monitor in 24 hours

#82

So I did something similar (well less cool), but as old Software devs start finding our bodies don’t work as well after a while we will see more and more of this sort of “taking control” https://mikado-aktiia.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

> "It will not connect to Apple Health"

FWIW the latest version of the app does export the previous day's averages to Apple Health (only when you open the app, mind, which can make it look like there's missing data.) I use BPExtract to read the PDF and export every reading to Apple Health but I'll definitely be giving your stuff a go as well (because automation >> manual every time.)

Re: I didn't reverse-engineer the protocol for my blood pressure monitor in 24 hours

#83
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree with all of the rest of your points, but a legitimate 220/130 is something that a typical doctor's office does observe* on occasion, so that (by itself) wouldn't have made them think their instrument was faulty. Some of those people would even be outwardly asymptomatic, as strange as that seems. * those people would be considered to be in a hypertensive crisis, and sending you for emergency care would be the ri…

Can confirm; had a 210/110 legit BP reading. Multiple cuffs and sensors confirmed. I felt it too. Walked into the ER because my Dr forced me too. After walking into and chilling for a bit. 130/70. $3000 later no answers. So, it does happen to people.

I love those visits. I've occasionally had sharp chest pains which go away after a number of seconds. They've never been accompanied by typical heart attack symptoms, so I usually ignore it (not smart, I get it).

After one such episode, I decided to schedule an appointment with my general practitioner. They refused to see me if I didn't go to the ER first. I was pretty certain I didn't need an ER visit, but went anyway.

I waited hours, a doctor eventually saw me in the waiting room, and was never admitted. I think it cost $2500 or so, with insurance covering only part.

(For what its worth, I probably have this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precordial_catch_syndrome)

Re: I didn't reverse-engineer the protocol for my blood pressure monitor in 24 hours

#84
post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It really amazes me how people whose job it is to take blood pressure don’t recognize the stress situations that people are in might result in abnormal readings. I've had a doctor measure my heart rate right after remarking on my "elevated HR during intake" (I walked there and I was running late), after telling me some slightly distressing news on what was already a very stressful day, knowing about my white coat a…

110 isn't high, though?

It would be pretty high for a resting heart rate.

Re: I didn't reverse-engineer the protocol for my blood pressure monitor in 24 hours

#86
post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have an intense phobia of dentists; if I were wearing a constant monitor, I bet you could tell when I was at the dentist just by watching the blood pressure and heart rate spikes. (You'd have to find some way of differentiating them from me being in a car accident, or being attacked by a werewolf.)

Just to be clear, 'fang doctor' doesn't actually refer to a medical werewolf. :D

It's a medical vampire, for when a medicinal leech is not sufficient.

Re: I didn't reverse-engineer the protocol for my blood pressure monitor in 24 hours

#87
post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It really amazes me how people whose job it is to take blood pressure don’t recognize the stress situations that people are in might result in abnormal readings. I've had a doctor measure my heart rate right after remarking on my "elevated HR during intake" (I walked there and I was running late), after telling me some slightly distressing news on what was already a very stressful day, knowing about my white coat a…

110 isn't high, though?

I tend to always have a higher heart rate whenever I'm at a doctor's office compared to when I've tested resting at home (in the 100-110 range compared to 90-95), and my experience is that anything in the triple digits will tend to get some concern from whoever is taking the measurements. It's gotten to the point that I need to preemptively tell them before they take the measurements that yes, it's going to be high, but I've seen a cardiologist about it, and they didn't consider it to be an issue given that it's consistently lower when tested in other circumstances. Without that disclaimer before hand, whoever takes the measurement often will grow concerned even a rate of something like 105 and feel the need to test again and ask a lot of probing questions. At this point I have to imagine that the level of scrutiny has only made my heart rate go up even more during those tests, making the disclaimer even more necessary to avoid my visits getting derailed.

Re: I didn't reverse-engineer the protocol for my blood pressure monitor in 24 hours

#88
post #2

Regarding white coat hypertension, the shot isn’t always necessary. Some people’s blood pressure just goes up from the stress of the clinical setting.

My wife developed an autoimmune condition a few years ago that causes her to need to see a specialist every few months. For some reason, the hospital we've been going to uses these automated blood pressure readers that literally need to get wheeled around because they're four feet tall with a digital display, and during one of the early visits she had because of one of these conditions, the device bugged out or something and it kept squeezing her arm without releasing the pressure, and the person taking the reading didn't know how to disengage it manually and ran out of the room to go and find someone to help them without taking the time to rip off the velcro band on my wife's arm or anything. Ever since then, I literally get stressed every time my wife's blood pressure gets taken from one of those devices even though I'm not even the one who's getting measured!

Re: I didn't reverse-engineer the protocol for my blood pressure monitor in 24 hours

#89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can confirm; had a 210/110 legit BP reading. Multiple cuffs and sensors confirmed. I felt it too. Walked into the ER because my Dr forced me too. After walking into and chilling for a bit. 130/70. $3000 later no answers. So, it does happen to people.

I love those visits. I've occasionally had sharp chest pains which go away after a number of seconds. They've never been accompanied by typical heart attack symptoms, so I usually ignore it (not smart, I get it). After one such episode, I decided to schedule an appointment with my general practitioner. They refused to see me if I didn't go to the ER first. I was pretty certain I didn't need an ER visit, but went anyw…

> (For what its worth, I probably have this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precordial_catch_syndrome)

Huh, that's interesting. That matches something that I get sometimes, usually after I've been driving a long distance or sitting at my desk doing mouse-heavy stuff for a long time. I put it down to poor posture.

It hasn't happened quite so much since adjusting the steering to track and centre properly so I'm not constantly pulling the car left away from the middle of the road, and raising my seat a bit by unscrewing the seat from its base, putting in about 8cm worth of wooden spacers, and screwing it back down with long studs and nuts instead of the daft wee screws, so it's not sitting at its "most extended" height.

I don't know, it might help you too.

Re: I didn't reverse-engineer the protocol for my blood pressure monitor in 24 hours

#90
post #2

Regarding white coat hypertension, the shot isn’t always necessary. Some people’s blood pressure just goes up from the stress of the clinical setting.

I had a doc appointment a couple of weeks ago. My wife was driving and we were running late, so I was getting stressed about missing the appointment on top of being stressed about going to see the doctor. There was a lot of traffic so I decided to get out at a red light and run to my appointment while my wife parked the car. I only barely made it and the first thing they did was take my pressure. They took it twice, because at the first they were like, this can't be right. When I explained, they asked if I had a blood pressure monitor at home so I could take my own pressure at a more quiet moment.
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