Blood pressure check?

[herbanrenewal]

My doc asked me to get my B.P. checked every week if possible. Is it possible to get a B.P. check without incurring the fee for seeing a doctor?

[chillyw]

Can you buy a blood pressure monitor and take it with you?  I use one of these:

 

https://omronhealthcare.com/products/evolv-wireless-upper-arm-blood-pressure-monitor-bp7000/

[suometar]

6 minutes ago, herbanrenewal said:

 

My doc asked me to get my B.P. checked every week if possible. Is it possible to get a B.P. check without incurring the fee for seeing a doctor?

You can buy blood pressure monitors from any number of vendors: Walgreens, CVS, Amazon, etc. I would suggest you get one with the upper arm cuff. I have the Omron one which works well for me.

[mking8288]

Ditto, "invest" a good (accurate & reliable) one for your health and learn how to take the measurement properly.  

[roger001]

Yes.  Bring your own.  And they're pretty inexpensive.  And you can check easily several times a day.  You'll be surprised on how it varies.  

Edited December 4, 2021 by roger001

[BermudaBound2014]

This is slightly off topic, but I would add a pulse-oximeter and thermometer to your health kit. Both are very inexpensive and tiny for packing, but with covid so easily transmitted to the vaccinated, these are really good tools to have on hand.

[seaman11]

I bring a wrist cuff machine with me, easy to travel with and small. 

[BirdTravels]

Buy a decent quality upper arm cuff to be accurate. For me, I have a more expensive upper arm cuff that downloads BP and pulse rate to my phone and on to my doctor. 

[suometar]

I forgot to mention that the b.p. monitor also gives a reading of your pulse. And as another poster mentioned. an oximeter (that's the little gizmo that clips on your finger to measure your oxygen level) is a good thing to have, since low oxygen levels is another sign of possible Covid. All of these are available from any pharmacy, medical supply store, and, of course, Amazon.

[BermudaBound2014]

This is an example of pulse oximeter I mentioned. I paid less than $20 and it comes with a protective case for travel and is super light/small. With covid, blood oxygen levels can gradually decrease so you aren't necessarily aware and low blood oxygen levels are directly linked to hospitalization. Given the current stats on the sheer number of vaccinated people who need to be hospitalized, I think everyone should have one of these in their medicine cabinet.

 

Edited December 4, 2021 by BermudaBound2014

[Old & Retired]

3 hours ago, herbanrenewal said:

 

My doc asked me to get my B.P. checked every week if possible. Is it possible to get a B.P. check without incurring the fee for seeing a doctor?

No.  You will get charged big money to see the ship doctor for even the slightest reason.

[ziggyuk]

6 hours ago, chillyw said:

Can you buy a blood pressure monitor and take it with you?  I use one of these:

 

https://omronhealthcare.com/products/evolv-wireless-upper-arm-blood-pressure-monitor-bp7000/

 

+1 I have this model and it's superb.

[Yesimapirate]

I went to the Dr the day before I left for my cruise.   He specifically told me not to take my blood pressure monitor on the cruise because if I was cruising correctly it would be inaccurately low dud to lack of stress 

 

I hope you all have the same result!

Edited December 5, 2021 by Yesimapirate

[suometar]

1 hour ago, Yesimapirate said:

I went to the Dr the day before I left for my cruise.   He specifically told me not to take my blood pressure monitor on the cruise because if I was cruising correctly it would be inaccurately low dud to lack of stress 

 

I hope you all have the same result!

Soo funny!

[Goldconnection]

7 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Buy a decent quality upper arm cuff to be accurate. For me, I have a more expensive upper arm cuff that downloads BP and pulse rate to my phone and on to my doctor. 

Of course

[Goldconnection]

Check with your insurance company you may qualify for a free blood pressure monitor. Our insurance company provides a cuff monitor every so many years to anyone with a high blood pressure diagnosis. All you have to do is have you doctor complete and sign off on a form. The monitor is shipped directly to you.

[chillyw]

4 hours ago, ziggyuk said:

 

+1 I have this model and it's superb.

 

My favorite part about it is when my Dr. goes "whats the highest and lowest your BP has been" I can just pull up the app and read it out lol

[BabsinTX]

I had a BP issue before a cruise years ago.  Went to the ER, was told I'd be fine.  Well, I didn't have a cuff and ended up going to the Medical Center to get checked.  Later I found out the nurse was reprimanded for not charging me for it.  So, yes, take some sort of cuff.  I never travel without one, and I have a small one in my car just in case. 

[coffeebean]

On 12/4/2021 at 12:02 PM, chillyw said:

Can you buy a blood pressure monitor and take it with you?  I use one of these:

 

https://omronhealthcare.com/products/evolv-wireless-upper-arm-blood-pressure-monitor-bp7000/

That is the exact monitor I purchased. I LOVE it. It is synched to my iPhone for stored data.

[coffeebean]

On 12/4/2021 at 1:40 PM, seaman11 said:

I bring a wrist cuff machine with me, easy to travel with and small. 

Wrist cuffs may give a higher reading due to smaller arteries in the wrist. I read that online which is why I did not purchase that type.

[BennyBrun]

You pretty much incur a charge the minute you step into medical… make sure you ask how much before you ask them for anything that’s not emergency related.  In the event of emergency you are at their mercy and hopefully you have travel insurance.

[DrSea]

On 12/4/2021 at 7:35 PM, Yesimapirate said:

I went to the Dr the day before I left for my cruise.   He specifically told me not to take my blood pressure monitor on the cruise because if I was cruising correctly it would be inaccurately low dud to lack of stress 

 

I hope you all have the same result!

WHAT?! 

[BirdTravels]

On 12/7/2021 at 6:08 PM, coffeebean said:

Wrist cuffs may give a higher reading due to smaller arteries in the wrist. I read that online which is why I did not purchase that type.

Yes. Wrist cuffs are notoriously inaccurate. Which is why I emphasized that if you're going to purchase a cuff, get a good quality upper arm cuff. 

[LandlockedCruiser01]

  

On 12/7/2021 at 5:08 PM, coffeebean said:

Wrist cuffs may give a higher reading due to smaller arteries in the wrist. I read that online which is why I did not purchase that type.

 

When I was in the hospital several years ago, I had a blood pressure monitor on my finger.  Consumer versions of such monitors might exist, for all I know.  Do those exaggerate blood pressure readings even more?  

Edited December 11, 2021 by LandlockedCruiser01

[BirdTravels]

6 minutes ago, LandlockedCruiser01 said:

  

 

When I was in the hospital several years ago, I had a blood pressure monitor on my finger.  Consumer versions of such monitors might exist, for all I know.  Do those exaggerate blood pressure readings even more?  

You are probably talking about a pusleoximeter measuring pulse rate and oxygen in the blood. There are items called "finger blood pressure monitors" for sale, but they check O2 levels and not blood pressure.

 

Wrist blood pressure cuffs, while accurate if used exactly as directed, are highly susceptible to false readings cause by cuff position on the wrist, arm position, and body position. And in addition to being inaccurate, they often read higher than a blood pressure using and upper arm cuff. Major organizations like the American Heart Association strongly recommend against the use of wrist blood pressure cuffs. A "good" upper arm cuff is the recommended device for home use.