OT: Bloody Monitors

[o0Ampy0o]

I have seen evidence that there may be a few people here who have had a need for a blood pressure monitor to use at home.

 

I get to experience open heart surgery in a few weeks and I am looking for(ward) ( no no no) one. Seemed an easy task but everything I can find gets terrible reviews because they are all producing wildly inaccurate results.

 

I took care of my father in his final years and as part of a hospice program he was issued an Omron model that seemed to be accurate. None of the nurses who dropped by with their traditional Aneroid Sphygmomanometer manual pump style arm cuffs and Stethoscope or staff manning the hotline or at the emergency room mentioned that the readings I was getting were way off.

 

Yet there are so many reviews describing how the readings produced by everything I have come across are useless and dangerously inaccurate. They have taken them to their doctor appointments and had nurses and doctors compare their results with their tools.

 

So I asked an RN setting up some of my appointments what she recommended. She said all the home products are about 20% off and typically on the high end. I have read many that are all over the map so you cannot simply consider the figures as truly being a simple 20% lower number.

 

I looked for nursing student and professional grade products and have yet to find things available to the general public. I am still looking. I have a pharmacy down the street which specializes in medical equipment but they are closed on Sundays and there have been so many other things to take care of I have not been able to get to this task sooner and it will be difficult during their business hours.

 

So my question is have any of you found a reliable product in recent years? I suspect the Omron monitor I had for my father was an older version and everything has since dropped in quality. I am going to be on my own sometimes while I am recovering. I would like one that has a nice easy to read screen but I have almost given up on those and am thinking that a good quality Aneroid Sphygmomanometer could be the only option. It is not going to a comfortable process if I have to do a lot of maneuvering with my arms given the condition of my sternum and muscles which would kick in.

[nursers]

Hiya I don't have any recommendations on automatic monitors but you definitely shouldn't be doing your own BP using a manual machine...

 

Best of luck with the surgery

[keyoctave]

THIS

 

Get the 1700 version. It is a little more money than the other off brands, but is a lot more accurate. Bought this for my wife a few years ago. Excellent quality. I have worked in the medical field 4 decades now and have found this company to consistently provided top quality products to the medical community. Their lineage spills over to the home consumer division incorporating some of the finer functions of their (much) more expensive professional equipment.

[Docbop]

I just saw my cardiologist for my annual visit, sucks I had a really great cardiologist and she got a great job offer to teach and left. The new cardiologist was typical, first thing out of his mouth was "we should do a procedure", I said my previous cardiologist and I talked about it and there is no need to take the risk involved. Hate these new young doctors that just parrot what computer says they don't listen to the patient say how they been feeling. rant over

 

New doctor then went on with do you check your BP daily. NO don't have a machine and not sure if I even want one. I'm diabetic so I do have a glucometer so used to the testing machines. Doctors don't seem to tell that even with their high end gear reading are constantly changing. Can take a BP or blood sugar reading get one set of numbers and take it again in 15 minutes and get totally different numbers. So take the reading from these machine as just a ballpark number and not what your expect just relax wait a few minutes and test again. You best testing device is you monitor how you feel along with the machines readings.

[skipeb3]

I had open heart surgery 11 years ago... aortic valve replacement. This was before the newer way they can do it... I got the full monty. Heart failure...

Fortunately, for me, I don't have high blood pressure, so that's not really an issue, but I do have, and use an Omron. It's fairly accurate, judging by the readings I get before I see my cardiologist, and the readings he gets. His are usually a bit higher.

 

Now, as to the surgery...for me, it was over quicker than the blink of an eye. No lie... you don't even know it's happened until you find yourself slowly waking up in the ICU recovery. There's no memory whatsoever of any of it. At least, that's how it was for me. Let me pass on a bit of good advice that I was given. After my angiogram a few weeks before my surgery, an orderly told me that when you wake up, and realize there's a tube going down your throat (I know, kinda creepy), just relax...chill was what he told me. Breathe thru your nose, don't try to swallow or speak. Just chill out, and that will keep you from having the dreaded gag experience. I remembered what he had told me as I was waking up, and it was really good advice, that I was most grateful for. I felt pretty good actually...really calm & comfortable...as long as I just lay still and zen out.

Also... ICU recovery units are noisy places. There's always some monitor or thing beeping & making noises. It's not really a cause for alarm...usually it's just to remind the staff that you might need a med, or a bp check or something.

My rig was beeping & making sounds all the time, but it was nothing vital...and I was really glad to have been told about that going in.

 

Best of luck to you... you'll be fine. Those people work miracles...really.

[MoodyBluesKeys]

During my prostate cancer treatment, when they gave the first (and largest) dose of Firmagon, they did not have me sit for 15 minutes after the two shots. I got up and walked to the checkout area shortly after the shots. About the time I got there, I felt like my head was spinning like a helicopter rotor. I knew I was going down, so I positioned myself as well as possible to not get hurt when I hit the floor.

When they checked me, the heart rate was about 45, don't remember the pressure, but it was low. They called ambulance to take me to hospital Emergency Dept. By time ambulance got me inside, blood pressure was normal again. Never passed out before.

 

I bought an Omron BP785N (available locally) the next day, and have checked BP daily. I have checked it when I had an appointment with my GP and they did the measurements. They have always been within 10% or so. Doesn't mean a whole lot, since I drove to the office (about 22 miles) between the measurements.

 

Having said that, the Omron does show an error frequently as it starts pumping (at about 5mg). Usually means a leakage in the connection to the cuff. One note: it takes 4 AA batteries, they need to be good even if one keeps it plugged into the AC power supply. Recently (couple of years later), it stopped syncing to my iPhone, reports a BT error, and have not found a way to fix that. Still works locally, so I can still see the readings and manually record them.

 

Heart wise, I do have bigeminy. Intermittent, have had for long time. They could fix the problem with a heart cath, but I take the less intrusive route of taking Carvedilol and Flecainide twice a day. Have an Apple Watch 4, and also do daily ECG (two lead).

 

If I had known about the Welsh-Allen 1700 then, I would probably have paid the extra amount. My wife is a retired RN, one daughter is a current MSN.

[AnotherScott]

Sorry to hear about your health issues. But especially considering it's prostate releated, I think it's a cruel joke that they named the stuff firm-a-gone, which sounds like the opposite of viagra.

[drawback]

I've had cardiovascular problems for over 30 years, beginning with HBP in my 30's that culminated in emergency triple bypass surgery at the age of 38. No sense going into my life history (I should be dead twice by now), but suffice to say ALL my life direction since has been guided by having lived through that event. I use an Omron wrist BP monitor which is a lot less PITA than the tubed/cuffed kind. It calibrates very closely with my cardiologist's or the ones at the gym.

 

[ksoper]

We just bought an Omron 5 Series. I don't expect it to be balls-on accurate and when I go for my 6 month check up I'll take it along for comparison. We had a manual cuff that rotted and my wife said to just get an automatic. We're looking for trends--not adjusting meds with it. My wife's otoscope and digital thermometer are Welch Allyn products but the reviews for their prosumer cuffs were all over the map. No better than the Omron which was cheaper. I would rather have gotten a good manual cuff but then I'd have to have my wife take the pressure. The cobbler's children have no shoes and the practitioner's spouse has to pay a pcp for basic care.

[stillearning]

I just had my second open heart surgery less than 2 years ago, (first time was 23 years ago) and both times it went well. Skipeb3 gave some great insight a few posts above. As far as bp monitors go, I use an Omron model BP785N. It was recommended by my visiting post-op cardiac nurse. My best advice is to realize that the day of your surgery will be the easiest and laziest day of your life. You will be completely out and remember nothing, and like skipeb3 noted, you"ll wake up in icu. When I woke up after my 2nd surgery, the vent tube was already out. As far as pain, they do a respectable job of controlling it. Try not to sneeze or cough, and if you do, keep a pillow nearby to grab and hug against your chest. It helps. And follow through with outpatient cardiac rehab. Push yourself, but obviously within any limits your cardio-thoracic surgeon or cardiologist set. I felt a world of difference after each surgery, and am grateful for having gone through it. I"m 66 and can now regularly hike up and down hills. Feel free to PM with any questions. I"m happy to help any way I can.

[MoodyBluesKeys]

The purpose of the therapy for prostate cancer is to almost totally eliminate testosterone, since that feeds any surviving cells. Firmagon very rapidly accomplishes this. The initial dose is TWO injections subcutaneous generally just a little above the waist. Usually after several monthly shots, it is replaced with Lupron, which is slower but has the same effect. More importantly, it can be given in injections (in the buttocks) which can be for as much as 6 months. Side Effects Link

 

And yes, it does have that effect. Previous to this method, injections of female hormones were used for the purpose. The medication is generally given for 12 to 24 months, starts about two months prior to radiation therapy, and effects last for about as long after cessation as the period of administrations.

 

I can assure you that one becomes almost an asexual being during this time. Firmagon is a brand name and the link gives the generic drug. The first time I got it, they didn't make me sit quietly for 15 minutes, and I passed out. Modest size breasts are grown (I suppose in overweight men they may not be so modest). They don't entirely go away. I also experienced "heat flashes" like after menopause women. They usually didn't last long, but might happen at any time. Sitting on the couch with a sweater and coat on, then so hot one wants to remove all the layers, then back. If I had been considerably younger, they might have chosen surgical removal of the prostate. For less severe advancement, medical procedure could range from doing nothing (figuring that something else would kill the patient before the cancer, if it was slow, just monitoring PSA and Test. levels (which I will be doing twice a year for rest of my life), to the above, known as Androgen Deprivation Theory by itself, to the Full Monte. On the scale of measurement used, I was 8 out of 9 for aggressiveness.

 

BUT, my father died of prostate cancer in the 1980's. They didn't find it in time. His last couple of weeks were at home, with frequent morphine injections, and still lots of pain. In the US, about 1 of 8 men will get prostate cancer during their lifetime. The likelihood increases with age. A full half of men between 70 and 80 have it, although in some cases, it is slowly growing.

 

I do not cease to be very thankful for making it through to the other side. At 79, although it might spread, I am much more likely to die of other things.

 

Wrapping it up: IF you are male and over 45, GET YOUR PSA TEST and repeat as needed. The earlier it is caught, the less drastic the potential cure.

[o0Ampy0o]

Thank you to everyone who has commented!

 

 

Hiya.......you definitely shouldn't be doing your own BP using a manual machine...

Thank you for the advice.

 

THIS

 

Get the 1700 version. It is a little more money than the other off brands, but is a lot more accurate. Bought this for my wife a few years ago. Excellent quality....

I had the 1700 on my list as a strong contender. It gets a bad rap for the cuff but I think a difficult cuff is potentially something that can be overcome unlike a faulty measuring device. I ordered one and received it today. I will practice and see whether I can master the cuff before I am compromised.

 

I just saw my cardiologist for my annual visit, sucks I had a really great cardiologist and she got a great job offer to teach and left. The new cardiologist was typical, first thing out of his mouth was "we should do a procedure", I said my previous cardiologist and I talked about it and there is no need to take the risk involved. Hate these new young doctors that just parrot what computer says they don't listen to the patient say how they been feeling. rant over...

I once had a great dentist who gave an honest assessment losing thousands by telling people the truth regarding a realistic need for certain procedures. When I moved to this town I shopped for a dentist. A litmus test I have is a tooth with a spot of apparent decay. It has existed for 25+ years and never progressed. Lots of crooks have said I needed to get that taken care of. This dentist said, "let's just keep an eye on that" One said I had to replace all my crowns and pointed out certain "indicators" while this dentist told me the "indicators" were just typical of a crown. It had been 20 years and they could last another 20. That was 15 years ago. I still have the crowns and the spot of non-progressing decay but he retired.

 

Fortunately I found an even better dentist, perhaps the greatest dentist ever to have lived. When my heart murmor was discovered in 2015 the cardiologist had said he would say "do it" if I wanted to climb Mount Everest. It was my great dentist who knew to put me on antibiotics before every appointment. This dentist also has not advised me to replace any crowns and hasn't touched the tooth with the spot of non-progressing decay.

 

This year I switched to a different medical organization. As a result I had all new doctors and nurses. When I first sought an explanation for the quick exhaustion I was experiencing my new PCP immediately said antibiotics were no longer recommended for my heart murmur. Like it had since been deemed unnecessary and of no value by the AMA or something. Yet when I spoke with the new cardiologist, the heart surgeon and the RN's they all said I would be taking antibiotics even after the surgery and for the rest of my life. I am keeping an eye on that new PCP while my new dentist knows everything and could very well be the greatest dentist ever to have lived.

 

I had open heart surgery 11 years ago... aortic valve replacement. This was before the newer way they can do it... I got the full monty. Heart failure...

Fortunately, for me, I don't have high blood pressure, so that's not really an issue, but I do have, and use an Omron. It's fairly accurate, judging by the readings I get before I see my cardiologist, and the readings he gets. His are usually a bit higher.

 

Now, as to the surgery...for me, it was over quicker than the blink of an eye. No lie... you don't even know it's happened until you find yourself slowly waking up in the ICU recovery. There's no memory whatsoever of any of it. At least, that's how it was for me. Let me pass on a bit of good advice that I was given. After my angiogram a few weeks before my surgery, an orderly told me that when you wake up, and realize there's a tube going down your throat (I know, kinda creepy), just relax....

This too is aortic valve replacement surgery. Did you opt for a mechanical or biological valve? Not getting The Full Monty but "minimally invasive" is evasive. When my cardiologist was describing the procedure I imagined a small incision on the side of the ribs. But there is a wide range under the umbrella of "minimally invasive surgery" and for my medical organization it is more like a Half Monty. They still cut open the sternum and work through a gapping hole in your chest. This hole is just smaller than The Full Monty.

 

The surgical experience is about #5 on my list of concerns. Among other things, getting everything coordinated is of more concern. The breathing tube is a concern. I have never experienced one and who knows how that will go? The catheter through my wiener is a peak concern. No way that is going in until I am drugged unconscious. Just after that is using a bed pan. I aim to be the miracle patient who gets out of bed and walks to the restroom after waking from open heart surgery. Whatever age I was between 7th and 8th grades, I had a softball sized tumor removed from my calf. I woke up and was already exiting the restroom when the nurses got to me. But I imagine there will be a few more wires, tubes and alarms attached to me this time.

 

During my prostate cancer treatment,......Heart wise, I do have bigeminy. Intermittent, have had for long time. They could fix the problem with a heart cath, but I take the less intrusive route of taking Carvedilol and Flecainide twice a day. Have an Apple Watch 4, and also do daily ECG (two lead).

 

If I had known about the Welsh-Allen 1700 then, I would probably have paid the extra amount. My wife is a retired RN, one daughter is a current MSN.

The purpose of the therapy for prostate cancer is to almost totally eliminate testosterone, since that feeds any surviving cells. Firmagon very rapidly accomplishes this. ......... IF you are male and over 45, GET YOUR PSA TEST and repeat as needed. The earlier it is caught, the less drastic the potential cure.

I frequently have said we are so fortunate to be living with certain conditions. An iPhone? Amazing! I was hoping the Apple Watch did blood pressure. But I wish we had Star Trek level treatment for everything. Roll out the red carpet for alien contact. Let's get going on other worldly measures. Potential problem with that is the exposure to Alien diseases. So far only Science Fiction says Alien advanced technology means beyond illness.

 

Sorry to hear about your health issues. But especially considering it's prostate releated, I think it's a cruel joke that they named the stuff firm-a-gone, which sounds like the opposite of viagra.

Agree. They should have used that name for a laxative.

 

I've had cardiovascular problems for over 30 years, beginning with HBP in my 30's that culminated in emergency triple bypass surgery at the age of 38. No sense going into my life history (I should be dead twice by now), but suffice to say ALL my life direction since has been guided by having lived through that event. I use an Omron wrist BP monitor which is a lot less PITA than the tubed/cuffed kind. It calibrates very closely with my cardiologist's or the ones at the gym.

 

I'd get one of these as well if they were still available. Anything that could be its successor seems to be of all-around poor quality.

 

We just bought an Omron 5 Series. I don't expect it to be balls-on accurate and when I go for my 6 month check up I'll take it along for comparison. We had a manual cuff that rotted and my wife said to just get an automatic. We're looking for trends--not adjusting meds with it. My wife's otoscope and digital thermometer are Welch Allyn products but the reviews for their prosumer cuffs were all over the map. No better than the Omron which was cheaper. I would rather have gotten a good manual cuff but then I'd have to have my wife take the pressure. The cobbler's children have no shoes and the practitioner's spouse has to pay a pcp for basic care.

As I mentioned earlier I am going to see if the Welch Allyn cuff can be tamed for sake of the potentially decent electronics.

 

I just had my second open heart surgery less than 2 years ago, (first time was 23 years ago) and both times it went well. Skipeb3 gave some great insight a few posts above. As far as bp monitors go, I use an Omron model BP785N. It was recommended by my visiting post-op cardiac nurse. My best advice is to realize that the day of your surgery will be the easiest and laziest day of your life. You will be completely out and remember nothing, and like skipeb3 noted, you"ll wake up in icu. When I woke up after my 2nd surgery, the vent tube was already out. As far as pain, they do a respectable job of controlling it. Try not to sneeze or cough, and if you do, keep a pillow nearby to grab and hug against your chest. It helps. And follow through with outpatient cardiac rehab. Push yourself, but obviously within any limits your cardio-thoracic surgeon or cardiologist set. I felt a world of difference after each surgery, and am grateful for having gone through it. I"m 66 and can now regularly hike up and down hills. Feel free to PM with any questions. I"m happy to help any way I can.

 

Thank you for extending the PM invitation. Omron model BP785N shows "Currently Unavailable" and "Out of Stock" where I have looked for it.

[skipeb3]

I got the bovine valve. Pig just didn't feel right to me, and I knew I wasn't gonna go with the mechanical. With the mechanical valve you have to stay on a blood thinner (bad), and if you ever need surgery again you need to go off it - which puts you at risk of a stroke. A friend of mine got the mechanical, and regrets not going with the cow. He hates the blood thinner, and he says at night, when it's quiet he can hear it ticking & humming. Creepy...

The minimally invasive procedure that I'm aware of is where they go thru your femoral artery and do it robotically without actually opening you up. When I had my surgery (April 2010) that was still in the experimental stage, but now it's common. That's my understanding...I would speak with your cardiologist and your surgeon. BTW, that's the way Mick Jagger had his AVR done a couple years ago. There's a possibility that I might need to have my valve replaced in another 10 years or so (if I live that long - I'm 70), and they'll do it the new way...so I'm not too concerned about that.

The catheter...yuck, I know. Yes, it's done after you're under, so no worries there. I tried to not think about it after I woke up, and it wasn't really a problem. Hurt a bit when it came out, but not too bad. Never had to use a bed pan...used a commode for a day or two.

The tube... it's not for breathing... it goes to your stomach so you don't puke and go out the way Hendrix did. Remember that bit of advice that I was given, and it'll help lots... really. And resist the urge to swallow...

Hope some of this helps you...you can PM me also if you like.

[stillearning]

This too is aortic valve replacement surgery. Did you opt for a mechanical or biological valve? Not getting The Full Monty but "minimally invasive" is evasive. When my cardiologist was describing the procedure I imagined a small incision on the side of the ribs. But there is a wide range under the umbrella of "minimally invasive surgery" and for my medical organization it is more like a Half Monty. They still cut open the sternum and work through a gapping hole in your chest. This hole is just smaller than The Full Monty.

 

The surgical experience is about #5 on my list of concerns. Among other things, getting everything coordinated is of more concern. The breathing tube is a concern. I have never experienced one and who knows how that will go? The catheter through my wiener is a peak concern. No way that is going in until I am drugged unconscious. Just after that is using a bed pan. I aim to be the miracle patient who gets out of bed and walks to the restroom after waking from open heart surgery. Whatever age I was between 7th and 8th grades, I had a softball sized tumor removed from my calf. I woke up and was already exiting the restroom when the nurses got to me. But I imagine there will be a few more wires, tubes and alarms attached to me this time.

I can address a few of your concerns as both of my open-heart surgeries were for aortic valve replacement. My first in 1997 was minimally invasive, second in 2019 was full monty. First time I got a homograft, a human donor valve. I was also offered a mechanical valve, but opted against it due to my being young at the time and my active lifestyle and the subsequent need to be on blood thinners the rest of my life. They told me the homograft would last 10-15 years and I could get a mechanical valve later when I stopped racing motorcycles, jumping out of airplanes, etc. The homograft ended up lasting 22 yrs.

 

My second replacement ended up requiring replacing much more than just a valve. I won't go into the list, but the surgery took 7 1/2 hours. It was not because of any problems stemming from the first surgery, I had other congenital heart defects they opted to repair. My second valve was a bovine donor. They replaced much more so that if a third replacement was necessary, I would be a future candidate for a TAVR procedure. I can assume that has been ruled out for you since they're talking minimally invasive. TAVR is valve replacement done in a cath lab. Practically out-patient.

 

I recovered from my minimally invasive first surgery very quickly and almost immediately felt incredibly better! The valve had degraded slowly over many years, but gets fixed all at once. Within a couple weeks, I was up and about and back being a young troublemaker. The valve degrades so slowly over time, that you don't really notice how much your energy level has degraded. Second surgery, the full monty, took longer, but ultimately, like the first, I felt so much better afterwards.

 

On to your peak concern, the 'catheter through the wiener'. Both times, you'll be relieved (pun intended) to know that in my case, I woke up with it having already been done. No memory of it, and was grateful to have it. Almost didn't want them to take it out. Would be great for watching football while drinking beer. Poker games as well. As for the bedpan? You likely won't need it. There's something about being put completely under that shuts down that system for a few days. Plus you will only be in the ICU for about 1 day. After that, a regular room in the cardiac ward. Even though you will have IV lines, you are mobile with the IV bags on a rolling contraption. As far as wires, yes, there are wires, but you're cordless. You'll wear a small transmitter and they monitor you at the nurses station. You will likely use standard procedures in lieu of a bed pan. They want you up and walking as soon as you're out of the ICU. The breathing tube? First surgery 20+ years ago, I woke up with it in, but you're so out of it that it's almost a non-issue, and it's removed quickly after you come to. Second surgery, it was already out when I woke up.

 

I tend to be an anxious person by nature. I'm claustrophobic and like being in control of situations. I'm fairly convinced they sense a persons needs and keep them calm with meds. It's in their best interests as well as yours if you're at ease with the whole situation. I never really experienced much anxiety, which surprised me. All this is SOP for them. In my case, I almost felt like I was on an assembly line the whole time, albeit a well rehearsed one. They even let my wife "sneak" in pizza. Looking back, there was no real reason for my anxieties.

[o0Ampy0o]

Thank you for all of the fine details addressing my concerns.

 

I still have to try out and practice with the new BP monitor.

 

Still many hoops left to jump through.

[jazzpiano88]

The biggest error in the measurement isn't the equipment measurement error.

It is the measurement conditions.

 

That, is the measurement is not representative of the conditions that you live.

White coat hypertension is a classic example.

 

Think Heisenberg.