is taking your blood pressure really this hard?

 

I had planned to walk at Lorimer Park in Huntington Valley today but Pat got out of rehab instead. Now that she settled —okay she's got a serious case of ants in her pants—I can at least head out around the neighborhood. Yesterday I didn't exercise at all. I spent my morning being Sharon's Uber, and had class in the afternoon, and then finished the day with more Uber-ing. Then I ordered a small pizza and a salad. (Remainders went in freezer.) I figured I'd have it before Pat got home. (I was expecting it to be Wednesday.) She's been on infant and toddler diets at the hospital and rehab so I figured it would be awhile before pizza. Wrong. She wants pizza tonight. And bagels tomorrow. 

The point of this post is my blood pressure. I know, same song, different dance. But I am so freakin confused. In the past when I've taken my BP I used Pat's machine --the one in the case. Then I bought my own--without case. I haven't used it much because the reading was so different than Pats.

I get it out and take my BP. Sky high. Wait the five minutes and do it again. Higher. Wait five and do it again. Still higher. Squeezing my arm so tight by the third round I had tears in my eyes and my arm was sore after. It was acting like a tourniquet. 

My BP was high enough that the tracking app on my phone asked if I typed it correctly. I think that was Sunday evening. I learned my lesson. I was up at six, took my beta-blocker, and waited an hour. I was sitting and playing on my phone (Wordle has solidified that I'm stupid.) and answering some student posts. Didn't do anything physical. Just mental. I took my BP. Same thing happened. More tears. The lowest number was 202/78. Again Apple Health asked if it was a mistake. I just got out of bed and was sitting on the couch. I didn't do ANYTHING yet.

I decided to start taking the Amlodipine. 

Yesterday I was talking about it with Sharon because everyone likes a chatty Uber driver, and she said she had a wrist one. She loaned it to me. I bought batteries at Dollar Tree and put them in last night.

This morning I did the same thing as Wednesday. Got up, took meds, sat for 45-60 minutes. This time I used the wrist one. Helluva lot easier to use than the upper arm ones and no tears, but I hear they aren't accurate. I took it and it was 144/88. Did the repeat sequence with my machine. This time it was over 200+/100+. I did not move an inch. I was watching a quilting show on PBS. Repeat the third time (still haven't moved and still watching quilting) with Pat's machine: 165/73. Clearly the new med is doing crap.

The question remains: WTF is my blood pressure?

Clearly it's operator error not the machine. Your blood pressure can't fluctuate that much? Can it?

Later in the afternoon I left her alone long enough to take a walk around the block. But it turned out I was gone quite a while. I made the mistake of saying hi to an elderly neighbor. That turned into a half-hour conversation. She's angry, losing her memory, and must have been sick. She's lost a lot of weight. She sent me on my way with a bottle of aloe-mango water. It's sugar free. Code word for fake sugar. I read the label. Sucralose. It's in the fridge if anyone wants it. Aloe Mango sound like a good combo, but not ruined with Sucralose. Why do they feel they need to add sweeteners to every beverage?