Charting Blood Pressure

[sunspot]

I've been having some BP issues for the last couple of weeks. I have been keeping a daily log with updates every 2 hours.

I'd like to put my finding some kind a graph but I am unable to find a free one on the internet. It does not have to be set up for PB as long as I can enter my own values.

Does anyone know where I could find one? I do not have MS Word.

TIA

 

[Hitthespot]

I've had BP issues for the last 5 years at least. Who knows how long before that. Logging your blood pressure every 2 hours might be a bit much, but I guess your doctor can decide that. Make sure you also log your Pulse with each reading and sit relaxed for at least 5 minutes before taking the reading.

If you have Microsoft Excel you can enter the values and manipulate them and Graph them as you please. I have used Microsoft Excel since I started keeping track of my BP. I'm am surprised that you couldn't find a shareware program to do simple graphing. Someone will probably come up with something.

Good Luck.

Bill

 

[Black Rose]

I've had some BP issues in the past and my doctor gave me a BP monitor (Omron) that keeps a history of the last 60 BP readings.

Doesn't the free OpenOffice has an Excel clone in it? Should be able to use that.

I think Google has an online spreadsheet as well...don't know if it can do charts/graphs though.

 

[jtr1962]

Doesn't the free OpenOffice has an Excel clone in it? Should be able to use that.

Yes, it does, and it generally does everything Excel can do except possibly really advanced stuff.

On the BP issue, my mom has been charting her BP for the last year or so. Prior to about 2 years ago, she never had blood pressure problems. Oddly enough, taking blood pressure pills made no difference. Her pressure was in the 140/90 area with or without them. I've been telling her to exercise more since she used to walk a lot but hasn't as much in the last two years due to some foot problems. Anyway, after walking around Manhattan with me yesterday for maybe 2+ miles, along with climbing quite a bit of stairs, her BP today was 133/85. Her resting pulse is still too high (60s-70s), but if she increased her conditioning, that would fall along with her BP. I'm thinking in your case it might be a simple matter of a little conditioning also, unless your BP is really off the charts due to other problems.

 

[LukeA]

Google Docs also has a spreadsheet app which is online-based.

 

[sunspot]

I am looking more for a graph line than a spreadsheet. Like the run times on batteries.

I have been on Altace for a few years with excellent results. In the last month, my BP has gone all over the place except down. Two weeks ago after a shower, it was up to 185/95. I went to my Cardio guy and he doubled my meds. It did not help much. After another visit, he added Mylan to the mix along with Hydrochlothiazide. My BP is not has high now but it still up and down during the day and evening.
I'm doing a 2 hour reading and I showed it to my Doc on the last visit.

So far he has done a blood work up and a Echo Cardiogram. Next week I go for Renal CT Scan.

I am using an Omron arm cuff to check my pressure. I also have a wrist Omron with memory but I'd like to chart it on a graph.

 

[MarNav1]

Monitoring and fixing high BP can be a real challenge for some folks. It runs in the family in my case, mine has run from moderately high to seriously high before. Ranged from 150/95 up to 165/110 before. It took my doc several tries to get my dosage correct, I also have premature beats (both atrial and ventricular too). My heart felt like a cement mixer with a bowling ball in it, really stumbling alot. This was also a major player with the panic symptoms I was having. Now I take Toprol ER 100mg 1 per day and Lisinopril 20mg 1 per day. Smoothed it out very well (so well I couldn't feel it beating, which took about 6 months to get used to) and now my pressure averages about 115/65 which I'm very happy with. Good for U on being proactive on this, I wish you well! :naughty:

 

[5.0Trunk]

My wife who is 39 and very petite is currently going through alot of test to see whats causing her high BP. I had her in the ER a few weeks ago because her BP was 197/145. On the 27th of this month she is scheduled for a arteriogram to see if a valve in one of her kidneys is clogged. She is on 3 BP medicines right now.

Take care of that BP.

 

[Spikedog]

Try Open Office www.openoffice.org it's free and compatable with M$ office.

 

[MarNav1]

Petite for whatever reason doesn't seem to have much to do with BP. My grandma was 100 lbs or so and she had high BP all her life. She lived to be 90. I hope they can help your wife out quickly Trunk. I weigh 365 lbs and my BP is very good now that I'm on meds. I had to take action especially after I found out that 2 of Gram's brothers dropped dead at about 45 (my age now). And like I say it mostly eliminated the panicky symptoms too which I had been struggling with for 10 years or so. As far as charting goes I just average up my meter readings. I take it every few days or once a week now and I feel I can relax better too because the worry is gone.

 

[RGB_LED]

+1 for openoffice... it has an excel type of application that is pretty easy to use.

As for BP, high BP runs in my family... I was diagnosed with it over 5 years ago when it was 170/110 and I was getting headaches all the time. I'm not overweight and I exercise about 1-3 times a week so it definitely was hereditary. Now that I'm on meds, my BP is around 130/85 which is still a bit high but way better than before. I also use an Omron BP monitor at home and they are pretty good and easy to use.

Btw, if you don't already know, your BP will fluctuate throughout the day depending on what you're doing... if you're in the middle of exercising or, are stressed or anxious, it will naturally increase but, if you're resting, the ideal BP is around 120/80. But one-size does not fit all; if your average BP is a little higher than 120/80, that's fine... excessively high BP can lead to other more serious ailments like heart attack, stroke, diabetes and it puts pressure on your other organs, especially kidneys.

My MD's have not been very helpful with suggestions on managing it as they are overworked but, after much research, I decided to take action... reduce stress, exercise more, threw out the salt shaker, stopped having McD's and reduced sugar and I'm trying to enjoy life instead of focusing on the rat-race...

sunspot, good luck to you - I hope you find the tools necessary to help you track your progress and I hope everyone in this thread is also able to manage their BP.

 

[verbie]

My blood pressure is actually low but my resting heart rate is high. Jtr1962 mentioned that his mom's resting pulse is too high, 60s-70s. My BP is about 104/61, but my heart rate is 77. Sometimes it's even in the 80's. How important is the resting heart rate?

 

[jtr1962]

My blood pressure is actually low but my resting heart rate is high. Jtr1962 mentioned that his mom's resting pulse is too high, 60s-70s. My BP is about 104/61, but my heart rate is 77. Sometimes it's even in the 80's. How important is the resting heart rate?

It's mostly a sign of conditioning or lack of it. 60 to 100 bpm is actually considered medically normal, so you're OK but just in need of some conditioning like my mom. Mine was around 60 a year ago before I started increasing my cycling. Last I checked it was 48. Some elite athletes are even in the 35 area. As you can see, that's a 3 to 1 variation from a high normal of 100 to a low of 35 solely on account of conditioning. Miguel Indurain, a five-time Tour de France winner, recorded the lowest resting heart rate on record-28 beats per minute.

Article

 

[nerdgineer]

An inexpensive high blood pressure treatment...

Not a pleasant treatment, but a cheap one...

 

[Sub_Umbra]

I log my BP from time to time, when necessary to prevent some doctor from going completely crazy with my meds. When I do it I also log my fundamental BP. It is a great tool. I make my graphs on grid paper.

 

[sunspot]

Okay, I have to ask. What is fundamental BP?

 

[greenLED]

I am looking more for a graph line than a spreadsheet. Like the run times on batteries.

All computer graphs are based off spreadsheet-arranged source data.

 

[Sub_Umbra]

Okay, I have to ask. What is fundamental BP?

Fundamental BP is taken right when you wake up -- before you do anything else. It actually takes a little planning to set up in such a way that you do it the same way every morning. It is a unique BP reading that is handy for some to chart.

Here's an example where Fundamental BP may give you insights that may otherwise not be observed. If one has a fitness program it's important to not overtrain. Most programs involve stressing the body and then letting it recover from the stress so that progress may be made. If we're sick or emotionally stressed, or just over fifty our ability to recover from exercise may be lessoned by different amounts and this may actually change from month to month and it's a subtle enough thing that it's helpful to use any clues available to monitor it, since overtraining is not only depressing but it also actually takes you backwards in many situations we may be trying to 'train our way out of'.

OK, back to Fundamental BP. If you're into a program of workouts of any kind you may chart your FBP every morning very simply with very little expense for equipment. If, over a period of time, you notice that your FBP is slowly creaping up and up -- it is a very good indication that you are overtraining -- something that is hard to discern any other way before something catastrophic occurs.

If your FBP is creeping up over time your body is not fully recovering from the stresses of the workouts during your sleep (which is recuperative) and it's time to adjust your physical program.

There are probably other uses for FBP but that's what I use it for.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not a doctor and I've never even played one on TV. There should be lots of info on FBP online.

 

[Joel]

Sunspot:

Just happened to see your post. I have a free chart on my website www.lowermypressure.com. You don't need Word or Excel to print the chart, just print the web page. I've developed a blood pressure product based on solid research done with paced breathing and handgrip isometric exercises. We've had some absolutely fantastic results with folks reducing their blood pressure and also reducing their need for meds. The best part about "Pressure Perfect" is that it seems to be able to really help in achieving more consistent pressure throughout the day. In the spirit of the approaching holidays and CPF - PM me with your "Snail Mail" address and I'll send you a free Pressure Perfect kit.

Best regards,
Joel

 

[donax]

I have just added "Blood Pressure Tracking: Free Templates for Graphing Blood Pressure and Pulse Rate in Microsoft Excel and OpenOffice.org Calc" to my website at http://raywinstead.com/bp/. These Excel files in .xls format can be opened using Microsoft Excel or the free OpenOffice.org spreadsheet "Calc." (To download the free OpenOffice Suite go to http://download.openoffice.org/.) From my website:
"3. After taking your blood pressure fill in the Systolic Pressure and Diastolic pressure values into the appropriate columns. (Note that the difference between the Systolic Pressure and Diastolic Pressure is calculated automatically.) Also enter your pulse rate (heart rate) into the appropriate column. (You may simply leave out the pulse rate values to omit them from the graph.)
4. The associated graph will automatically update itself (and automatically adjust the scale, if necessary).

(I am not selling anything. My physician asked me to monitor my blood pressure for a while, so I looked for free templates on the Internet. Not finding what I was looking for, I created these templates for myself and now I am making them available to anyone to download for free.)