My Omron Blood Pressure Monitor keeps an ear on my pressure...

In a couple of months, my dear husband Bill and I will be moving to Germany. As part of the stuff that has to be done before the government will move us, I had to go get a physical. I was pretty nervous about getting the physical done because it had been a long time since I had last seen a doctor for any reason. When I had an elevated blood pressure reading during my physical, my primary care provider asked me to keep a blood pressure diary for two weeks. When a few of the readings from my blood pressure diary showed up high, she asked me to wear an ambulatory blood pressure monitor for 24 hours. Thankfully, the readings from the ambulatory monitor were perfectly normal. I seem to have what's known as "white coat hypertension"; my blood pressure is only high when I visit the doctor's office. I don't need medication at this time. But because my readings were high in her office, my health care provider has asked me to keep an eye on my blood pressure at home.

Bill already takes medication for high blood pressure. My mom has high blood pressure and so did her mom before she died. I figure it's only a matter of time before I'll have that diagnosis too. In order to comply with my provider's request that I watch my pressure, I purchased the Omron Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor, Model HEM-780. I was attracted to this particular model because it's automatic, has a cuff that fits large and regular sized arms, and it will store up to 200 readings for two users. Since Bill also has to monitor his blood pressure, I thought it would be practical to own a monitor that's able to keep track of the readings for two people. The Omron Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor, Model HEM-780 was also the fanciest monitor at the PX.

My new blood pressure monitor sure looked fancy enough when I pulled it out of the box. Besides the monitor and ComFit cuff (which fits arms 9" to 17" in circumference), it came with four AA batteries, an AC adapter, and a storage case. I found the monitor easy to assemble and easy to store in the case. And although it came with a thick instruction manual in Spanish and English, I had no trouble figuring out how to get the monitor to work. The hardest part of setting up the monitor was setting the time and date. Even that process was pretty simple once I read the directions.

The ComFit cuff that comes with this monitor is semi rigid and pre-curled. That's important, because it can be hard to correctly apply a blood pressure cuff without help if it's not curled. I found that out the hard way last week when I wore the ambulatory monitor. I took the cuff on the monitor off for just a second because it was irritating my arm and then I had a hell of a time putting it back on properly. Every time I tried to tighten the cuff, it slipped off my arm. I needed someone to hold the end. With the Omron monitor, the cuff stays put by itself. The cuff also has diagrams on it that show how it should be positioned on the arm. The monitor works by auscultation, which means it has to be placed correctly in order to "hear" blood pressure. If the cuff is not in the right position, the monitor will display an error message.

Getting the monitor to work is easy, as long as the cuff is positioned correctly. Just press the start button and the cuff will inflate. The readings are displayed on a large, liquid crystal monitor. This monitor includes the TruRead Mode, which takes three consecutive readings one minute apart and displays the average. It also has the ability to detect an irregular heartbeat. Luckily, so far my heartbeat has been normal. This model also detects morning hypertension, which is an important predictor of increased risk of stroke.

So far, I like the Omron Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor. The only problem I have had with this gadget is that sometimes the cuff is very sensitive. If I don't position it perfectly, the cuff will partially inflate, then quit with an error message. I've found that there's kind of an art to getting the cuff to fit exactly right. Otherwise, if I'm not precise, I get repeated error messages, lots of frustration, and potentially higher readings.

This monitor comes with a five year limited warranty. It's meant for personal use and is guaranteed to be free of defects for five years beyond the date of purchase. The arm cuff is guaranteed to be free of defects for one year beyond the date of purchase. To use the warranty, consumers must return the monitor along with the proof of purchase and $5 for return shipping and handling. The company will either repair or replace the monitor at their option.

I thought this monitor was reasonably priced at $66. Between my husband's confirmed high blood pressure and my "white coat hypertension", we'll definitely get our money's worth with this gadget.

www.omronhealthcare.com