Checking Blood Pressure at Home

Updated on December 22, 2012
P.G. asks from San Antonio, TX
9 answers

What do you recommend for home use, that is reasonably priced, oversized cuff size (big armed hubby)? His is a bit high and he wantst to be able to keep an eye on it.

Thanks!

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M.E.

answers from Chicago on

I have an Omron (model 7300W) that I love. It says it's a "womans" monitor, but I don't know why. It comes with a regular and large cuff. I've tried several and have found it to be the most accurate by far. My MIL got one as well and finds hers to be very accurate too. I ordered mine through Amazon.

2 moms found this helpful
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S.B.

answers from Redding on

If you want to get this covered by insurance, have your doctor right a prescription.

In my area, we have a Medical Supply company. They have EVERYTHING.
They are really great about recommending the right products and coordinating insurance benefits.

Blood pressure cuffs can be tricky. I'm tiny, so I can't use the ones at the pharmacy that you stick your arm in. My arm is too little to get a proper reading. The doctor office uses a child cuff. You have the opposite issue, but another idea is to ask your pharmacist. They may know of a good brand to suggest for you.

Best wishes.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.L.

answers from Chicago on

I have the Omron model that was about $100 2 years ago. I had to get it due to pregnancy induced high blood pressure. I am a larger woman so it came with a pretty big cuff. If you ask at the pharmacy they will let you look at it to make sure it fits.

1 mom found this helpful
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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

You can ask your insurance company if they have any recommendations and they might even cover a lot of the cost. If his doc says he needs it done his insurance might even pay for a nurse to come once per week and take it. They even have cuffs they can leave there that are hooked up to the phone line and they send the BP information back to the nurses office.

So if the insurance is on board and the doc is on board you might be able to get the stuff free and a nurse to monitor it for free too.

1 mom found this helpful

V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

Our families doctor recommended the $50-ish model by Omron. It runs off batteries and is digital. There is a cheaper one (I think it was in the $20 range?) but he said not to get that one, it wasn't as accurate/good quality.

I don't know about cuff size. Husband isn't skinny, but not fat either and no "balloon" muscles... just normal sized, healthy works out for health kinda size. And no issues with the cuff for him.

1 mom found this helpful
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☆.A.

answers from Pittsburgh on

No clue.
BUT my mom needs to check hers and has tried several models.
It's REALLY tough to get accurate readings mom.
yourself.
Has he considered stopping by a pharmacy & using their cuff?
People will say they're not calibrated, blah, blah & etc. but in the end, that has been overall the most reliable for my mom.
Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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M.P.

answers from Portland on

I have a friend who gained a lot of weight and her blood pressure cuff no longer fit. She was able to order a larger cuff from her pharmacy.

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C.B.

answers from Boston on

I took my approx. $50-$60 Omron model that I bought at CVS with me to a doctor's appointment to check if it was reading correctly. It was very close, and the main importance at home was to keep track of changes, not the exact number. KEEP IN MIND that you should sit still for about 10 minutes before taking your pressure and the cuff should be at the level of the heart. If you run up the stairs first, or put the cuff higher or lower than heart level, the reading will be off. Mine has velcro that would allow a huge arm to go in, I actually have the opposite problem, making sure the there is enough velcro to stick to on the small end.

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M.S.

answers from Kansas City on

Omron is a reliable unit and you can "price shop" online and compare to instore. Walgreen's online was less expensive and they often run sales when I did comparison sometime ago.
The cuff is important as the pressure will not be accurate if the cuff is not the right size. Large arm requires large cuff.

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