Blood Pressure Monitor...Any idea where to buy one locally

Hi Gang!

Does anyone happen to know where it would be possible to purchase a Personal Blood Pressure Monitor in Udon? & if so where & approx cost etc.

The last time i was in Udon i enquired about one in Boots Chemist in Robinsons! But none in stock (At That Time) i'm afraid!

I would ideally like the type that auto inflates with a digital display if at all possible!

Any advice or suggestions as where i can find one would be marvellous!

Thanks in advance

The Guv

I will be going to Bangkok on the 20th of this month. If you would like, I can pick one up for you there. I bought one for my mother in law in Bangkok a couple of years ago. I think the price was somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 baht.

PM me if I can help you.

Thank you so much for the offer Rick!
Very nice of you indeed.

I am heading into Udon tomorrow for my weekly shopping trip so will have another root around for one whilst i am there!

If i don't have any luck finding one around here in the next week or so i will certainly pm you.

Thanks again Rick!

Yet another reason why this forum is an invaluable resource to expats in the area!

Theres a bucket load of them on ebay, range from ฃ10 UK to ฃ40 UK. This is where I got mine from. Was delivered from the UK to here in 3 days...

I purchased one from Watsons in the Charoensri shopping complex early this year. It's a microlife brand, auto inflate, digital etc. It cost approx 2,500 baht and is very accurate.

Lee, may I ask what sort of BP readings you normally get?

Whenever I go to the hopsital in LOS, they check my BP and usually say it's up a bit - say 140/90. Whereas before in the Uk they would always congratulate me on how low my BP was - 120/70 or 80. But of course, (as the Byrds sang) "I was so much younger then"!!

arjay wrote:Lee, may I ask what sort of BP readings you normally get?

Whenever I go to the hopsital in LOS, they check my BP and usually say it's up a bit - say 140/90. Whereas before in the Uk they would always congratulate me on how low my BP was - 120/70 or 80. But of course, (as the Byrds sang) "I was so much younger then"!!

It's all the fit looking girls in Thailand that keeps the blood pressure up.

Mine is currently high normal, hence the reason I bought the monitor to check daily, my pressure should be lower at 32 years old. My average readings are 135/85, but when I visit the hospital it's usually higher, the doctor says that this could be due to white coat hypertension.

I think the warm weather raises the blood pressure slightly, which is probably the reason your pressure is lower back in the UK, also your age too.

As far as I was aware, it is the lower reading that is more important than the higher one,85 is on the slightly high side.
I always associated higher levels here not due to the warm weather but due to ongoing stress from the missus!

I have takens thousands of individuals BP's!I have yet to see a competent BP taken in Thailand!They usually use automated ill kept equipment which might not be properly calibrated!The readings are usually high and if they take a second reading,they invariably use the same arm instead of changing arms!
Automated equipment needs regular calibrations by ''qualified technicians"!Get a sphygmomanometer with a proper size adjustable cuff and a stethoscope!With a little practice you will be able to take accurate BP's with combined sound and sight readings!

BKKSTAN wrote:I have takens thousands of individuals BP's!I have yet to see a competent BP taken in Thailand!They usually use automated ill kept equipment which might not be properly calibrated!The readings are usually high and if they take a second reading,they invariably use the same arm instead of changing arms!
Automated equipment needs regular calibrations by ''qualified technicians"!Get a sphygmomanometer with a proper size adjustable cuff and a stethoscope!With a little practice you will be able to take accurate BP's with combined sound and sight readings!

I get regular BP checks due to my having hypertension, go to the AEK have both an automated and normal hand inflated reading taken. The hand inflated always comes in a little lower than the automated but the quack says its because i've been relaxing for a while between readings, and they always read from both arms.

Not sure about its calibration but the automated unit is pretty much brand new....

The Guvnor wrote:Hi Gang!

Does anyone happen to know where it would be possible to purchase a Personal Blood Pressure Monitor in Udon? & if so where & approx cost etc.

Any advice or suggestions as where i can find one would be marvellous!

Thanks in advance

The Guv

I understand from some research, that having a strong affiliation with certain areas of France can be a major contributor to high blood pressure.

Guv, I recommend the natural approach to reducing your blood pressure - limit your contact with the high-risk areas, including not only the major areas, but the minor areas as well.

If this approach proves to be effective, you may have no need for the monitor, and indeed may be able to pass on the savings in a tangible and easily recognizable way

I have had serious highblood pressure after being diagnosed in the Army at the age of 19 in my case its hereditary and seems to have little to do with diet or exercise. I believe I was actually allowed into the Army as the result of a poorly collected BP reading as it was probably dismissed as "whitecoat" tension or just bad technique if my real BP had been collected I would have been medically disqualified. An important thing to remember when using a blood pressure devise is the concept of accuracy versus precision, for example a watch that reads 12 noon when you leave the airport in Los Angles now reads 12 midnight in BKK after a long flight is still a very precise instrument the problem is its not accurate as the time is now 11PM. The same concept can be applied to BP machines its a good idea to take the instrument to the doctor with you and take a few measurements along with your doctors manual technique to get a good baseline for your machine (not to say your doctors is more accurate but the idea is to see a trend as it correlates to your prescription dosage). Try to use your new cuff precisely the same way, exactly the same spot on your arm and in the same sitting position, after the same amount of rest and you can get a good idea if your meds are getting it done as you change dosages.

You might want to check Robinson at the complex 2nd floor..there is a glassed in case where I've seen many small electrical gadgets. You might find one there. Its in the area where the leather lounge chairs are located...good luck OH ! you might look at Boots or Watsons.....

Aku

Good point tigerryan, exactly what I did when I bought my monitor, took it to the doc and tested it against his 'professional' equipment, we found my monitor gave around 3-5% lower readings, so not too much of a problem as long as I remember the difference.