More often than not, the doctor's aide who checks my blood pressure during doctor's visits screws it up.
I had that happen once. I was wearing a sweater, and as I started rolling up my sleeve she told me to not bother. My doctor came in and noted that my blood pressure was high. I told him the problem was a training issue.
It seems that most doctor visits I go to, they NEVER do a BP reading correctly. They always take the reading over my sleeve, ALWAYS ask me 50 questions as soon as the test starts, don't wait a few minutes after I've walked across the giant facility, always have the cuff too tight. Those automatic BP machines are the absolute worst for pumping the cuff until it actually hurts.
Before & after a tooth extraction, the assistant started to take my BP. I'm always cold in dentist offices, so I was wearing a thick coat, rated for 20 below zero. She wrapped the cuff around my arm, over the coat. I said, "Shouldn't I take the coat off?" She said, "No, it's not necessary." I just chuckled.
I was at my doctor's office and the nurse took my blood pressure through my sweater. Like Nate, I questioned it and she said it was OK. When my doctor noted how much my BP had changed, I told him he's got a training issue to deal with. But at least she cranks out billable events...
A "helper" at my doctor's office had me stand up and extend both are outward and began to wrap the BP device on my arm. I interrupted her and had her remove it. Then I sat and told to continue as I placed my arm level with my heart.
What she meant is, 'I'm not necessarily worried about your health it's the money we want'. Jakes BP was very high, but they pulled the tooth and got $540.00. It was abscessed so they did give him antibiotics.
I have learned much about taking blood pressure lately, On thing that is helping me, is the breathing once or twice before hitting the button. I think someone on here posted- about that- it works
Give yourself 30-60 seconds of nonmovement and relaxation before hitting the button. When my BP was reading in the mid 140s my doctor would have me lay still for a few minutes then came back in and it read lower every time.
Placement is the most important thing, although the scenario often seen in doctor's offices, where the blood pressure is taken as soon as you enter the office, doesn't make for an accurate representation of the patient's normal B/P, since it's usually higher than it would be if they waited 5 or 10 minutes. On the ambulance, we carried the manual sphygmomanometer and stethoscope, and an automatic B/P, and the measurements were pretty close.
I always read higher with the automated ones, no matter the office or at home. Maybe I am just afraid of machines