Diane-Take your BP cuff with you to the doctors, and get your pressure taken
with both.  There may not be as much disparity as you think.  You pressure is
going to vary, sometimes widely, at different times of the day, and in
different locations and using different arms.
Char

"Remember, I'm pulling for ya'. We're all in this together." Red Green

Take your cuff with you to your next office visit. If it is even close
to what they get at the same time then you are fine. Your BP should ride
higher at the doctor's just cause...  I had mine last time and it is a
wrist cuff. I took my BP first and then my PCP took it again with her
equipment. I got something like 95/72 and she got 105/68. She called
that close enough. Then I was able to show her what the memory was
holding with all those 80/50 something readings. It even keeps track of
the time so when she asked that question I was able to tell her. That
was when she took me off my BP medication. I am on a daily check and
take only if elevated order now. This morning it was 108/75. So higher
than it has been but still fine.
Brite Sensor - Forecare Model #1310  http://www.forecare.com/
Be sure to put your hand at what would be even with your heart when you
take your reading and don't cross your legs or ankles. I sit at the
kitchen table with my arm resting on the vitamin box which put my hand
at the right spot. The picture on Forecare shows the tilt upward of the
hand which is what I do.
First time John used it, he didn't look at the instructions on the cuff
itself and put it on his hand with the reading screen at the back of his
hand instead of the other way around. His BP registered something like
205/98. When he turned it around, it was much better. lol
Hope that helps.
Duckie

From what I've seen and heard, the automatic cuffs (for taking
your own BP) are not that reliable. Also, when the take your
pressure, they pump up a lot higher than an experienced person
using a manual cuff would.

About 25 years ago, I took a "vital signs" course at the Red
Cross (temperature, pulse, respiration and blood pressure). When
we took each others BP's, we often saw variations in the same
subject, depending on who took it and how relaxed the subject
was. One man had a 'burger and french fries for lunch, and when I
took his pressure shortly after the break, it was quite elevated.
We watched it go down during the next hour. I also took someone's
pulse and respiration after a short break and found that he had
shallow, rapid breathing and an elevated pulse. The instructor
then took his signs and got readings which were lower than mine,
but still high. I turns out that he had smoked a cigarette during
the break. It took another 15 minutes for his signs to return to
"normal".

The act of taking someone's pressure has a tendency to increase
it somewhat, so they told us not to take a person's pressure too
soon a second time. We were told to wait for a while for the the
person to relax.

Your signs will vary throughout the day and night. If I remember
correctly, for a person on a "normal" sleep cycle, the signs will
be highest around midnight (when your body is wound up from the
day), and lowest around 4 in the morning (when you're in deep
sleep and you are at your slowest functioning). That is why they
should be taken at the same time, and (as closely as possible) at
the same conditions of activity, eating, etc.

Your best bet would be to take a GOOD course with a friend, and
then take each others BP on a regular basis if you need to
monitor it.

I have a fairly cheap one that I bought via mail order. It isn't that
accurate, but it does give you an idea of your BP if you use it often.
It is also very easy to use. Once you know what range your BP is in
you can judge whether the thing is telling lies or not. If you think
it is not accurate you can take your BP two or three times.
Alternatively, we have also got a traditional sphygmomanometer - but
it doesn't have a mercury column, just a dial. In the UK a few years
ago this cost about 10 pounds, - about $18, so it isn't going to break
the bank.

PeterB