In September of 2014 I had my first high blood pressure reading ever. It was frightening and frustrating too. So I set about fixing it. I worked out more, I went gluten free. I added more exercise. I banished salt, ate differently, walked more..and I did all that consistently for two years and still nothing much changed. My blood pressure went up and down. But sometimes it was as high as 150 over 92. About two months ago a Withings wireless blood pressure monitor arrived. And that’s when things finally turned around for the better.
Before Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor:
Month after month I used to check my blood pressure at the kiosks set up in various pharmacies. Often it was the middle of the day, or as I was literally fielding a phone call from the kid’s school. One time one of the kids was calling begging to come home and I literally had the cuff around my arm. That reading did not go well. Talk about high blood pressure! You are supposed to remain calm and still and quiet when taking your blood pressure. 
There were times I raced over to the Rexall pharmacy near my house right after a solid workout, or a yoga class. I assumed yoga would lower my blood pressure. It did not. And so I would return every few months to my doctor and he would do a reading because I reminded him to, and it was sky high. He was never that worried. We will monitor it, he said. Take your blood pressure regularly, he said. And I did. That last visit, I asked him about medication because I know my mother and one of my uncles both had to take blood pressure medicine. My doctor warned me that was not the route he wanted to take. “Once you are on blood pressure medicine you are on it for life,” he said.
I am a Mom. I am also a person with a complex health history. As a teen, just entering grade nine I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, an incurable inflammatory bowel disorder also thought to be an autoimmune disorder. At times I have been very ill with that and hospitalized repeatedly. I have been much better since having children. I tell you this because I know what it’s like to have a body that doesn’t work the way you want it to all the time. It’s brutally infuriating. Anyways, when my Crohn’s Disease was very active and acute my blood pressure was so low that I was prone to anemia and feeling faint. So really I had a history of low blood pressure right up until 2014 when some sort of switch flipped and it was high over and over and over. But my doctor was insistent, no medication. He advised me to get a home blood pressure monitor. I had no luck finding one until the Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor arrived for use at home.
Up until then, I was stymied. I worked out. I lost five pounds. My blood pressure came down ONE TIME when I had a reading at Rexall last year. I posted how giddy I was after that and shared the print out to Instagram and someone kindly advised me the machine was wrong and I should still worry about high blood pressure. That was not helpful.
A photo posted by Paula Schuck (@inkscrblr) on
The Withings wireless blood pressure monitor arrived and I set it up. It connects super simply with your iPhone and iPod. The instructions are easy to follow. Download the Withings Health Mate app, turn on the Withings Blood Pressure Monitor (there’s a silver cylinder that rests near inner arm when the cuff is wrapped and ready to go. The button is there.) Make sure that your Bluetooth connects to the blood pressure monitor and then follow the instructions.
The Withings Health Mate app will also track your steps each day and store information, such as what your last reading was so you can get an idea over time of whether your blood pressure is coming down or going up.
The Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor will tell you the best times to take a blood pressure reading. First thing in the morning and last thing at night. It reminds you to stay still with feet on the floor and arm resting on a surface so that it is close to your heart.
I can’t even tell you how thrilled I was to see my first NORMAL blood pressure reading. The thing is first thing in the morning before I eat and have coffee and put out a million fires at work, then my blood pressure is Normal. At night, right before bed, it is good too. The entire process will take maybe five minutes out of your day.
- The Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor is medically approved and also monitors heart rate.
- It has received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA and is compliant with European medical device regulations. It is also medically approved in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
A few words about the packaging of the Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor package. The packaging is brilliant. It’s a sturdy folding green and white box that acts as a storage unit or a makeshift case for the monitor.
The Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor was exactly what I needed. My doctor was right that I should get a home blood pressure monitor. His theory was also that everyone’s blood pressure rises just by virtue of being at the doctor’s office. I guess that was clearly true in my case. I almost always had to race from work with kids in tow when running to the doctor’s office, so I was pretty much already always stressed when I got there. Then, in addition to that, I would get more frustrated and stressed out being there because I had a feeling the readings would be high each time. That was a ridiculous cycle that couldn’t be broken.
Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor:
— American Medical Group Association
Oh and I almost forgot one of the best parts about this gadget also is the fact that the app with store your data in the cloud and then you can download it and share it easily with any digitally connected doctor. In fact your doctor doesn’t really even need to be digitally connected because you can just show him or her your data on your app.
I received a Withings Wireless Blood Pressure monitor and occasionally work with Withings. My opinion is all my own and this post is 100 % truthful and based on my extremely positive experience with this product. The Withings Wireless Home Blood Pressure Monitor is an example of technology being used to make your life and health better. That is my favourite application for wireless gadgets. You can buy these Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitors at Best Buy, Amazon and in the Apple Store too. These retail for $129.95 US and they are more than worth it!
The Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor gets my highest rating of $$$$$ out of $$$$$. In fact I’d like to give it higher because it’s that good. I think it just destroyed my rating system. Get one for a relative who has high blood pressure. Get one for yourself. Use it and take charge. I am including an Amazon affiliate link here in event anyone wants to buy one from Amazon right now:
