Does anybody know if any of the bigger pharmacies in the UK (eg Boots) have this quite expensive kit for hire for home use?
In March this year I had to come off/change bp meds due to acute kidney injury (stage 2) which was a bit scary.
I've got a bog standard monitor at home, but would like to do more thorough testing.
Alternatively, has anybody done this via their GP?
Hi Nellie, I don't think they do. I couldn't afford mine either, but just had to go into overdraft and/or cut back for a few weeks. I was told my BP wasn't dropping (not that anyone could blessed well see!), so I went out and bought another one. I was right!
(Omron M2 Intellisense Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor) Sorry, I did a copy and paste as I went onto the Boots Website to look for you.
My mistake was buying the Boots intellisense one (their own brand), which is a bit cheaper than Omron. The boots one is cheaper, but when I got it home I didn't like the cuff. You have to thread the cuff through a metal slot and I found it fiddly, as I'm not a young chick. I much preferred the BP cuff that has the velcro and the Omron one does. It's personal choice of course.
You can't beat having a brand new one Nellie. Sometimes these BP machines are less efficient/accurate when they get old.
Hope I might have been of some help to you.
Best wishes
Denise
Thank you Denise,
I'm glad you were right 😊 about your bp.
I would hazard a guess and say the lack of response to my question (and the fact that searching yielded no results) is that it is something that is not available in the UK.
The reason I raised the question was because a guy from Ireland on the kidney forum had been able to hire the 24hr monitor from Boots there. The cost of the kit he hired is about 1,500 Euro's!
I did the 3x per day for 7 days average, which came out at 140/75, but there were a few 186/85's in there.
I'll put in an e-consult and see what comes back.
Hi Nellie,
I don't know what an e-consult is, other than I am guessing you pay for someone to tell you if it's high or that you should consult with your GP or not.
The great thing about having our own monitor is that you can do just that. A 24 hr monitor is for that period only. Our BP changes all the time. I will occasionally read mine, but will keep track when I am feeling absolutely awful. At first I had no idea what was going on, then I found that it's because my BP had/has dropped. I've been exasperated at 'medical' response, because what can be considered OK for some is not for me 112/70 'ish.
I promise you won't regret it if you buy the Omron one .... it will last you for years. And I say that Nellie, because these days we cannot rely on the NHS as we used to.
Perhaps you could ask for some Boots vouchers for Christmas?
I don't have shares in Boots - honest!
Take care .... Best wishes, Denise.
Hi Denise,
e-consult is what my surgery and many others now use instead of telephone calls to book appointments. You have to fill in screens and screens of information (most of it irrelevant), and then the surgery triage and contact you the next day by e-mail or text to tell you that a Doctor will call you (or send blood test forms etc) on a certain date (no times given any more).
The first time I had to use e-consult it took me about an hour. I was having gut issues (turned out I am coeliac). There are lots of tick boxes......and when I ticked 'pain' at level 4 (between 1-10) it sopped me in my tracks and told me to call 111, which I really didn't need to do. So, I had to wade back (sometimes through several screens) to eventually submit the forms with not an accurate analysis of my problems.
It is probably time I bought a new monitor, and I think you're right that the Omron is probably a good idea. The one I have at the moment is Boots. I will keep my eye on prices, and see what comes up.
Hi Nellie, thanks for explaining. I'm not clever like you - I just hate and struggle with these things. It's as well you were able to go back on the pages
Boots and Omron are apparently made by the same company. My old one gave me the same reading (that was Omron) as the new Boots one. It's just the cuff that I didn't like, so what I've done ... the Boots one is cheaper, is pull the little connection of the old one and put it in the new one. The things we buy never get a bashing, most of us just using when necessary. What I did to check that it made no difference by switching the cuffs, is take a reading on the other one. Just thought I would say, as you'll find the Boots one cheaper. Boots are bound to have a little sale on after Christmas and if you join/have a Boots card, you will probably get £10 in points and be able to buy something else? Just something to bear in mind Nellie.
Have a lovely Christmas and good luck. With best wishes, Denise.
Hi Denise I did this through my GP & was referred to the hospital to pick up & fit the 24hr blood pressure monitor, returning it to the hospital afterwards for the results. I didn’t get much sleep as the pressure kept waking me up & it probably wasn’t the best idea to wear it to work as it kept hissing when it inflated and came undone twice, but I’m one of the lucky ones as I got my blood pressure down without taking medication by weight loss & de-stressing techniques. Good luck with it! 😊
Hi Jlbrown, well done!
Thanks Denise. Unfortunately I wasn’t so lucky with high cholesterol as it runs in one side of my family so after a bit of reluctance I’ve just started taking statins. Just need to lose the extra padding now too. Good luck with the blood pressure 😉👍
Thank you HappyJo,
Yes, I think that's the reason there's not a market for hiring the kit here. It's a shame, because it would have saved me bothering the GP...........and even though I'm under 75, they'll probably decline my request at the moment.
I've had it 3 times now from the NHS and i am only 43 with a history of normal high.
You can definitely have 24hr BP monitoring via your GP if they feel it's necessary 🙂
Here is one place
pharmhealth.com/healthcare-...
Yes, richard_jw y that is exactly what I was looking for. Apparently you can hire them in Ireland, but not in the UK.
24hr monitor 
Blood Pressure Monitor
Blood pressure monitor 
Blood pressure
24 HR blood pressure monitor 
