health answers:

This one is located on the American Heart Association website and you’ll need a program to open pdf files (such as Adobe Acrobat).
http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@hcm/documents/downloadable/ucm_305157.pdf. If this link gives you problems go to http://www.heart.org/ and do a search for blood pressure logs…

And here is another one you can look at:
http://www.bloodpressureformula.com/print-chart.php

health answers:

Why a web site ? What about a log book ?

Or you can just add this info to a daily blog.

health answers:

You should take you blood pressure after sitting still for at least five minutes with your legs uncrossed. Wait five minutes between readings.

After the first couple of days, you should have a pretty good idea of what your average blood pressure is and what kind of swings you are having. All this info will be useful for your doctor.

health answers:

It is natural for your blood pressure to increase when you’re sitting or standing up compared to when you’re lying down. The main reason I see here is gravity. When you lay down, your blood doesn’t have to go against gravity during blood transport. Whereas when you stand or sit up, the blood pressure has to increase in order for blood to reach your brain, and other organs above your heart. It also has to increase for blood to return from both upper and lower extremities to your heart. It has to increase so it can go against gravity.

If you feel uneasy and unsure about heart meds, it would be good to talk to your doctor about your concerns so they can recommend you something that will suit you. You can also discuss with him the log that you keep (and I commend you for being so proactive with your health 🙂 ). Daily exercise and losing weight (if you are overweight) are typical components of improving blood pressure.

148/104 is too high and I am concerned of the other consequences of a very high blood pressure. You do want to start making changes in your lifestyle…

health answers:

You might consider increasing your water intake -dehydration can cause an increase in blood pressure.

When you don’t drink enough water, the cells become dehydrated and the body will often borrow the water it needs to inject into the cells using a process called osmosis. Drawing the water from the blood causes the arteries to constrict and the blood to thicken due to the loss of volume. This requires additional pressure to move the blood through the cardiovascular system.

But increasing the water intake will refresh the cells and will signal the body to quit borrowing water from the blood. This will bring the blood pressure back to normal.

As for your concerns of the moment – much of that will be addressed after the results of your tests are known. In the meantime, try to relax… there are meditations, relaxation exercises, stretching exercises and much more that can help you with your blood pressure.