Lower your "high blood" in the CNMI

You could have hypertension, or "high blood" pressure and not even know it. Hypertension, is a condition in which the force of blood against your artery walls is too strong. It also means your heart is working hard to move blood. High blood pressure in its earliest stages produces few symptoms, but over time it can damage your heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidney and other organs. Symptoms usually do not occur until high blood pressure has reached an advanced level of severity. Symptoms of high blood pressure can include:

severe headache, fatigue or confusion, vision problems, chest pain, difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeat, blood in the urine

If is important to check your blood pressure regularly. There are free machines available for use at Saipan pharmancies, and some insurance plans cover self blood pressure monitors.

If you having trouble managing your hypertension, and are "homebound" or have trouble leaving the home, nurses and aides from Pacific Home Health Care, are able to provide you with quality healthcare you deserve in the comfort of your home, including:

Provide a complete physical assessment during every visit
Educate patients and/or cargegivers to properly manage their medications
Provide education about hypertension and the risk factors involved in the condition
Teach patients and/or caregivers techniques to help reduce stress
Teach energy conservation skills to help patients and/or caregivers to maintain higher energy levels
Assist and educate patients and/or caregivers in safely performing activities of daily living
Assess the safety of patients’ homes, then recommend and help implement safety improvements
Educate patients and/or caregeivers about nutrition management and a heart-healthy lifestyle

If you have any questions about hypertension management programs, ask your doctor if a Pacific Home Health Care referral is right for you, or give us a call today at 670-234-CARE (2273)

Why do CNMI residents need to check their blood pressure at home?

Monitoring your blood pressure at home offers several benefits. It can:

Help make an early diagnosis of high blood pressure. If you have prehypertension, or another condition that could contribute to high blood pressure, such as diabetes or kidney problems, home blood pressure monitoring could help your doctor diagnose high blood pressure earlier than if you have only infrequent blood pressure readings in the doctor's office.

Help track your treatment. The only way to know whether your lifestyle changes or your medications are working is to check your blood pressure regularly. Keeping track of changes can help you and your health care team make decisions about your ongoing treatment strategy, such as adjusting dosages or changing medications.

Encourage better control. Taking your own blood pressure measurements can result in better blood pressure control. You gain a stronger sense of responsibility for your health, and you may be even more motivated to control your blood pressure with an improved diet, physical activity and proper medication use.

Cut your health care costs. Home monitoring may cut down on the number of visits you need to make to your doctor or clinic. This can reduce your overall health care costs, lower your travel expenses and save in lost wages.

Check if your blood pressure is different outside the doctor's office. Your doctor may suspect that your blood pressure goes up due to the anxiety associated with being at the doctor's office, but is otherwise normal — a condition called white-coat hypertension. Monitoring blood pressure at home or work, where that kind of anxiety won't cause those spikes, can help see if you have true high blood pressure or simply white-coat hypertension.Home and workplace monitoring may also help when the opposite occurs — your blood pressure seems fine at the doctor's office, but is elevated elsewhere. This kind of high blood pressure, sometimes called masked hypertension, is more common in women and those with cardiovascular risk factors, such as obesity, high blood cholesterol and high blood sugar.

Not everyone can track blood pressure at home. If you have an irregular heartbeat, home blood pressure monitors might not give you an accurate reading. In some cases, the type of monitor you use could depend on your physical condition. If you're overweight or very muscular, you'll need to find a monitor with a larger arm cuff. If you have hearing loss, a monitor with a digital display may be more suitable.

Talk to your doctor, or Pacific Home Health Care, LLC. nurse about whether home monitoring is a good option. Keep in mind that a family member or friend who is properly trained may be able to take blood pressure measurements for you.