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-Keyboard quote: "ZXCVBNM<>?"-

I had a dream that I was helping organize kids for a performance of some sort, my job mainly comprising of depriving them of the bouncy balls being hurled at me at intervals. I think the kids tried to take me hostage after a while... Some dreams make me smile. :)

I took my blood pressure at one of those automated supermarket devices today. Or tried to. You see, I was successful the first time, but since blood pressure can vary from reading to reading, the machine advises to take multiple readings, up to 10.

I managed one. Which is odd, since the instructions say that talking or movement can invalidate results, and I chatted up a storm during the first (and sole succesful) reading, as well as wincing and saying "OW" firmly and repeatedly, my hand clenched in a fist.

This is the reason I give that although my systolic blood pressure is well below average, my diastolic reading is in a range called "pre-hypertension". Go scratch your head now if it is feeling as itchy as mine.

However, there was no way to check this result, though I tried. Oh, I tried. I relaxed for the requisite 5 minutes, then positioned my hand and body perfectly still and flaccid, uttered not one syllable... but even after about five tries, all I had to show for it was a very bruised arm and that same ONE reading, as well as a lot of screens intoning "Reading failed. Results inconsistent."

Maybe my systolic and diastolic readings were so close that the interval between them happened too quickly for the machine to pick up (note: the way blood pressure is measured is that the cuff is inflated, then slowly deflated. When the first sounds appear, the pressure of the cuff is recorded as your systolic -- pumping -- pressure. The cuff keeps relaxing until the sound of the blood whacking against the vessels stops, and that stage is recorded as your diastolic -- relaxed -- pressure. But it is conceivable for the two to happen quickly enough together that the machine suspected funny business, so it fell back on its failsafe. This probably wouldn't happen if I had a doctor take my blood pressure).

Reality check. If I were a small child, I think it would be more reasonable to fear a blood pressure cuff than a shot. At least shots don't have to clench down on your arm for a full minute!