Last week I found a dual use for my blood pressure cuff. Okay, let me back this up a bit.

Quite some time ago I bought a blood pressure cuff. I can’t remember why. It might have been when my Mom was sick or when someone in the house was running borderline high blood pressure. For whatever reason, I have one in the house.

It came in handy the other week when my daughter (who tends to be a bit of a complainer) complained about being ‘wheezy.’ She’s made the school team a few weeks ago and the squad is required to run a few miles a day.

Dr. Mom to the Rescue

Not knowing whether or not she wanted to get out of running, or if there was really something wrong, I whipped out my handy-dandy blood pressure cuff and placed the stethoscope portion of it on her chest. Adorning my Dr. Mom personality, I had her take deep breaths.

After her first breath, I snatched the stethoscope from my ears and asked, “What did you say?”

She said that she didn’t say a thing.

Hmmm, with one eyebrow raised, I put the stethoscope back on and asked her to repeat the breathing process. Again I heard it. I wasn’t sure if she had swallowed a clarinet or was making whistling sounds when I wasn’t looking.

I had her try it. She took a deep breath and then looked at me with her mouth hanging open and eyebrow raised. She heard the clarinet too.

Real Doctor to the Rescue

Off to the pediatrician’s office we went. After a nebulizer treatment, an inhaler and some antibiotics, she’s now better (a week later). Diagnosed with a bronchotic spasm, it seems to be much better now (much to her chagrin as she now has to run several miles a day).

My trusty blood pressure cuff served two purposes. It not only told me that my pressure didn’t go through the roof when I heard my daughter’s bronchiole orchestra, it was able to diagnose the cause of her wheezing.

So, when stocking your medicine cabinet with things like band-aids, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol and ace bandages, why not add a blood pressure cuff to the supply list. It’s multi-purpose, relatively inexpensive and sure does come in handy.

If you do opt to get a blood pressure cuff, opt for the old-fashioned kind with the stethoscope attachment. I’m not so sure the newer digitized cuffs are designed to detect lung issues.