SO.
Seems I have high blood pressure. Not only that, I had no idea I had it. But apparently it was “go to the emergency room NOW” high. I know, right?
Sit back and let me tell you a story…
So, many of you already know my pa-in-law has been with us for nearly two months now. Long story short, he had to have an operation on his back; he couldn’t get it back home; one of the best doctors to perform the surgery he needed just happened to be located a few miles from us. So he came down to stay with us while he recovers. The recovery has taken longer than anticipated, but hey—it’s BACK surgery!
Anyway, one of the things the nurse told him he needed was a blood pressure monitor at the house. So, BJ got one for him. When it arrived—as we are wont to do when we get new gadgets like this, BJ went around checking everyone out (when my dad had to get his blood sugar tested—we all got our fingers poked that weekend! Ha). Everyone was pretty normal but mine came back at 196/127. Hmm. That seemed high. So we did it again. 191/126. Since it was so high, and I’d never experienced anything like that, and I FELT FINE, BJ told me to just go to bed. So I did.
Next morning, my reading was 176/117 (thereabouts—BJ has it all written down, I’m going on memory). We (we, meaning BJ) decided to call the doctor to make an appointment to get me checked out. We’d both hit the interwebs that morning and decided it sounded bad. Several places calling it the “silent killer.”
Once on the phone, they told her to check it again and it was about the same…and they said “get to the Emergency Room NOW.” I didn’t really want to go because I FELT FINE. But she assured me that it was not fine and if I let it go unchecked I could have a stroke or a heart attack.
We went to the ER.
I had a LOT of tests run. Doctor came in later and told me that “my pump and my filter” were both fine, and that was very important. They ran like eleven different blood tests, took an image of my chest (thought my heart might be enlarged—never said exactly why—but it was also fine). Slowly but surely my BP went down to around 127/89, still a bit high, but they gave me a prescription, told me to monitor it, AND to follow up with a doctor.
Since then, my bp has hovered around the 150/90 range with the daily meds. I’m monitoring it fairly regular during the day; have added a vitamin and walking and have an appointment with the doc scheduled.
So…yeah…that happened…
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Yikes! That IS an ER visit. 200 is “I may be having a heart attack or stroke soon” high. Best wishes and take care of it!
And that–I guess–is why it is the “Silent Killer.” I felt just fine, didn’t feel bad at all.
Thanks for the wishes; keep’em coming as I work to get it down to manageable levels.
Glad you are safe and that it is under control. Thank you Jesus!
Amen and amen!
My blood pressure went up some this summer when I was editing a book, but it wasn’t that high! I’ve never had trouble before either and attributed it to stress. Then I found out that many NSAIDs can cause high blood pressure, more so in some people than others. I had been taking ibuprofen daily for neck and shoulder problems, so I stopped. My blood pressure came down. It’s a balancing act between hypertension and pain, but for the most part, I’ve done without the drugs.
Glad you’re adding exercise, Roland. That’s important for lowering both blood pressure and cholesterol. 150/90 is still not great, especially on medication, but better than it was. Maybe look for other causes. Glad you have a good “nurse”!
I understand how editing could do that! I’m not sure what NSAIDs are, though–I’m guessing over the counter drugs? We’ve pretty much stopped using those a few years ago when BJ discovered Essential Oils–they have been WONDERFUL as a replacement. Of course, trying to eat and be healthier, too. Glad to hear of your BP victory.
Mine is still high, but I’m still in the fight!
I’m glad you discovered it. My wife woke up one night and told me someone was using a weed-eater outside our window at 3:00 a.m. It was her blood pressure spiking making the sound in her head. She is on meds now and its keeping it down.
WOW! That’s pretty scary. Tinitus is supposed a “symptom,” but I have that anyway, all the time–have for years, even when the BP was normal. So even though I hear the ringing, I can’t tell a difference in it…
Glad your wife got hers under control!
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