Thursday, March 13, 2014
I Must Be An Idiot
The good news is that my tear in my rotator cuff is small enough to not need surgery. The bad news is that my blood pressure was way too high.
I had been taking meds, but my blood pressure bottomed out and I felt crappy. So, the meds were discontinued. I was instructed to monitor my blood pressure daily to determine if I needed medication at all. I am old school. I prefer to use a stethoscope and actually listen to determine the blood pressure. So, that is the type monitor I have. I dutifully checked it daily for 4 weeks. While it is possible to take your own blood pressure, it can be difficult to get the cuff on correctly and you end up pinching yourself. So, He Who loves me and knows how to take a blood pressure took on the task. As long as he was putting the cuff on, he might as well complete the task, right?
It was determined that I no longer needed the medication and I felt much better for a time. But lately, I have had a nagging headache that will not go away and I could feel my pulse in my fingertips. I could hear my blood rushing in my ears. I would take my blood pressure and it would be high. Instead of depending on my own determination, I would ask He Who mows, tows and plumbs to recheck when ever he happened in. He would always look at me funny and say, "It's fine, even a little low." I rarely doubt myself, and don't know why I did then ........
So, yesterday, when my blood pressure was routinely taken, the nurse looked at me and asked if I felt okay. Then she took me into an exam room and took it again, using a stethoscope. Old school, for a more accurate reading. It was 160/108. Too high. I am on new meds, of course.
As I drove home, I pondered how I could have missed this. Every time I felt bad, my blood pressure would be taken ........... Every time He Who has taken thousands of blood pressure readings as an EMT it was low, even when I had found it to be high. Hello! He is hearing impaired and would have to remove his hearing aids to take it! And I entrusted my blood pressure health to a deaf man! Am I an idiot, or what?
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4 comments:
I take my b/p five times a day with a wrist monitor...love it...whenever you have a headache and feel your blood in your fingertips it is almost a done deal that your pressure is high...I had to try different meds til I found the one that didn't make me want to commit murder...if this one makes you feel bad then get your doc to try another...hoping you have a good Cardiologist!
Sandi
So glad you caught the problem before it got any worse. That is scary high blood pressure. I remember a doctor telling me that anytime the bottom number is over 100 you are in trouble.
Good for you, finding out about the BP and RC.
This could almost be an O. Henry story. Like...what if you quit taking your blood pressure meds to buy He Who hearing aids, and he took out his hearing aids to take your blood pressure?
Sorry I laughed. It is not a laughing matter unless a silly woman allows a deaf man to take...
Glad you are okay.
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