Not aging gracefully...

[RavenNC]

I finally have health insurance, after years and years of not having any.  Of course, since I haven't had any insurance minor problems haven't been addressed all that regularly.  I haven't been feeling all that great lately - sort of tired and so on - but I've also finally started losing some weight so I've been thinking that it would resolve pretty soon.  It really hasn't, and there was a problem of a feminine nature that popped up, so I made an appointment to see a gyn.  That's on July 7th.

Meanwhile, I was waiting at the pharmacy last night for yet another prescription for my youngest and I got bored so I wandered over to the blood pressure machine.  I'd sat at one a few days ago and got a really high reading, but I figured it was because I was stressed out and running around like a chicken with her head cut off.  Since I was nice and relaxed (and bored), I figured I'd see what my BP looked like.

203/116   

I called a gen practice dr today, and they're seeing me in the morning.  Hubby would really really like to NOT be a single parent, thanks!  I've decided maybe I'm not getting older as gracefully as I'd hoped!  So of course, I'm stressing out about the BP thing...which is probably only making it worse.     My mom had surgery on her neck back in March and is still recovering slowly, and my sister had a hysterectomy less than two weeks ago, so I'm waiting to tell them anything until I know something.  Which nominates ya'll to be my worry stones.  Thanks!

[Rattiemama]

That is a high BP for sure, but it could always be worse and stressing out over it will only make it go higher. Do some things to relax you (maybe a long bath, some gardening, or something). A lot of times people who are thin, and possibly going through "the change" have higher blood pressure. It's part and parcel to the whole hormonal changes thing. At least now you have a way to care for yourself, and there are tons of ways to treat high blood pressure.

*hugs* I hope it all works out for the best. Sounds like you have a lot of medical stress in your family right now and I wouldn't be surprised if that is part of why your BP is up. You'll get through this!

[nevadamoon]

Eep!  I hope treating it goes well!

In my family, low blood pressures are common.  My dad's is so low you wouldn't think his blood could still be pumping (And some of it is caused by the meds he has to take for his pacemaker/heart/other things) and mine is usually a bit on the low-side whenever it's checked, too.  I don't know if there is as much of a problem with low blood pressure as there is with high, but heart attacks tend to plague my family, even on younger people.  One of my aunts had 2 open heart surgeries before she was 50.   

[gromit]

Try not to worry.  The machines at pharmacies and in stores are fairly unreliable.  Also, if your BP is that high, it can be taken care of.

[Kimmiekins]

I can totally relate. My mom has stage III hypertension (finally controlled with medication after many years of it being seriously out of control - she's amazed and scared medical personnel!), my dad has pre-hypertension, and I found out in the last few years that I have uncontrolled high blood pressure (I don't have insurance, but I do have many health issues that land me in the ER, which is how I found out). My first thought was to freak out, but that, of course, makes it worse.

Keep in mind, as I think someone already said, that the machines you find in stores are not 100% accurate.

Try to relax, and see what the doctor says. There are meds you may be put on, no big deal. Take them, and monitor your BP to make sure they're working. If they are, you'll stay on that med, if not, there's plenty more to try. It's not a death sentence, though, and knowing is always best so you can regulate it. Uncontrolled BP is the worst, so it's good that you're getting it taken care of. In the meantime, look into ways to lower your stress... It is a factor in BP issues. Loosing weight is good, as well as watching your salt intake, smoking and not drinking too much alcohol.

[jn]

Try not to worry.  The machines at pharmacies and in stores are fairly unreliable.

That's what I was thinking. Here's to hoping that's all it is.

When I was pregnant with J, my bp always was very high, they kept telling me to watch it... but the day I went to the hospital, it was high in the office and perfectly fine at the hospital. Probably spent weeks worrying for nothing about that! When a different nurse did it with a different cuff, it was normal.  Ugh.

[RavenNC]

I had my Dr. visit today - the doctor was very nice and so were the people in the office.

Of course I felt pretty good today.  It's like when your car does something annoying and alarming, but stops as soon as you take it to the mechanic.  Still, my blood pressure was considerably higher than they like so they drew lots of blood and sent me home with samples of some meds.

Nexium for reflux.  We're pretty sure it won't work since what he thinks I have is a hiatal hernia, but it's the first step.  If it doesn't work then the next step is a scope.  Blech!  With my gag reflex that's going to be a real joy!

DiovanHCT for blood pressure and diaretic.  A whopping 320mg of the Diovan and 25 mg of the HCT part.  325 mg is the maximum recommended dose for Diovan.    I can't tell if that's because he's really worried or if it's just because that's what he had samples for.

What's really fun is that the DiovanHCT warns against becoming overheated or overexerting yourself in the heat - and my second job is at Lowe's hardware, where it pretty much stays hot.  I'm a cashier, so I don't do a LOT of heavy lifting, but I do have to move 50lb bags of stuff around and then there's the sweeping and mopping and such at the end of the night that usually has me good and sweaty.  I'll have to make sure I take a LOT of water bottles!

[Rattiemama]

Staying well hydrated is a big help with hypertension anyway. Really with any medical condition. I'm glad your doc is helping you out. A lot of times dosages depend on your height and weight, and may start off higher to get things in control and then adjust as necessary. As for the scope, they give you a whole lot of good drugs before doing that, so not only will you not remember much, but your gag reflex won't be too much of a problem. Good luck! I hope you and your doc can get everything running smoothly again!