Tuesday, August 12, 2008

High Blood Pressure Tomato Head

That's a phrase that the Evil Twin and his Air Force roommate made up to define someone who was really jacked up (mad, angry, upset, etc.). And that's the way I feel most of the time, only I'm not necessarily mad, angry or upset - it's more anxiety related with me.

Although one of the other three might be hiding in there without my knowledge.

So, the doctor recommended that I buy my very own blood pressure thingy doo to have at home. I found one on Amazon for a good price and ordered it.

It arrived later yesterday afternoon and I set it up and sampled it. My systolic pressure was fine, but the diastolic was high. Which is where I was at last week when I visited the doctor.

I rolled out of bed this morning and did the blood pressure thing. 135/96. Holy shit! That was upon, literally, stumbling out of bed and down the hall.

I waited about a half an hour and did it again. By that time, the numbers were both lower, but still too high on the diastolic end.

I'll take it again here in a few hours and see if my anxiety meds have kicked in to lower it or if I might actually have a problem.

I always thought only heavy people had high blood pressure issues. At 5 foot 9, I weighed in at 126.5 this morning. That is not heavy. In fact, I am underweight according to the charts on "how much you should weigh" at X height. But, I am small-boned, so there is just no way I could carry 140 pounds on my frame.

So, in talking to my doc, he says that HBP can be hereditary or just one of those things. Crap. I seem to be the "just one of those things" type people.

I already take one baby aspirin a day because I have a blood clotting disorder that makes me at a higher risk of stroke and/or heart attack. I have MS. And, I have anxiety issues that make me jumpier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest.

I am not even going to ask, "What next?" because we all know that no good will ever come of that! Sheesh!

Ah, the joys of getting older.

Stay tuned - up next: news about my goiter or bursitis! LOL.

22 comments:

  1. Hey, I'll jump in with you wholeheartedly and add plantar faciitis!

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  2. Don't forget the "touch of cyatica"... don't all old people have that? :)

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  3. Strangely as a heftier person and owning a blood pressure monitor myself I almost always land around 120/70 without baby aspirin. But then again I make up for it with the weight and diabetes, LOL. It's always something.

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  4. It's "sciatica," and yes, I have it. I blame the kids -- I started having it when I was pregnant because I have a really short torso and the baby was smooshing my sciatic nerve. It used to only happen when I was preggo... but now I'm just past 30 and BAM! Hello, sciatica. Good times.

    Anyhoo... get that blood pressure down, sista! Nothing will eff you up like high blood pressure! Take care of yourself!

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  5. Don't forget - as we age, the BP goes up whether we want it to or not. Stupid effing aging, anyhow.

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  6. My high blood pressure surfaced when I was at my thinnest. It's not a heavy person's disease -- please keep an eye on it. I ended up in ICU about 4 years ago -- NOT something I ever want to go through again.

    Good luck!

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  7. Commenters are right. It's not necessarily an old person's nor an overweight person's disease. In fact, I think it has a lot more to do with heredity than with anything else. but please do be sure to keep an eye on it!

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  8. My advice? Drink red wine. :-)

    I moderation, of course.

    Preferably while in a hammock.

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  9. Janis - that's one I hope to avoid!

    NCP - yep, I forgot about the sciatica. I didn't even get that when pregnant.

    Ron - we make a fun "know your medical facts" team.

    Rebecca - I hope to monitor it for a bit and see if meds are truly necessary. If they are, I will take them.

    Tiff - what is up with that? I feel about 15!

    wordnerd - thanks for the head's up.

    MtnLaurel - Oh, thanks to my trusty BP machine, you better believe I'll be watching it. I'm a tad obsessive....

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  10. K - I didn't drink last night and that must be why it's high today! Der, me. LOL.

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  11. I just started with the high-ish blood pressure thing recently too!

    I think its cuz we're so sexy.

    We should have a red wine-check your BP party. In hammocks. While ordering shoes online.

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  12. My blood pressure has always been fantastic. I was actually just informed that I am what they call 'super-preferred' for our new life insurance plan. Pretty Cool. My BP may be stellar, but I am also a party to the plantar fasciitis and sciatica club - yuck!

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  13. Oh yah, babe. Middle age is kick my ass too.

    I've got more wrong with me all at once than I ever thought would go wrong in a lifetime.

    xoxo to ya

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  14. I'm on BP pills as well. It seems to do the job with one drawback: I drink half a lake a day. Damn cotton-mouth. I'm told I'll eventually adjust and all will be well. If not, then the prophecy of Waterworld will come true.

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  15. Oh! Oh! My goiter can trade war stories with your goiter, and I'll see all you sciatica and plantar faciitis folks and raise you a scoliosis. My BP used to always be really low, like lower than the docs liked. Now, even with meds I'm lucky if it sees low.

    I find hating all the people in the world at least 5 times a day helps to keep mine lower. Really, that's what's kept me happy.

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  16. Laura - your place or mine?

    Gigi - I guess we all have our "things".

    T - thanks, but it could always be worse. (ACK. I shouldn't say that!)

    Catscratch - I refuse to acknowledge I'm getting older. Let's do that together, kay?

    Brad - goodness gracious, if I drink more water than I already do, I might float away.

    BB- I don't really have a goiter, but it sounds funny. I probably just jinxed myself.

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  17. I need to lose about 15 pounds, but I'm not fat. My BP is higher since I took Vioxx 4 years ago.

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  18. It really is always something new. Today, it's my arthritis thanks to the rain. :)

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  19. Air Force roommate? I wish women would start kicking the shit out of their men and kids that want to fight wars, just not let them do that, stay home and take care of business there like they are supposed to do.

    I don't think this world will ever be peaceful until women start doing that, like a mother makes her kids behave. Men are frigging idiots, women need to start kicking their asses.

    5' 9" ? So am I, a trim 165 and 33 inch waist, may I have this dance? Oh, wait, you're married, well, a spirit can dream.

    I don't worry much about my health, have something wrong with me but not in any real pain and I hide what is there so that others don't see it.

    Doctors don't have a clue what is wrong with me and I really don't give a crap. I'm still strong and will likely be active right up until a few days before or at my death.

    I think that my dying will be nothing more than the last interesting thing I blog about.

    Not to show any disrespect to E.E. Cummings but what you carry in your heart for someone else is their spirit.

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  20. kenju - isn't that lovely?

    Honeywine - you got that right.

    BBC - The Evil Twin joined the military of his own free will. He was damn near 30 when he did, so I doubt his mom had any say in it.

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  21. I have had HBP for decades...it is heredity in my case for the most part, but I added to the problem with too many fats in my diet and now have a cholesterol problem too. try not to get too excited about it....the more you take your measurements the higher it will go.

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