So the EKG's have indicated that the elephant I felt sitting on my chest on Friday was not a heart attack. It looks like it was just a very high spike in blood pressure combined with bad indigestion (yay for stomach aches!). I still have to undergo a cardiac stress test and some blood tests, but this is the doctor saying he really thinks my heart is all right.
We are going to change the way my blood pressure is being addressed. Instead of taking a big-prescription pill every night, I am going to be taking my own blood pressure several times during the course of the day and taking a more mild prescription to assist.
The reason for this is that my blood pressure is something called "labile" which I guess means spikes up and down in a very responsive way to outside influences. I guess my previous doctor responded by just prescribing the biggest dose to address the worst of the spikes - but that meant I'v actually had very low blood pressure in between. This group wants me to be much more involved - taking measures when my blood pressure rises to relax, go for a walk, stay hydrated.
To give you an idea, my BP went from 120/98 to 140/110 in about 15 minutes this afternoon. The difference was the first was taken when I arrived, the second was taken just after my EKG and before I had the results.
So environmental changes like adding more excersize, continuing a healthy diet, and managing my priorities (God/work/family/self) in a more reasonable manner would actually make a huge difference for me.
I feel like I've just had a HUGE wake-up call.
1
Yay for wakeup calls! Hugely mo-better than heart attacks.
Posted by: Jim at June 14, 2005 12:34 PM (oqu5j)
2
Yeah, I so agree. This heart needs to get me many many more miles...
Posted by: Elizabeth at June 14, 2005 12:42 PM (qmWCO)
3
please please please take care of yourself.
Posted by: kalisah at June 14, 2005 01:42 PM (C7RFb)
4
Thank goodness it was just a wakeup call. I couldn't agree with Jim mo (see, even spelling like him).
Posted by: RP at June 14, 2005 02:25 PM (X3Lfs)
5
I'm just thankful they were able to figure out what happened. Now you can get an action plan together & implement immediately. Hmmm...too much project speak?
Posted by: Grace at June 15, 2005 12:47 AM (2NuSo)
6
WOW! How scary though!! Glad all is well with your ticker. Yay for doctor's who actually want to make a difference and not just "hope" a pill is a magic-cure-all pill.
Posted by: B at June 15, 2005 01:20 AM (TQHLW)
7
I'm so glad it wasn't a heart attack.
Will they still let you go ahead with the lap band? I bet losing some weight would solve your blood pressure problem altogether.
I hope the BP monitor they gave you is reliable. Some of those things are very persnickety about being on a level surface and absolutely not moving, or you can get wildly different results.
Posted by: notdonnareed at June 15, 2005 03:07 AM (82Da3)
8
P.S. Do you have a laptop? You could keep your BP down during the day by working on the couch with your feet up. That's what I did when I was pregnant, and I also had the labile (why does that sound like a dirty word?) BP. Keeping your feet up, drinking lots of water, and the occasional deep breath -- it really does help.
Posted by: notdonnareed at June 15, 2005 03:10 AM (82Da3)
9
I am glad it wasn't a heart attack. In a way you can say thank G-d for the elephant, it let you know there was something important to deal with before it became to severe.
Healing vibes coming your way.
Posted by: Rachel Ann at June 15, 2005 04:41 AM (Jgwqx)
10
Oh E...take care of yourself. That doesn't sound good.
I think I understand what you do though. I'm sensitive in much the same way but haven't had any health issues yet that I know about.
Posted by: Eyes for Lies at June 15, 2005 04:50 AM (QhI+Z)
11
I hope the new regime helps Elizabeth,
thinking of you,
abs x
Posted by: abs at June 15, 2005 05:38 AM (iEAiS)
12
I never had high blood pressure except when I was pregnant, when I had preeclampsia and was on bed rest for almost a month. But I found that my blood pressure would go up that much just in going from a lying-down to a standing-up position. Were you in the same position both times it was measured?
Posted by: ElizabethN at June 15, 2005 06:06 AM (ERU18)
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