Blood Pressure - Your Pressure is a Little High Today

My husband and I went to our yearly Health Dynamics Exam. You get tested for several hours on different things. First you fast. Then, you check in. Then, you make sure your paperwork is complete. They take the paperwork. Then, you have to pee in a cup, have your blood drawn, blood pressure taken, colon guard tests.

My day started with taking separate cars, since my hubbies dad needed to go to the doctor later that day, while I would still be getting tests done. I got there first, and tried to hand in our paperwork, but, he needed to sign his medical release form. He wasn't there yet. So, mine complete, I had to pee. Didn't know how long it would take to get seen, since I was way early. Was going to use the bathroom, and he showed up. Back to paperwork guy.

Then, we took our seats, however; I went to the bathroom. No sooner had I sat down to wait, when they called our names. He questioned whether they had called his name as well, and they had. Does this raise blood pressure?

Then, we followed the nurse into a hallway, and there was a choice. Give blood or pee. So, he decided to give blood first, and I had to pee first. She said I could leave my belongings in the hall, but I had a bottle of water in my bag, which I needed now that I had already peed. Blood pressure rising again?

Then, I was sitting there trying to pee, and the little door kept clicking open and shut. Blood pressure rising again?

I was somewhat successful peeing, but missed the cup with some. I put the cup in the little door, and then, wandered back into the hall. He went to go pee, I went to have blood drawn.

Small room, unfamiliar people. Hang up coat, put purse on floor, bare arm. Nurse had problem with finding vein. First, left arm, no vein. Then, right arm, no vein. Back to left arm, maybe a vein. Blood pressure rising?

Needle in. Blood coming out for test tubes. Thank heavens.

Sit down. We were both handed a bag. Had water bottle, nut bar, and some reading material. She said to eat the bar, since we had fasted. I took a bite. She started asking me questions about the accuracy of my information on her screen. They had me stand up for my weight. My weight was 15 pounds higher than it was an hour ago at home. Blood pressure rising?

They took my blood pressure, and it was high. They excused it saying it was probably a mistake. Sometimes the machine isn't accurate. Then, one asked about my vaccinations, saying that they didn't have a record of any. Blood pressure rising.

Next test was for heart. Had a lot of little sticky strips applied to different spots of body. They tested for heart beat. Sticky strips were cold.

I noticed my last name was misspelled on their chart. I asked if that mattered since they go by birth date to find me. She didn't know. It didn't get changed. It was wrong last year, as well.

Then, breathing test. Last year, I had a cough and couldn't pass the test to save myself. Was told I had lungs of an 84 year old. This time, I passed their requirements.

Doctor came in. Unfamiliar doctor. Asked us a few questions. Seemed a little bit stern. Informed me my blood pressure was high. Had been high several times. Recommended pills to manage.

I protested that I didn't want to be on pills if my blood pressure was just high due to the circumstances. I was in an unfamiliar environment. I was scared. Doesn't that affect your blood pressure? He informed me that he didn't think that he was that scary.

You're right, sir. My blood pressure problem is all about you, isn't it? Blood pressure rising, again, probably.

He said he'd like to revisit at the end of the month. My hubby heard him say he'd prescribe pills. So, off we went. Expecting to pick up a prescription, somewhere. I wasn't sure if we'd get them, there, before we left the building, or at Walmart, where we normally get our prescriptions.

Next, was the treadmill and other physical tests room. Blood pressure test, high. A few raised eyebrows.

We had to take off our shoes and socks and stand on a body fat composition tester. Then, we had to sit down, and stand up, as many times as we could in a 30 second period of time. The first try, he did both of us, and told us to count our own ups and downs. I lost count. So did my hubby. So, we had to do the test again.

By the end of that, I was a little tired. Then, sit down and do neck bend test. Then, ankle bend test. Then, push ups. Then, plank hold. Then, treadmill. Minutes upon minutes on treadmill, walking uphill, with blood pressure cuff on left arm, which; kept falling off my arm.

After all of that, my blood pressure was falling. It was actually a bit lower than my hubbies, and a little lower than when I started.

We headed upstairs to billing room, where we were faced with two women who really didn't know what we needed to do. They took our paperwork, and asked us if we needed to keep some form. They ended up keeping it.

I was confused as to where my prescription was. My hubby said we'd probably hear from Walmart, and we left the building.

I needed to drive to a separate location for my mammogram. My hubby departed to go eat some food, and I head to my testing. The receptionists were out for lunch. i found that out, when I walked into the room, and there was nobody there. Then, I noticed the note on the door, that you couldn't read until you opened the door, since it was trapped between the doors, and it said I had to check in at a different desk. Then, I was instructed to wait outside the door. For safety purposes. Perhaps they thought I'd rifle through their papers.

At any rate, someone else came, and we went in the waiting room. I sat down, and waited for approximately 30 seconds, and a nurse called my name. She was fairly loud and introduced herself by first name, and I said it was nice to meet you. She poked my arm and said that she'd be getting to know me, more than I'd be getting to know her. Then, I was instructed to remove my shirt, bra, put a robe on and meet her in room number 2.

In room number two, she had a computer screen, and she asked me about my cyst or breast cancer. I was confused. Then, she turned around and said, it said on my chart that my sister had breast cancer. Oh, dear God! Here we go again, blood pressure rising. Then, I had to take off one arm of my robe, and then, the robe promptly fell off onto the floor. She asked if I wanted to put it back on, and I decided to hell with it, and left it on the floor.

She squashed both boobs, individually, in the machine, with the test. Put your boob here, lean forward, chin left, don't breathe.... okay breathe.

It's not pleasant.

I went and bought a new pair of Nike tennis shoes with the Fitsole insoles. My old pair was 5 years old and the heel was splitting open. This is what I had done my treadmill test in. Then, I got into my car, and my daughter called to find out how soon I was visiting her and their new baby.

I had a few things left on my list, so I sat there for a few minutes to talk with her. I even sent her a picture of my new shoes. A strange phone number appeared on my phone, calling me. I interrupted my phone call with her to answer. My mammogram was normal. I answered the phone, but lately, all I have been getting is telemarketers, so you just never know for sure.

Then, I noticed that the slip said I had paid $84 dollars for them. I thought that they were $69 dollars. Back into the store I went to question the discrepancy. Turned out that the boxes of shoes I grabbed from, were not aligned with the shoe that I saw the price on. So, $84 was the right price.

Perhaps, it's me.

Perhaps I need to stop trying to please my inner perfectionist. Maybe that inner voice and high bar is trying to kill me?

My mother in law had a blood pressure tester and cuff that she volunteered to let me use, to monitor my pressure. She has a pacemaker and at one time, she had to log her blood pressure.

At the moment, she wasn't using it, so she let me take it home.

The tester has a cuff that you place on your arm above your elbow. There is a mark that needs to align with your baby finger. You need to keep your arm straight, and you need to relax when you start the test.

I tried it out this morning, after my morning pee, before my morning coffee, and here is how it went. I even made up a log sheet, and found an app that tells me how I'm doing.

I put the cuff on my arm, and relaxed and pressed the button. My first test of the day, was a relaxed 111 over 75, pulse was 75.

Then, I drank my cup of coffee and my sister texted me. I was texting her and heard my hubby get up, briefly and use the bathroom. He went back to bed.

I did my blood pressure reading again, after I was done texting her.

My blood pressure had gone up. 134 over 83. My pulse was still 74. So, what do I make of this reading? I'm going to take it in a bit, after I pee. We'll see. It's been an hour since my last testing. 154 over 85, pulse 70.

My father once said that if someone would take on the things I go through, and go through them the same way I do, what would their blood pressure be like. He betted that they would not fare any better.

It's stressful thinking that I need to cope better, and my doctor seems to think I need pills to cope.

Perhaps I need to move to a deserted island, and live the rest of my days in complete isolation.

Once a day, I will take one tablet of Hydrochlorothiazide tablets. 25 mg. According to the pharmacist, I need to take one in the morning, preferably. Taking them at night will make me get up and disrupt my sleep. They will make me pee. I have to continue drinking water, as the fluid that these pills pull from my body, are not the water I am drinking, but from other areas in my body.

I have to be rechecked at the end of the month.