High Blood Pressure

When I was a child, my grandmother told me about the miracle of modern medicine. How high blood pressure medicine had helped her, but unfortunately, not before it had damaged her heart.

About three years ago, I started having high blood pressure myself. In fact, it had been creeping up for a few years, and it reached the danger point in February 2007, I started feeling bad, and found my blood pressure had topped 206/107. Our family doctor had died a few months prior, and hadn't left a successor, so here I was with high blood pressure, and only my allergy doctor to help me. I ended up in the emergency room, but other than a little monitoring, and pronouncing me all right, they refused to give me any medicine, because the doctor needed to monitor me. And my first appointment with a new family doctor was still a month away. Fortunately, my mother-in-law's cardiologist agreed to take me as a patient, and a few months later, my blood pressure was under control.

It's possible to have high blood pressure with no symptoms, so it's important to test your pressure regularly. Once the blood pressure is under control, it's still a wise policy to keep a daily record of your blood pressure. Some people cease their blood pressure medicine after a few months, and that can lead to trouble. So, when you return to the doctor, the doctor's happier if you have daily readings for him to study.

Also, more than once I've found my blood pressure creeping upward, and reported it to the doctor, so he could adjust my medicine. Something, I couldn't have done if I hadn't been keeping an eye on the numbers. I ask myself, did I take my medicine today? If I've also tested my blood pressure, and it's low, it's a pretty good bet, I've also taken my medicine. I also have my medicine sorted into a weekly planner with 14 slots. So, it makes it much easier to keep track of, than just taking the medicine out of the bottle.

About six months ago, I asked the doctor to change my remaining name brand prescription to a generic one. And he did so, but with the order that I make sure I'm really diligent about taking my blood pressure each day, because sometimes changing medicine can cause the controlled blood pressure to return to uncontrolled.

Healthy blood pressure numbers have changed. Anything under 120/80 is considered normal. 120/80 to 135/85-139/89 is considered borderline (my doctor wants mine under 135/85 90% of the time), and anything above that is considered high. For diabetics, the numbers must be even lower. It's my understanding that if the patient is in the borderline range, you can get your blood pressure down with lifestyle changes (diet and exercises). But with blood pressure as high as mine was, patients will need medicine.

Do you know your blood pressure numbers?