High blood pressure!

[Scott Dolan]

Just a public service message to anyone either new to dealing with high blood pressure, or who may get diagnosed with it in the future. 

DO NOT EVER let your blood pressure medication run out! 

I’m not sure if this applies equally depending on the reasons behind the HBP, or not. In my case it is strictly genetic. At 48 y.o. I’m 5’11” 180lbs. I eat incredibly healthy, and work out almost daily. For my age, I’m the picture of good health, though admittedly not a pretty picture...

Last Wednesday I foolishly let my medication run out. Hey, I’m healthy! I can handle it! By Friday I was leaving work early to go see my doctor, whose nurse found my BP to be 180/100. Of course, my doctor yelled at me in the kindest way that she could, and lectured me about letting my meds lapse because it can make bringing it back under control that much more difficult. 

Indeed.

The next evening I spent seven hours in the ER, which I checked into with a spiraling out of control BP that was 246/132 at admission. No, that is not a typo.

Folks, I’m not going to lie. I was almost completely convinced I was going to die that night. 

While I realize that may have been neither celebrated nor grieved here, I did want to pass on my experience to anyone that it could possibly help. I feel like I’m playing with house money now. I hope no one else here ever reaches that point. Especially over such a horrendously stupid and irresponsible decision. 

[JSngry]

Seriously good advice about a deathly serious subject. No jokes here. 246/132...you should be dead from that, right? House money indeed!

I don’t know how this applies across the board, but my pharmacy offers “ loaner” supplies for situations like this. That was the determining factor in our decion to go back to local from mail order. We pay just a teeeeeeeency bit more, but there’s no substitute for having help literally just around the corner in of this need. Life happens, and even if you have auto-refill, that doesn’t apply to every drug all the time, and yeah...you take the medicine because you need whether you remember that or not. Allow me to be a witness to that.

Take care of yourself, and thanks for putting this out there. It matters.

[Simon Weil]

There can be psychological factors at play. One can have some self-destructive bug within oneself.

[Dan Gould]

My mother (just turned 83) has had high blood pressure for a long time - on medication, never in my opinion "stabilized".  But she doesn't take it very seriously.  She's also terrible about taking the medication that's prescribed. The annoying thing was that when she had gallbladder issues earlier this year and had to be admitted, with their regular administration of the drugs, she was stable and consistent the whole time she was hospitalized.

To connect this to your situation, Scott, a month or two ago she mentioned in passing that she had taken her BP and it was 190. Freaked my sister out.  Mom's approach was, I'll check it again later today and see where it is.  I did some googling and told her she was on the cusp of what I'll call a Severe BP Event (tm).  Yours, on the other hand, definitely qualifies as SBPE.  Glad you're stable and back on the beam.

(Mom's BP was closer to normal the next time she checked. But its still not very stable because when I am there I will hear that it was low (at least she knows not to do very much under those circumstances) and then its high again. Like I said, not controlled by medication but she won't take it regularly or follow up. She's 83 so I guess we're playing with house money anyway.)

[Brad]

You would have been missed and thank goodness it didn't come to that!

[Scott Dolan]

2 hours ago, JSngry said:

Seriously good advice about a deathly serious subject. No jokes here. 246/132...you should be dead from that, right? House money indeed!

And that, my friend, is no bullshit. And a fact of life I will never take lightly. That was a weapons-grade wake up call. 

 

2 hours ago, Simon Weil said:

There can be psychological factors at play. One can have some self-destructive bug within oneself.

This is actually spot on. Looking back, I actually brought a lot of it on myself this Saturday. I went to bed the night before with my BP elevated, so come Saturday morning I became obssessed with it and was taking it every half hour. So every time I took it my anxiety went up, and then my BP went up. Rinse and repeat throughout the day until I’d finally had enough when it reached 199/116.

Oddly enough, I’ve been using CBD to keep my anxiety under control for the last several months. But that day was even beyond what CBD could do for me. 

1 hour ago, Dan Gould said:

 

To connect this to your situation, Scott, a month or two ago she mentioned in passing that she had taken her BP and it was 190. Freaked my sister out.  Mom's approach was, I'll check it again later today and see where it is.  I did some googling and told her she was on the cusp of what I'll call a Severe BP Event (tm).  Yours, on the other hand, definitely qualifies as SBPE.  Glad you're stable and back on the beam.

Here’s the “funny” part about that. As I said above, I did a lot of that to myself BECAUSE I freaked out and was obssessing. So as weird and counter-intuitive as it sounds, your mother likely used the exact approach that she should have. Not easy though, right? Silent killer, strokes, heart attacks, and all that we’re taught about the dangers of high BP.  

When I was in the ER, the doctor and nurses made it all seem like, “ho hum, no big deal, we got this”. They didn’t lord or fret over me as though time was running out. My wife at one point asked me how they could be so calm throughout all of it. But at the same time, it helped me calm down a little. Though not a lot, I will admit. 

My doctor even told me today during my follow up to just take my BP once a day. If it was really high, eh, take it again in the evening. 

Tough concept to follow, but it sounds like your mother has it down pat. I certainly hope she’s with you and your family for many, many years to come! 

4 minutes ago, Brad said:

You would have been missed and thank goodness it didn't come to that!

That’s incredibly kind, brother. Thank you.  

[Simon Weil]

42 minutes ago, Scott Dolan said:

Looking back, I actually brought a lot of it on myself this Saturday. I went to bed the night before with my BP elevated, so come Saturday morning I became obssessed with it and was taking it every half hour. So every time I took it my anxiety went up, and then my BP went up. Rinse and repeat throughout the day until I’d finally had enough when it reached 199/116.

Oddly enough, I’ve been using CBD to keep my anxiety under control for the last several months. But that day was even beyond what CBD could do for me. 

You probably need to go and talk to someone professional (i.e. therapeutic). Just to give yourself  emotional space so you can let some of the anxiety out. That would be my instinctive response.

[Hardbopjazz]

Never run out of BP medication. That is the gospel truth. I hit  241/137 while on mine.  The nurse practitioner at my doctor's office said, "let's monitor your pressure. Come back in a week" I was still hit those numbers.  ended up finding myself a new doctor. My medications weren't working for me anymore. The new medication is working very well. Losartan/Hctz  12mg a day along with Metoprolo Tartrate 50 mg twice a day, Metoprolo I was already taking. I was taking lisinopril 40 mg a day. During the week I was monitoring, I double to 80 mg a day.  That did nothing to help. 

[Scott Dolan]

11 minutes ago, Simon Weil said:

You probably need to go and talk to someone professional (i.e. therapeutic). Just to give yourself  emotional space so you can let some of the anxiety out. That would be my instinctive response.

Yeah, that’ll never work. I’m Irish. 

But as I said, I’ve had the anxiety completely under control with CBD. This situation was just a bad confluence of letting my BP meds lapse, and letting my imagination run away with me. Since my high BP is genetic, the anxiety was but a small aggravator. 

Truth be told, I lead one of the most stress free lives imaginable. I think that’s why I lost my grip on the situation. Like everything in life, practice makes perfect. And I “fortunately” have little practice dealing with that level of stress. 

7 minutes ago, Hardbopjazz said:

Never run out of BP medication. That is the gospel truth. I hit  241/137 while on mine.  The nurse practitioner at my doctor's office said, "let's monitor your pressure. Come back in a week" I was still hit those numbers.  ended up finding myself a new doctor. My medications weren't working for me anymore. The new medication is working very well. Losartan/Hctz  12mg a day along with Metoprolo Tartrate 50 mg twice a day, Metoprolo I was already taking. I was taking lisinopril 40 mg a day. During the week I was monitoring, I double to 80 mg a day.  That did nothing to help. 

I received my third medication today. So now I’m on Lisinopril 40mg, HCTZ 25mg, and now Norvasc. Seems to be doing the trick. Took my BP at 4pm and it was 136/91. Diastolic is still a bit high, but that’s the best reading I’ve had in months. 

And that nurse practitioner should be reported to the state for her actions. She should have had you on an ambulance ASAP with pressures reading that high! 

[mjzee]

Why is all this high blood pressure happening?  Is it just age?

[Justin V]

You guys have reminded me that I should probably get a physical.  With 40 a few short years away and my last physical having occurred an embarrassingly long time in the past, I should make an appointment.

[Simon Weil]

1 hour ago, Scott Dolan said:

1 hour ago, Simon Weil said:

You probably need to go and talk to someone professional (i.e. therapeutic). Just to give yourself  emotional space so you can let some of the anxiety out. That would be my instinctive response.

Yeah, that’ll never work. I’m Irish. 

But as I said, I’ve had the anxiety completely under control with CBD. This situation was just a bad confluence of letting my BP meds lapse, and letting my imagination run away with me. Since my high BP is genetic, the anxiety was but a small aggravator. 

Truth be told, I lead one of the most stress free lives imaginable. I think that’s why I lost my grip on the situation. Like everything in life, practice makes perfect. And I “fortunately” have little practice dealing with that level of stress. 

Look Scott, I don't want you dying out of this. I've got to be straight with you - ever since you did that attack on me, my instinctive response has been "This guy is an accident waiting to happen".  

[erwbol]

I'm sorry to hear this, Scott. Get well soon.

[Scott Dolan]

8 hours ago, mjzee said:

Why is all this high blood pressure happening?  Is it just age?

IIRC, the statistic is that 1 in 3 people have, or will have high blood pressure. 

I also feel like the fast food age played a big role. It’ll be interesting to see if the new movement towards healthier eating eventually changes the numbers. 

There will always be folks like myself who have it passed on genetically, but I seriously doubt we’re the majority. 

3 hours ago, erwbol said:

I'm sorry to hear this, Scott. Get well soon.

Thanks, I’m honestly working on it. 

[Brad]

11 hours ago, Scott Dolan said:

That’s incredibly kind, brother. Thank you.  

We’re all part of a big community here. Don’t want anything bad happening to anyone. 

I’ve been lucky in that my BP has always been low. 

9 hours ago, Justin V said:

You guys have reminded me that I should probably get a physical.  With 40 a few short years away and my last physical having occurred an embarrassingly long time in the past, I should make an appointment.

It’s good to have them every couple of years. 

And don't forget when you turn 50 — a long way off for you — to have a colonoscopy, which should be repeated every four or five years. 

[JSngry]

Anybody else been prescribed a diuretic to control blood pressure? I thought it odd, but it works. Gets excess water out of your tissue, which in turn lessens the pressure on the veins, which in turn lowers the blood pressure.

[Scott Dolan]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

Anybody else been prescribed a diuretic to control blood pressure? I thought it odd, but it works. Gets excess water out of your tissue, which in turn lessens the pressure on the veins, which in turn lowers the blood pressure.

Yes, I was prescribed HCTZ by the ER doctor that treated me. 

 

1 hour ago, Brad said:

We’re all part of a big community here. Don’t want anything bad happening to anyone. 

I’ve been lucky in that my BP has always been low. 

It’s good to have them every couple of years. 

And don't forget when you turn 50 — a long way off for you — to have a colonoscopy, which should be repeated every four or five years. 

I agree with all of this! Pretty much all insurance companies pay for annual wellness checks. There is really no logical reason not to take advantage of that. 

[Hardbopjazz]

14 hours ago, Scott Dolan said:

Yeah, that’ll never work. I’m Irish. 

But as I said, I’ve had the anxiety completely under control with CBD. This situation was just a bad confluence of letting my BP meds lapse, and letting my imagination run away with me. Since my high BP is genetic, the anxiety was but a small aggravator. 

Truth be told, I lead one of the most stress free lives imaginable. I think that’s why I lost my grip on the situation. Like everything in life, practice makes perfect. And I “fortunately” have little practice dealing with that level of stress. 

I received my third medication today. So now I’m on Lisinopril 40mg, HCTZ 25mg, and now Norvasc. Seems to be doing the trick. Took my BP at 4pm and it was 136/91. Diastolic is still a bit high, but that’s the best reading I’ve had in months. 

And that nurse practitioner should be reported to the state for her actions. She should have had you on an ambulance ASAP with pressures reading that high! 

After I switch doctors I called my old doctor and told her what occurred. The doctor said she would look into the mater. 

[Brad]

5 hours ago, Scott Dolan said:

Yes, I was prescribed HCTZ by the ER doctor that treated me. 

 

I agree with all of this! Pretty much all insurance companies pay for annual wellness checks. There is really no logical reason not to take advantage of that. 

I had a friend — and I emphasize had — who was supposed to have a colonoscopy and kept putting it off. Unfortunately, he started to feel ill and by the time he saw the doctor it was too late; he passed away a few months later. Had he not put it off, he might still be around today. It was very preventable— and very sad. 

[CJ Shearn]

I have moderately high BP myself, it's genetic, both sides, so I take it every day.  I am glad you are recovering Scott because you've given me different perspectives on free improvisation, which is a good thing.

[Scott Dolan]

1 hour ago, Brad said:

I had a friend — and I emphasize had — who was supposed to have a colonoscopy and kept putting it off. Unfortunately, he started to feel ill and by the time he saw the doctor it was too late; he passed away a few months later. Had he not put it off, he might still be around today. It was very preventable— and very sad. 

 

That's really saddening to hear. And yes, I'm not afraid to say that "it's a male thing". We think we are invincible, that we don't need no stinkin' doctors, or medications. Been there, done that. Spent seven hours in the ER as a result of showing just how "invincible" I was...

I'm very sorry to hear about your friend, Brad. I'm sure he was otherwise a very intelligent and thoughtful person. It's too bad that we can't somehow, collectively, overcome our pretensions. If we could, I'd think we'd all live far longer. I got INCREDIBLY lucky. He didn't. I hope his fate informs all those who knew him so that they think twice about putting things off. 

19 minutes ago, CJ Shearn said:

I have moderately high BP myself, it's genetic, both sides, so I take it every day.  I am glad you are recovering Scott because you've given me different perspectives on free improvisation, which is a good thing.

Shit, brother! I've given YOU different perspectives?! Give me a fucking break! 

Compared to you, I have ZERO perspective on pretty much ANYTHING in this life! 

I mean, I truly appreciate the kind words, but when I get anywhere near the things you have dealt with in life I'll give you a call. Which I actually look forward to doing again, since it was such a effortless and enlightening conversation the last time we spoke. 

Seriously, keep up on your BP meds. You are the kind of people we need more of in this world. 

[CJ Shearn]

14 minutes ago, Scott Dolan said:

 

That's really saddening to hear. And yes, I'm not afraid to say that "it's a male thing". We think we are invincible, that we don't need no stinkin' doctors, or medications. Been there, done that. Spent seven hours in the ER as a result of showing just how "invincible" I was...

I'm very sorry to hear about your friend, Brad. I'm sure he was otherwise a very intelligent and thoughtful person. It's too bad that we can't somehow, collectively, overcome our pretensions. If we could, I'd think we'd all live far longer. I got INCREDIBLY lucky. He didn't. I hope his fate informs all those who knew him so that they think twice about putting things off. 

Shit, brother! I've given YOU different perspectives?! Give me a fucking break! 

Compared to you, I have ZERO perspective on pretty much ANYTHING in this life! 

I mean, I truly appreciate the kind words, but when I get anywhere near the things you have dealt with in life I'll give you a call. Which I actually look forward to doing again, since it was such a effortless and enlightening conversation the last time we spoke. 

Seriously, keep up on your BP meds. You are the kind of people we need more of in this world. 

Thanks man, I'll plan on it..   Well, I knew about free stuff, but not the depth of some of the stuff you have, the McPhee/Nillson Love stuff for example.  But for anything in life, including musical perspectives, everyone in life is a teacher to us.