Diabetes Diary, Part 6
“No More Rationalizations”
For some reason, I get nervous during doctor’s visits. Typically, right before my blood pressure is taken, my heart starts racing. I don’t know why this happens, but usually the nurse asks me if I’m nervous; I say, yes; and he or she re-takes my blood pressure. The second blood-pressure check is usually much better than the first, and there’s no more discussion about it. But that wasn’t the case when I recently visited my endocrinologist.
During the visit, he pronounced that I have high blood pressure. “No, I’m borderline,” I protested—due, of course, to the nervousness I experience during exams.
He looked at me expressionlessly and said (while writing me a prescription for irbesartan-hydrochlorothiazed): “Borderline is high blood pressure for a diabetic.”
The fact that I “officially” have high blood pressure still hasn’t sunk in—even though I’ve been taking a daily dose of the 150-mg, peach-colored pill for nearly two weeks. I rationalized that were I not a diabetic, I wouldn’t be considered hypertensive. (Isn’t the mind a funny thing?)
But here’s the reality, per HealthSquare.com: My new combination medication treats high blood pressure. One of its components prevents angiotensin II, a hormone, from constricting the blood vessels. The other component, a diuretic, removes excess fluid from the body, and thereby, lowers blood pressure.
Pretty serious, I thought. My pharmacist confirmed that it is, in fact, serious, when she attached an “urgent” note to the prescription bottle—which she’s never done—stressing the dire consequences of noncompliance. This—in addition to the baby-blue warning-stickers on the bottle—got my attention. Now that I’m among the 60 percent of diabetics with high blood pressure, I plan on being the perfect pill-popper—lest my pharmacist’s dire consequences get me. In other words, I plan on taking this new med every day as directed to avoid heart disease, stroke, hardened arteries or heart failure.
Then, I ran across this tidbit from WebMD’s “Diabetes: High Blood Pressure” article, and I ceased musing about having “borderline” hypertension: “Even high yet normal blood pressure or pre-hypertension (defined as 120-139/ 80-89) impacts your health. Studies show that people with normal yet high range blood pressure readings, over a 10 year period of follow up time, had a two to three fold increased risk of heart disease.”
Enough said.
Until next time,
Nicole Crawford-Tichawonna
Contributing Editor
For some reason, I get nervous during doctor’s visits. Typically, right before my blood pressure is taken, my heart starts racing. I don’t know why this happens, but usually the nurse asks me if I’m nervous; I say, yes; and he or she re-takes my blood pressure. The second blood-pressure check is usually much better than the first, and there’s no more discussion about it. But that wasn’t the case when I recently visited my endocrinologist.
During the visit, he pronounced that I have high blood pressure. “No, I’m borderline,” I protested—due, of course, to the nervousness I experience during exams.
He looked at me expressionlessly and said (while writing me a prescription for irbesartan-hydrochlorothiazed): “Borderline is high blood pressure for a diabetic.”
The fact that I “officially” have high blood pressure still hasn’t sunk in—even though I’ve been taking a daily dose of the 150-mg, peach-colored pill for nearly two weeks. I rationalized that were I not a diabetic, I wouldn’t be considered hypertensive. (Isn’t the mind a funny thing?)
But here’s the reality, per HealthSquare.com: My new combination medication treats high blood pressure. One of its components prevents angiotensin II, a hormone, from constricting the blood vessels. The other component, a diuretic, removes excess fluid from the body, and thereby, lowers blood pressure.
Pretty serious, I thought. My pharmacist confirmed that it is, in fact, serious, when she attached an “urgent” note to the prescription bottle—which she’s never done—stressing the dire consequences of noncompliance. This—in addition to the baby-blue warning-stickers on the bottle—got my attention. Now that I’m among the 60 percent of diabetics with high blood pressure, I plan on being the perfect pill-popper—lest my pharmacist’s dire consequences get me. In other words, I plan on taking this new med every day as directed to avoid heart disease, stroke, hardened arteries or heart failure.
Then, I ran across this tidbit from WebMD’s “Diabetes: High Blood Pressure” article, and I ceased musing about having “borderline” hypertension: “Even high yet normal blood pressure or pre-hypertension (defined as 120-139/ 80-89) impacts your health. Studies show that people with normal yet high range blood pressure readings, over a 10 year period of follow up time, had a two to three fold increased risk of heart disease.”
Enough said.
Until next time,
Nicole Crawford-Tichawonna
Contributing Editor
posted by heart&soulmate @ 9:56 PM
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