I came back to my cardiologist again last Wednesday after I had hypertension. She told me to come back after a month of medications and blood checkup. I was actually getting ready for another blood test but I was in for a surprise. It didn’t happen. As usual, she checked my blood pressure, listened to my chest and my back, and asked some questions how I was feeling since I last visited her. And her findings? She said I was back to normal. Last March 1, I suddenly got dizzy while driving along the expressway! I was not just driving routinely. I was actually driving fast attempting to overtake a car when it suddenly happened for the first time in my life! I had hypertension.
Thankfully, I still managed to park the car at the right shoulder of the road. The doctor said my blood pressure was now fine and she said I no longer need go through another blood test. Maybe after a month, she will check my hypertension once again.
She reduced my daily medicine intake and asked me to continue observing myself for anything. My wife and I went out of the doctor’s clinic joyful! Thanking God. A great feeling to know I’m well back again.
Hypertension: Learning Lessons
I did learn a lot of lessons though from this experience–a maturing experience. As the saying goes, regrets come last. First lesson: “Just do it!” Do not delay. Have the willpower to do what ought to be done! Yes, that’s right. I’m talking about exercise. My wife and I knew we were at an age–we are both over 50 now–where exercise is a must to maintain good health. With good intentions, we bought quite an expensive–for us, very expensive!–treadmill so we can exercise even inside our home. That was some 6 years ago. I must admit, I seldom used it for all those 6 years! It’s different now. I now exercise everyday and I use this expensive thing that we bought daily now–finally!
Visit The Doctor!
Second lesson learned is: Have yourself checked by the doctor regularly! For whatever reason, I never liked to have a physical checkup and for maybe some 15 years or more–I’m guessing now–I never had myself checked up. I should have done it long ago! Lesson learned. Now, I’m happy that I just had a forced checkup because of what happened to me.
Some 5 years or so ago, I actually learned already that I already had hypertension. My blood pressure was slightly above the normal level already. “Border line,” the student nurse told me. I realized that it meant something bad but never really took the effort to visit the doctor to find out what I needed to do! I always said to myself, “I don’t feel anything. I’m OK.” Until it suddenly happened to me at the expressway! All those years of disregard for my slightly higher blood pressure! I did not know that my heart was overworking–exerting more effort to pump blood than normal for all those years! Now I know. My cardiologist told me. Regrets do come last. Lesson learned.
Lifestyle Change
Another lifestyle change has just happened to me–a maturing experience. My wife and I had always been careful about our diet but we are even more mindful now about what we eat. Of course, I don’t hope to live forever in this physical body. I have a slightly enlarged heart at this time and I realize that my dad and my younger brother both died of heart problems. But this enlarged heart condition (left side only) can be “reversed”–not a permanent condition–if given proper care, the doctor assured me.
But the lesson has been learned. I should take even more care of my body even as I grow older and knowing that some parts of my body are not as good as it was when I was younger then. I thank the Lord for his guidance and loving care as I went through–and will go through–this personal health ordeal. Thank you Lord, you will always take care of me.