“You’re pregnant.”
Grim-faced the nurse and physician’s assistant walked in the room announcing to me that I was now about to usher in the second coming of Jesus.
That’s impossible, I told them.
What Brings You to the ER Today?
I’d come in because my blood pressure was dangerously high and the walk-in clinic was not prepared to handle what was either happening or in the process of happening.
Chest pains after two blood pressure readings and dizzy for a week, it was beginning to look like either a stroke or heart attack. I’d pushed through it all week because there was a lot going on and I just didn’t have time to be down. After waking up this past Friday, having pushed it to the back for a full seven days, it was so intense that I told myself if I could just get through my schedule today I’d call the doctor.
My tele-health doctor said to go to our network walk-in, and they sent me to the ER.
Funny thing is, when covering the opening of the new hospital a few weeks ago, I never expected to be back so soon, certainly not in this capacity. The cool thing about it (yes, I’m always looking for the silver lining) was getting to see how everything was operating in the new location. Pristine rooms, new equipment – the latest in technology, food service, and a room with a sunset view. I got to watch the echocardiogram of my heart beating, slide into the bowels of the MRI machine, and experience the warm sensation of the CT scan’s contrast.
What did they find? Well, Dorothy does have a heart and a brain after all, and both are functioning as expected. Honest, after years of fast food, no exercise and living like an American, I expected some really bad news. Besides having uncontrolled blood pressure for the past year+, all my stuff is in really good shape.
But.
Welcome to The Crossroads.
There’s a family history of stroke and heart attack. And what that means is, this was a wake-up call. You know, that sign a person can either pay attention to or ignore before things start to go downhill? I’ve known this day was coming and kept putting it off for a number of reasons. First off, I don’t want to have to take medication. It’s like being tethered. Secondly, I don’t want to go exercise because it eats up valuable hours of my day. It was easy to pretend it’s not happening by ignoring it and that’s what I’ve been doing.
I debated on whether or not to share the wake-up call, but maybe it will help someone else.
Maybe you, reading this, will say you know what? I do need to get that weird thing that’s been happening checked out. The cardiologist was pretty clear. Managing it now keeps heart, kidney, and other organ damage from happening.
And besides, I still have plans to make it into the Smucker’s 100 Club.
What Now?
So, now you’ll see me out there exercising, sharing healthy recipes and advocating for blood pressure checks. If it can help save one person’s life then it’s ok. High blood pressure can happen at any age, not just when you’re old. If you don’t know your baseline, it’s a good idea to get a physical.
I want to give a huge shoutout to the team at AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway. They were so nice and professional. Thank you for taking care of me, and which ever kid was chillin’ with me. You made the situation less scary, and that’s what matters.
And just for the record, no I’m not pregnant. The test and my bloodwork gave a false positive. But thinking they were teasing me before having to give me some really bad news in the ER, was priceless. We all had a good laugh about it. People in the medical field might be able to guess why that test flagged positive, but that’s a story for another day.
For more information on high blood pressure and the warning signs, please visit:
https://www.adventhealth.com/blog/high-blood-pressure-causes-symptoms-and-management
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/condition/high-blood-pressure/hp-high-blood-pressure
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/symptoms-causes/syc-20373410
