hi guys, though i am still a little weak and fatigue, i need to share this with you guys. I dedicate this blog, to high blood pressure. Having recently experiencing low b/p levels, i wanted to share my 20 years of struggling with high b/p levels vs. low b/p levels. My first encounter with high blood pressure, started way back in 1986, the year i had my premature daughter at a little under six months. I was prescribed aldomet, (a mild form of blood pressure controlling meds), though i developed preclampsia, during my almost six months of pregnancy, it was apparent that i had to have emergency c-section, because i was told that my baby had a far better chance of survival, than i did. A c-section had to be done, in order to save me. My daughter was born at 1 lb. 10 oz. After she was delivered, they immediately started working on me, with very strong meds, that would have killed my baby. To make a long story short, i have been on b/p controlling meds, since then. Though through the years of my life on dialysis, i have had my bouts with low as well as high b/p levels. I remember when i was first diagnosed with ESRD (End Stage Renal Disease), in turn mean Stage 5, dialysis was the end result, i was promptly put on a more stronger b/p controlling med, and i remain on this med, under the care of a wonderful neph (Dr. John Weaver), he would always get angry at something that i would share with him, let it be about a new med or the way things are done in the unit, he would never say a swear word, but he would always say witchcraft, and i knew exactly what he meant, it was a substitute for a curse word (lol). Well a few years later, kaiser decides to assign a neph to the unit, and i had no other choice, but to make this transition, since i had kaiser insurance as my secondary insurance plan. i wasn't too pleased with this, since i could never seem to reach my kaiser neph most of the time. I loved the convenience of having my neph, housed in the very same building i was having hemo treatment. Now, when i was transfered to the kaiser neph, she changed my b/p med, and that is when i started having my saga with high blood pressure, she had me on two different b/p meds, and it proved to not be the right b/p meds, to help in controlling my b/p. I could remember it as though it happen just yesterday, i was at her office for a checkup, and when the nurse took my vitals, she discovered that my b/p was quite elevated, though i was having a very severe headache, because of this high b/p level, my neph, immediately wheeled me over to ER. My mom said she wanted to laugh, because she had never witness a doctor wheeling there patient to ER. I guess she felt guilty for changing my b/p med, when she became my neph. Well, the b/p med that i was on with Dr. Weaver, there were times, when my b/p was under control, but of course, an occasional elevated b/p. Now a decade with having this kaiser neph as my doctor, i am finally by the Grace of God, assigned a new neph from kaiser, and he immediately took over my case, had my thyroid glands removed, (because of my 1000 mark PTH), so that my PTH can be in normal range. I was never told that your PTH levels, can cause health issues, when they are very elevated, i was also told that if i keep my phosphorus in normal range, that would lessen the development of a high PTH level, but that was not necessarily true, because my phosphorus well in the normal range, now my calcium that was another issue, that calcium was another issue, that no one cared to share with me, you see the Phosphorus, calcium & PTH, work hand in hand, and need to be well managed. I did acknowledge my neph (Dr. Waseem Ahmad), who i adore as my doctor, it is always a delight being in his presence, because he explains things to me, so that i can understand, my condition, and a new medical development, and most importantly what needs to be done, and why he is prescribing a certain new med,well new to me. i would always ask him, does this med have any severe side effects, that i have to deal with. While under the care of Dr. Ahmad, i was prescribed two b/p meds, plus a clonidine patch, to help in controlling my blood pressure. I currently take two b/p controlling meds, and i have done very well, just the occasional elevated b/p and of course low b/p at times. Because of this see saw b/p that i experience from time to time, i developed a minor stroke in 1999 and 2007, but i am here to say, that most of the time my b/p is well controlled, accept from the recent bout with low b/p, but i am going to work at getting my b/p well controlled as we speak. You know having CKD, high blood pressure can be experienced, that is why it is so important to do all you can to keep the blood pressure well controlled, because there are so many other health issues, that could arise with high blood pressure, the development of a stroke, and of course heart related issues. I share a great deal about my saga with the silent killer (better known as high blood pressure) in my second book - My Twenty Year Journey with PKD in the Dialysis World. Now, i have shared enough on the culprit, (blood pressure). I hope you are aware, that low b/p is just as bad as high b/p levels. Now, before i forgot, i didn't share, how my hemo treatment went today. It went well, until about 20 minutes, before i had completed my treatment for today, i experienced one of those dreadful leg cramps, that was in my right leg, right in the calf of my leg. It wasn't long before the nurse remedied this cramp. I got to thinking about my previously hemo days, in which i had a ten year run. There was this one time, when i experienced one of these cramps, and the tech was trying to relieve it, by rubbing my leg up and down, but no! let me get to twisted part of this story, as she was trying to give me relief, Ellen talk show had begun, and you know me, in so much pain, i was still trying to look over the techs shoulder, so see what song ellen was dancing too, because that is the highlight of her show for me. I love the songs she chooses, because most of the time, they are very nostalgic, and they often bring back fond memories for me, and i think, that was a time when i wasn't on dialysis, (just feeling healthy, without a care in the world), when one of those songs, would be shared on her show, (Tony, her dj, as an awesome collection of 60, 70, 80, 90 and of course varies todays hits, those sure were the good ole days. After this cramp was relieved, i got to thinking about a time, when i had just finished my treatment, and i was on my way home, i was driving on the freeway, and then about ten minutes driving, i experience yet another cramp, i immediately pulled onto the shoulder of the freeway, and promptly got out the car, and started hopping around, trying to get rid of this cramp, but the trip thing about all this, is my mom, decided to put the icing on the cake, (so to speak), she got out the car and began punching the back of my leg, trying to rid me of this cramp, and i think today about that scene on the freeway, what if this was today, where most people have those cell phones, with a camera, because as my mom was trying to get rid of the cramp, cars, trucks, and vans were showing down to see what was happening, that the traffic started to get backed up, and then i thought, i am so glad that there weren't any cell phones in existence with camera, because i believe those cars that was slowly down to see, they would probably have been taking picture after picure, and sending them to friends and family, and then i started thinking more seriously, about what would happen, if someone from one of those vehicles, would take a picture and have the nerve to send it to jay leno, so that he could make fun of the picure, and also do a trivia with his audience, and say something like what do you think is occurring in this picture? i am sure it appeared to those vehicles that was watching, that my mom was trying to hurt, because i was hollering at the same time, while hopping around, this is something Jay Leno lives for, on his show right!. Well, i have rant & rave enough on this blog. as always take care and all the best to my followers. Share a comment sometime, of a very humorous moment with your cramping episode. Oh, most of the time, when a patient would cramp on the machine, it mainly is because they have reached their targeted dry weight, and the machine starts to pull the muscle weights, i wish that the dialzyer could detect it has reached the dry weight, and there is a feature, that can immediately turn off the UF, but of course, i can dream right! and i am here to tell you, those cramps can be the worst excruiating pain ever, but the remedy is well soothing, although sometimes after i have had a cramp, my calf muscle is so sore, that i have to go home and put a icy hot patch on, one of my many home remedies (lol) oh wow! i found the strength to type this blog, although i don't usually type this slow, but nonetheless, i finished this blog, right!
Glo
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