This is sort of a follow up to the previous Invincible musing. A few years have passed since my run-in with dental mortality and I recently got news about other problems with my health. Yet again, me ignoring signs that should have been acted on for a time.
This time it’s about the heart.
As in, I’m not in any life threatening condition. My heart is strong. I have a healthy pulse. No, it’s my blood pressure that is the problem.
Let’s get started.
About a year into Covid-19, I had my first bout of chest pains. One day, walking to the local DHL to fetch a package, I felt a sharp pain in my chest, quickly followed by labored breathing. A 20min walk I normally breeze through was suddenly a struggle to get through. It took several stops to rest, but I made it through, and rested rest of the day.
The next day I was completely fine. No problems whatsoever. And so I ignored it, and forgot.
Time passed. Over the next few years it would pop up again from time to time. A sudden pain and struggling for breath. But it never stuck around. I could go weeks without any symptoms, then have it happen once or twice in a day or two, then it’d be gone again. I never tracked down a reason for it. It just happened.
And so time went on.
Last August, I moved in with a friend. We’re sharing a generously sized apartment. I noticed some shortness of breath as we moved our boxes and things, but we were sustaining ourselves on energy drinks and coffee so I pushed through it. Shortly after finishing the move, the chest pains started hitting me with more regularity. It started happening multiple times a day when it hit. Could still go weeks between “attacks”, but when it hit I could barely walk more than a few meters before the pains came, the shortness of breath making me wheeze. Brisk walks are a complete no-go when it hits. It got to the point of my friend demanding that I visit a doctor. I am out of shape, sure, but so is he, and he couldn’t understand how I would be so affected. And with seemingly no common trigger between attacks.
So today, I finally had a talk with my doctor. There’s many potential reasons, but seeing how heart problems is in my genetics (my biological father has gotten surgeries, my uncle is medicated against high blood pressure), he did an examination. And the results? Good strong heart, healthy pulse, good oxygenation. And exceedingly high blood pressure. He told me he was surprised I was even standing up. He signed a slip immediately for medication and also set up a schedule of regular re-visits, to monitor and examine my progress. Blood work will be done to check if I have bigger issues in hiding, but for now the goal is to drastically lower my blood pressure.
As I’m writing this I’ve already had my first pill. I’m toying with the package, using it as a fidget toy as I’m musing yet again on Invincibility. It’s so so easy to believe it won’t happen to you. I sure did. But like the last time, after ignoring the symptoms for too long, it happened.
Don’t ignore symptoms. Have it checked. Worst case you’ll find out you’re just out of shape and need exercise.
Or it could save your life.
