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Heart Healthy

Heart Healty...not exactly. 

Last Thursday, I came home from work with a very blood shot eye.  I have never had a blood vessel burst in my eyes so I was kind of freaked out by it.  I remember driving home feeling tired, my eyes wanted to close and were very sensitive to the light.  I took Ashley to dance, but was nervous the entire 30 minute drive to and from the studio. Went to bed later that night hoping and praying that my eye would improve over night but it didn't.

Friday morning my eye looked worse, and was swollen.  Again, it was senistive to light and I only felt better if I closed them.  But I drove the kids to their bus stop and myself to work.  I worked until 3:30 that day (I usually get off at 1 pm), so I managed to do my job with one blood shot tired eye.  However, while at work I researched what causes eye blood vessels to burst.  The answer was sneezing, coughing and....high blood pressure. I hadn't sneezed and I wasn't coughing so I have high blood pressure.

I have had high blood pressure in the past, was taking meds to control it.  But it had been a long time, a very long time since I had a good heart check up. I called my doctor and got an appointment for first thing Monday morning.  The weekend came with lots of baseball and taking Ashley to and from dance rehearsals, I managed driving safely to and from everywhere I went.

Monday morning at the doctors office I learned that my blood pressure was through the roof 210/100.  CRAZY! It was at that time that I become seriously freaked.  Heart disease runs in my family; both of my parents suffered and suffer from heart disease.  However, my doctor felt that even with a family history of heart disease and the fact that I only weigh 135 pounds (not overweight) at 5'5 1/2" , my age (44 years old, almost 45), I don't smoke,  and I live a healthy life, that my high blood pressure was more than just hereditary.  He ordered tests...lots of them.

EKG was normal.

X-Ray of the heart appears normal and nothing concerning.

Blood work all normal except my Alkaline Phosphate (AP) was high.  This I know something about since I am the mother of a daughter with liver disease.  The AP is usally an indicator of liver disease but can also indicate bone disease and other secondary diseases like kidney disease.

More tests are needed to determine why my AP is high.

The doc feels strongly that I have Renovascular Hypertension (Renal Hypertension); Hypertension caused by either Kidney disease or a narrowing of the main artery from the kidney to the heart.  So therefore today I had my very first MRA with contrast.  The MRA was to look at the arteries of my kidneys.  I should get the results of that test next week.

And I also participated in a wonderful science experiment of collecting 24 hours of my own urine in a nice 2 gallon jug that was kept in my refrigerator.  Such joy to take that jug with me to work.  You should have seen it seat belted to the back seat of my mini-van. 

Again, I probably won't get those results until next week.

After all of that I still have another test scheduled for March 4, and for the life of me I can't even remember what that test is or what it is for other than something else that will help the docs look closer at my kidneys. 

Today, however, I feel fine.  No tired eyes, no blood shot eyes, and my heart is still kicking and for that I thank God. As much as I miss my dad, I am not ready to see him for at least another 50 years.

My goal for the next month and for the rest of my life is to stay heart healthy.  There are to many things I want to do on my bucket list and it is going to take me years to do them all.  And I have two great kids that I need to watch live their lives and be there to enjoy them every step of the way.

Am I scared?  Yes, but I have a great doctor who has made me his priority, his number one patient of the month.  He is being aggressive and proactive.  I just know we will get my blood pressure under control with or without surgery.  However, prayers always help.

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