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Nope, I was correct. My ear hurts because of my blood pressure and high pulse rate. The pulse rate could be from a number of things, as yet undetermined. Of course, the day I went in, my pulse was well below 100, 93 or something I think. They wanted to take some tests. Several vials of blood were drawn, a urinalysis sample was supplied, pictures of my eyes were taken and sent to a doctor, and a general going over was had. Oh, and I had four shots due. They can only offer two at a time. They listed me as needing swine flu, flu, pneumonia, and tetanus vaccines and shots. I asked if they had a priority list, but the nurse did not know for sure. I chose flu and swine flu vaccines.
After speaking with my caretaker, I discussed why I had quit, what I was doing currently (the soda) and why, some of my history (including medical), and why I was a little peeved. I, again, suggested that exhaustion, all by itself, is my most severe condition. Without fixing that, nothing else will work. When someone is too tired to do what he likes, he certainly is not going to be able to do what he does not like. And if a guy cannot stay awake more than a few hours at a time, sleeping from 4 hours to 3 days at a time, medicinal regimens are pretty useless even if he wanted to comply.
I really did not want to go back on medication. She, somehow, convinced me otherwise. So, same deal. If I lower my b.p, not quite as low as she had initially suggested, she will put me back on Ritalin. I counter-proposed that as soon as that happens, I will quit the soda. I did give her both barrels about the medicine not showing up for a month and a half too. I told her I simply cannot work that way. If I am going to be on something that busts me up going on or off it, it has to be there. We will see. For now I am back on board.
I spoke to several of the people there, including the woman who took my eye pictures. I suggested I will not be going back, other than for yearly eye exams. I felt, and often feel, like a guinea pig when I go in for anything other than standard. I do not fit the profiles, so they spend a lot of time and energy trying to find out why. They really do not know why I am not dead yet, just from the extreme nature of my b.p. or my diabetes, the combination is extremely severe. Or, so they say. I really am not sure how much of what they say is true and how much is job security hype. I did keep my more paranoid comments to myself. Then again, those are not so much things I believe absolutely as things I think and wonder about, or even toy with beyond the confines of my mind, or even just write in order to put them out of my mind. Just because I write it here does not mean I am attesting to something, necessarily.
I have been on the meds since Friday. I started taking them first thing in the morning but remembered quickly from last time that taking them in the early evening is really the way to go. This way I sleep through most of the symptoms, including some of the added weariness. Not all of it, though. My days are getting shorter as I find myself needing more sleep. I will try to adjust by taking the medicines at just the right time to try and spare my daylight schedule as much as possible. The bother of all this crap, but... we will see.
Have a great one.
I am so sorry to hear of all your health troubles you have been going through. It seems like you are on the mend. I will be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers, so that you may have a speedy and long lasting recovery.
ReplyDeleteThat's quite a litany. Praying for you, brother. My BP medicine doesn't work consistently.
ReplyDeleteHey, thanks for giving them another whirl. That ear pain and pounding pulse was worrisome to hear about.
ReplyDeleteI dreamed a couple days ago that someone I knew died. After I checked on the first person I thought it pertained to and they were still kicking, I thought it might have pertained to you.
It's a tad soon for that if you can help it, no?
Teresa,
ReplyDeleteThanks. Prayers do more good than doctors, I should think. If doctors can have a place in there. As for being on the mend, it seems I am that only when I haven't stumbled into, or by design found a way to, a need to mend. :) But it's a good life.
Troll,
Believe it or else, I have had worse. Perhaps not long term like this. Between distrusting medicine, doctors, and myself, it is difficult to keep up effort to try to work on these things. I guess like any other chore, we do what we can and take a break if we need?
I've been dead 3 times, and should have been dead 4 more times. Death isn't all that bad, but Christianity, or more God, has given me a certainty that life is my game, so I try to keep to it, for now. If I am a bit grumpy and play by my rules, up to a point. Well, and within His rules. (Whoever always likes, agrees with, or obeys their Father? Well, other than Him, but He walked on water too *show off* :P )
D.C.,
I sort of think I have been close to death a time or two. The earache was one difficulty, but I sensed some other rather uncomfortable bodily dysfunctions. I am guessing I am living on the edge of extinction. The dream may have been close to true. Those things have, to a degree, lessened since going back on the meds. Some not, diabetes is still an ongoing issue.
Yeah, I will go back to it. But they have to deliver too. I think medics just assume people can just do what they are told. Some of us simply aren't that functional. We will see. At least I was built well enough to handle less than optimal care and illness. Feral, perhaps, in some ways.