My crazy day -- and a sigh of relief....

Dgrant
0 Recommendations

I continue to go to cardiac rehab, and it's nearly 8 months since my CABG surgery. I love going there because it keeps me focused on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Not to mention that once a month they have me wear a monitor and check my BP and pulse rate several times during the workout. Well, yesterday was my once-a-month monitor check. Normally when I arrive for my workout, my blood pressure is somewhere around 110/60 range. Yesterday it was 160/80. That was very odd.

Then when I was on the EFX machine, my blood pressure was 200/100. VERY ODD indeed. They immediately asked me to stop exercising and just quietly walk around the gym for a few minutes. They checked my blood pressure again and it was 140/70 -- still much higher than usual.

"Did you take your medications today, Dana?"

"Oh yes, I took my meds."

"Are you sure?"

"Oh yes, I take them every morning with my breakfast."

There was a puzzled look on the face of the nurse. I admitted that I had been running around in the heat all day without much hydration. We decided that must have had something to do with it. So, they decided I could do the weight lifting, but no more cardio for the day, and that I should really watch my blood pressure last night and then again today, and report to the doctor if it hasn't gone down by this morning.

SO, a little concerned, I came home, made dinner, and decided to check my email before going to bed last night.

Yep, there, sitting on my laptop computer, were my medications for yesterday morning........LOL I had removed them from my little pill box, but evidently got interrupted before I had a chance to actually SWALLOW the stupid pills!!!

Blood pressure crisis over.

I need to make a confession when I return to rehab tomorrow......LOL

I guess those little pills DO work after all, huh? When I don't take them, the old BP kind of goes a little too high.....I wonder if that's why they asked me to take those little pills, YA THINK?

Sometimes I feel like such a crazy woman. LOL

See these little pills???? I'm swallowing them now. You are all witnesses. I DID take my meds this morning.

Oh brother.

Life is never boring at my house........

Dana

8 replies

martzj
  • By martzj
  • Posted August 14, 2008 at 10:26 am

Fascinating story Dana! And what a great reminder to all of us on heart meds that some of them are absolutely indispensable. I don't worry if I forget a dose of statin. But after having a similar episode to yours after accidentally missing a single dose of beta blocker I made sure that one is the bottle I focus on calling in refills 4 days in advance of running out. Scary!! Arrhtyhmias are not fun!!

Aren't you glad it was what I fondly call 'operator error'...as in, I flubbed it so I can also fix it immediately. LOL

Jaynie

lkay
  • By lkay
  • Posted August 14, 2008 at 1:48 pm

Dana,
If I remember correctly didn't you buy a special pill box to keep by your computer so you would remember to take your pills? Or is it my memory lapse? LOL

I'm glad your problem could be remedied.

Be well,
Laura

Dgrant
  • By Dgrant
  • Posted August 14, 2008 at 3:57 pm

You remember correctly, Laura. And usually my "system" works perfectly!! HA HA However, yesterday, I removed "Wednesday" from the holder, took it to my computer as usual, removed the pills -- and there must have been a phone call or SOMETHING -- because there the pills stayed on top of my laptop until I got home from rehab.

Oh well, I guess even the most fail-proof systems fail SOMETIMES, huh? (At least with me as the head of the system!!)

::::::::::sigh::::::::::::

Dana

Ecksunbeam

DearDana,

Well, that must have scared the crap outta' ya'!

Sherrie

kareno
  • By kareno
  • Posted August 15, 2008 at 10:04 am

Dana,
I have done exactly the same thing. Went around all day wondering why I was feeling crappy. Then boom found my beta blocker on the kitchen floor under the table. I knew something had to be wrong and went looking for the pill. I actually had a flashlight out as I have a carpet under the table. I am glad you found the cause. kareno

Kennarina
  • By Kennarina
  • Posted August 15, 2008 at 5:49 pm

Dana, even WITH my fistful of pills safely digested, whenever our cardiac nurse records my BP at the start of each Cardiac Rehab visit, it's high. She now makes me sit very still for five full minutes when I arrive and think quiet peaceful thoughts before she tests BP, rather than rushing in the door of the Y, throwing my gear into a locker and running to find her so I can get going on my workout. When she retakes my BP reading two hours later, it's always normal. I don't even want to think about what my BP would spike to if I forgot to take those pills....

Now, if I were only this zealous about taking my statins at night.....

asnet
  • By asnet
  • Posted August 23, 2008 at 10:25 pm

join the club .....it happens ..... and it screws up everything ... slow down ... stop rushing ... get it right ... good luck

heart39
  • By heart39
  • Posted August 25, 2008 at 1:43 am

Dana, I do this quite often. I get my meds & my water, sit at the computer to check messages.....later in the day I sit down again & there they are! My 9 little friends patiently waiting to be swallowed....
- Peg

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