A Port in the Storm

Shall I just begin with the end? Maybe not the end but an end nevertheless. 

To wit: my brand new blood pressure monitor revealed last evening's blood pressure to be 143/89. Sometime later this morning, I will take my first reading of the day. Apparently, I am supposed to wait until well after coffee. I've just had my first cup, and I expect to have one more, so I shall take the test in a few hours time.

On with the story.

It begins yesterday morning with me seated in my chair. Suddenly, I was seeing wavy, shimmering lines out of the corner of my left eye. It must be a mirage, thought I. But the waves followed me to the bathroom and back again, at which time I thought it would be best to reveal this misfortune to Beloved, who became just a tad concerned.

As I sat in a mildly fretful state of mind, the waves dissipated, but I wasn't seeing quite right either. After contemplating this odd occurrence, I thought it prudent to call my local, friendly optometrist for a consult.

Meanwhile, Sue the Worrier was texting Shauna, who, in turn, texted her doctor boss, who felt that I should call my doctor to get my blood pressure checked. With one appointment already on the books, I thought that would be overkill, so I declined. "Nope. I am not going to do that," said I with feet firmly planted and arms defiantly crossed.

However, I did consent to have Sue drive around the corner to the pharmacy to sit in that very public chair and to see what their BP monitor had to say about it all. I scored a whopping 171/96 when anything over 140 is considered high. Yikes!  The machine gives three consecutive readings, and my third was down to 146/96 — still high but not quite so scarily high.

We walked around the store calmly for awhile before sitting for another set of three. The results were only mildly better.

This was odd because, historically, my BP has been pretty rock solid in the very good 120/80 range throughout my adult life. Having said that, I haven't had my BP checked regularly for some time.

Thus ensued a call to the doctor, and thus followed another trip to the pharmacy, this time to purchase my own BP monitor in order to take regular readings at home.

The good doctor wants me to take two readings per day for a week, after which time we shall consult again. I am to sit quietly for five minutes before each testing. Then, I am instructed to sit for another two minutes before taking a second reading. I am to scrap the first reading and record the second, which last night, was the 143/89 mentioned above. It could be worse, but a reading above 140 is said to be high.

In the meantime, the optometrist had examined my eye using drops and a very bright light. This was my second appointment in two weeks after having abstained from regular eye exams during COVID. Thankfully, she reported that she could see no structural damage. However, the sight in that eye was worse than it was two weeks ago, for I had trouble reading the very first line.

Two weeks ago, I gone for a comprehensive eye exam for the purpose of getting new glasses, even though I hadn't been legally required to wear corrective lenses for something like the past decade. There had been an odd improvement in my vision after having been legally required to wear corrective lenses for decades. My vision was still good, but I felt that it could be sharper in  low visibility driving conditions, such as at night or in poor weather.

I had been running a bit late on that appointment day, so I didn't stay around to order spectacles then. My procrastination turned out to be a good thing for once because this new trauma has caused, at least temporary, deterioration. If I had gone ahead and purchased new specs two weeks ago, they would probably already be in need of upgrading.

While I am thankful that the exam revealed no structural damage to my eye, there is that change in vision to contemplate. She suggested that, if I could bear with it for now, I should return in a few months to monitor progress — or regress! I can do that. The right eye is still good enough that I can watch tv from some distance. As long as I can watch tv, what else matters, eh? I am also doing well enough with my near vision as I sit here typing this morning.

Another moderate blessing is that the BP monitor was almost free, for I was able to purchase the lion's share with accumulated points. Any port in a storm, eh. (I don't think that is the most apt metaphor, but it is still very early and all that this all that this old boy can think of.)