WARNING In this blogpost, your friendly correspondent drones on about personal health matters. If you find such subject matter tedious then I suggest that you depart immediately. Don't say I didn't warn you.
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Till last October, I was quite proud to declare to anybody who cared to listen that I had never needed any regular medication and I felt as fit as a fiddle. Not bad for a seventy one year old. Then - almost by chance - it was discovered that my blood pressure was too high - high enough to threaten me with a potential stroke or heart issue. This is why I went along with the idea of trying to reduce my blood pressure with anti-hypertensive drugs.
I have had more doctor's appointments in the past nine months than I previously had in the rest of my life. Different doctors working at my local health centre have played around with my cocktail that includes the following - doxazosin, indapamide, ramipril, amlodopine and atorvastatin. Different strengths and different combinations.
Along the way I have had half a dozen blood tests and I have also been monitoring my own blood pressure with my "Omiron" machine that I bought from "Boots" last autumn. It has been quite a journey I can tell you.
On Tuesday of this week I had another doctor's appointment and at last my blood pressure readings had reached an average score that was within the NHS target zone for my age and gender - 136/69. Hurrah! However, there was a new problem to contend with - namely oedema in both my feet - undoubtedly caused by one of the medications but which one?
When I wake in the morning my feet are almost back to normal but as the day progresses, the swelling and fluid build-up in my legs has become so noticeable that I struggle to put on my most comfortable boots and shoes. I am not in pain as I write this blogpost but I can feel the tightness and bulging in my lower legs.
As a consequence of this, the doctor wanted to investigate what might happen if I removed amlodopine from my anti-hypertensive cocktail. Well ironically, one of things that is bound to happen is that my blood pressure will rise again but will I also see the oedema disappear? It's not something I have ever suffered from before - apart from stepping off long distance flights when not wearing pressure stockings.
Another issue that is of concern is my weight. Frankly, I weigh too much and it would be good for me in several ways if I could lose about three stones (42 pounds/ 19 kilograms). This has made me start thinking about weight-reducing medication. I am not entitled to receive it freely via the NHS because my BMI does not qualify for that kind of intervention.
The doctor checked my current medications and said that in principle there would be no problem with me also taking a weight reducing drug like tirzepatide (Mounjaro). I am thinking about it and of course googling it.
A bright spot on Tuesday was the discovery that my blood sugar score in relation to Type 2 diabetes has fallen - probably due to me cutting out sugar from hot drinks. Now I am almost embarrassed to admit that I have come to enjoy mint tea!
I sometimes think new health issues are the results of all the new medications entering your body.
ReplyDeleteBut, alas, I am not a doctor.
Doctor Bob sounds like a worming treatment for dogs.
DeleteNo matter what doctors tell you, every medication has side effects or just effects and they play nasty with each other sometimes. I hope you can figure it all out! When in doubt, I usually talk to my pharmacist over my doctor; they are trained in drug interactions.
ReplyDeleteThat's probably a wise tip Margaret but at my pharmacy, the pharmacists always seem to be in the back room making up prescriptions.
DeleteAmlodipine had that effect on me. It took a few months, but my body eventually adjusted, and the side effects went away. Wishing you the best. Health problems can be frustrating
ReplyDeleteHigh blood pressure has a lot of relatives in the health field. You just described some of them. Some of the diet you've had to follow will help in weight loss. You are very active so that keeps many of the baddies away. Good luck, my friend. on this tough journey
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your various meds and plans for weight loss.
ReplyDeleteAmlodipine does cause swelling in the feet, so removing it will should help. My blood pressure is slowly creeping up too and I'm not impressed with the drugs available to treat high blood pressure. My mum had high blood pressure and died of a stroke, so I guess I'm heading that way too. Yay.
ReplyDeleteLosing weight will help and of course exercise. When you walk, do you walk fast enough to be slightly out of breath? I've also started tai chi to see if that will help my just feel better generally.
What happened to the self imposed diet?
ReplyDeleteAnd have you ever had a sleep test?
Oh dear. Getting older can bring a cartload of health issues but it's better than death!
ReplyDeleteI have had hypertension since my early forties. I take candesartan. No problem with it.
My aunty who weighed 7 stone wet through had outrageous hypertension, 200/110.
The Doctor was amazed. She took the pills but it didn't help much. She lived to be 90.
I need to lose 4 stones. I am currently on orlistat, prescribed by the doctor as I'm not fat enough for mounjaro. If you can't get it from the doctor, where will you buy it?
Hope you don't mind me asking.
Good luck withit all. X
Weight-reducing medication? I am truly surprised to read that coming from you. With all your walks and other activities (such as gardening or playing with your granddaughters), a few small adjustments to your diet (both in terms of how much and what you eat) should do the trick.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, trying to lose 19 kg is not a mean feat - it's more than a third of what I weigh. Something to keep in mind - and no doubt you are aware of this - is that the healthiest way to lose weight and keep it at the desired level is to lose it more or less in the same frame of time that it took to acquire it. A slow but steady build-up of weight over the course of a couple of years can not come off within two months without a negative impact on your wellbeing.
Losing some weight might help with the oedema? I know many blogs I read have had persons similarly affected by amlodopine, but I take it with no trouble at all, just a little heartburn from it and now take something to counteract that and I'm fine, though I have other things going on.
ReplyDeleteKeep drinking the mint tea and less of a Sunday lunch time meal. The quality may be superb, cooked by your own hand, but the quantity also counts. You are taking quite a few tablets, I only take amlodipine, which I have taken for years but with no side affects. I am glad you 'came out' on your health issues it is important to be open on such things.
ReplyDeleteApparently you are supposed to drink 6 pints a day. Six pints of water that is not Tetley's bitter. Your doctor could prescribe a water tablet. - Doctor Northsider.
ReplyDelete