Second Leading Cause...and I Got It!

You know when you go to the doctor, they always take your blood pressure, right? It is the black and blue thing that wraps around your arm and squeezes really tight. It is important to track this number often and early in life.

My blood pressure was really high, but I always brushed it off as White Coat Syndrome (fear of doctors.) I never had a doctor or nurse sit me down for a few minutes to relax then retest it. They just believed me that is was a fear of their office or the doctor. Apparently this was not the case for me.

In 2015, I went to the emergency room for a stomach issue. My blood pressure was 171/110 which compared to a normal blood pressure of around 120/80 is crazy high for a 27 year old woman that is healthy and exercising. During this visit it was the first time a medical professional told me to get it checked out further.

*Side note on this ER visit.*

They ran a kidney panel and did not disclose the information. I went into my records recently and discovered it myself. I could have been diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease a year earlier.

So, my body had been fighting itself with high blood pressure for years, possibly all of my life. It has damaged my kidneys beyond repair. I was born with a small left kidney, which would have been fine if I did not have high blood pressure. It has been such a long time that they can not diagnosis the cause of my high blood pressure either. 

After lots of trial and error with medication plus three different doctors, I now take Lisinopril 10 mg and Hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg every day to help control my blood pressure. My number bounces around a tiny bit, but it always much closer to normal now.

The moral or lesson of my story is don't brush medical information of as nothing. It could be life threatening.

Written by Robyn, one of our GET LOUD Ambassadors. Read her story here.