"Your blood pressure is awfully high..."

Last January, I was shopping around for a primary care physician, for my yearly checkup. I had waited too long to make an appointment, so I was trying at the last minute to make an appointment with anyone who would take me in in a few weeks, as opposed to in a few months. The person that I picked was a bad idea from the beginning. She was able to take me in quickly, but as I walked into her office, I could tell it was a wrong move. She had crosses hanging on the wall, and religious pamplets on the table. Don't get me wrong, religion is great, but if you are a DOCTOR, you need to check that stuff at the door and concentrate on providing good care for your patients and not pushing an agenda.

In retrospect, I should have walked out right then, but I had already made the appointment, so I kept it. The doctor (who I'm not going to name) performed the examination, but when she took my blood pressure, she thought the reading was out of whack. I explained to her that I was really nervous, and that was probably why it wasn't where it needed to be. She told me that I needed to lose weight, which I obviously knew already. I left the office, and figured that was the end of it.

However, that just wasn't in the cards. Just a few weeks later, I was back at her office (since she was the only PCP that I had gone to recently) because I thought I had bronchitis. As she was taking my blood pressure reading again, again, she said that it was high.

"But I'm sick. Isn't your blood pressure higher when you're sick?"
"Well, if it is not normal next time, I will put you on medicine for your blood pressure."

I didn't say anything at the time, but as I drove home in a black fury, I decided I was NOT going to go on blood pressure medicine at the age of 28. A few weeks later, I got a throat infection that silenced me for a few weeks. I was determined to not go back to that quack, so I went to a local urgent care, instead. The doctor there looked kind, and not too much older than me. I explained my situation as he put the cuff on my arm. Another high reading.

"But I'm sick," I squeaked pitifully. "Isn't your blood pressure higher when you're sick?"
"Yes, that's true. Just keep an eye on it."

....

to be continued.