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High blood pressure

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Female Over 60

Interview 05

Interview 05

Age at Interview: 71
Sex: Female
Age at Diagnosis: 26
Background:

Brief outline:Discovered following pregnancy.

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Concludes that she took the diagnosis in her stride.
Print I thought that it was just another medical thing which I had, I'd had so many different things wrong with me that I think I took it all in my stride then.

Discusses the occurrence of high blood pressure in her family.
Print My mother had low blood pressure and she used to faint quite a bit of the time. My eldest sister had high blood pressure and she also had angina. My other sister at that time didn't have high blood pressure, but eventually she did and now she's got a pace maker. Then my younger sister had high blood pressure and she eventually was told after a long, long, long time that she had bunch branch block - I don't know, but I think the blood goes only one way, but that is very tough for her. She's 60 years old. Finally my brother as well, so it all followed one after the other.

Discusses whether she feels she is a ''hypertensive'' character, and how this affects the way she approaches her doctor.
Print I am rather hyperactive. I don't sit down very often and if I do I usually am up in a few minutes. My son always says 'Oh Mother for goodness sake sit down!'. I must admit I thought that that would be the cause of it, me jumping up and down like a yo yo and rushing about going to shops and, because I don't just walk there, I fly there, my feet just go fast. I've had to slow down now because I keep falling. I would like to know more about high blood pressure, I've got a wonderful doctor - it isn't that he wouldn't tell me - he would if he had the time, but he hasn't got the time and I know that. When I'm in there I'm going to see him for some reason or other, I always end up by saying 'Well I won't keep you any longer', and he says something like 'That's alright,' I say 'Well I don't want to hold you up,' 'You're not holding me up'. But I think it is in my nature, I've got to be off again, I don't want to hold anybody up. So, I don't really know whether that causes it or not, I haven't got a clue.

Describes how she discovered she had high blood pressure, and some of the symptoms she experienced.
Print At the time I was 26 years old, I was pregnant with my daughter Gillian and I was told by the doctor that I had to go to bed. This was about 4 weeks before she was delivered and I couldn't understand it at the time I must admit. However I did go to bed for 4 weeks before she was born. The doctor said he would sort it out afterwards. When he came in to take my blood pressure he found that it had gone sky high and was very concerned. 'If you don't stay there [in bed],' he said 'you'll have to go into hospital.' So I stayed there and then she was born within 4 weeks after that but my blood pressure still stayed high. So that was the first time I ever came in contact with blood pressure. On the two more occasions I was pregnant, again blood pressure had an affect. I had a miscarriage which I was told was caused by the blood pressure. And then I had a still birth when I was 38 weeks pregnant and I was told then that that was due to the blood pressure too. I just remember feeling very tired and lethargic and I can remember my heart beating very fast - it went a little bit mad on occasions. I just took the tablets and went every now and again to have the blood pressure checks which sometimes were okay and other times it was up and didn't come down.

Discusses how she approaches life with high blood pressure.
Print I've been very fortunate in having such good doctors. I've taken notice of everything they've told me, I've always taken my drugs. The reason I also take my tablets is because I certainly don't want to have a stroke which I think also could be brought on by not having your tablets. I don't know but I think so and I think the sensible thing to do is to carry on taking them because well there's always a possibility that you could have... I mean I don't think of heart attacks or anything like that but I mean there's always a possibility. I mean my brother in law didn't know he was at that stage when he had his you know. And I keep myself well, I eat properly. I would not like to get overweight because I think overweight can cause such a lot of problems, not only strokes and things like that but it can... I just keep moving on.

Discusses her experiences of finding information about high blood pressure.
Print They didn't explain anything in those days. Nothing whatsoever, everything was hidden away as it might be. It was like having a doctor who said 'Come in, sit down and what can I do for you?' with a very straight face, and that was that, and then you went, and nothing was explained whatsoever. I've learnt more about things in my older days than because now they tell you all about different things. I've picked up a leaflet once or twice from the Heart Foundation, when I've been at hospital and I've seen these little booklets about high blood pressure, but I still wouldn't know what causes it. I do like to know things but I just I don't know enough. I mean some of the books you get from the library they're too technical. You can't understand them so it spoils it really. I don't think I've ever come across anything to do with blood pressure which I've understood. I think I understand more of this doctor that comes on the radio. I can't even remember his name but he's a great person, people will phone up about medical things and he will explain it completely down to earth, he doesn't go into all the technical things which is nice.

Discusses how the symptoms of high blood pressure have made her change her lifestyle.
Print I think on occasion someone's probably said 'Oh you'll have to slow down a bit'. I think that was a doctor I had once before I came here and I remember saying to him 'I had an awful job getting up that hill today,' and I've said to him ' I can't understand it, I've always been a person that could skim a hill with no problem.' And he said 'Well it's a matter of two things', he said, 'One you're getting older, it's what we call the ageing process; and the other is you've got high blood pressure and you're just rushing too much so you've got to slow down', and that was the only bit I knew about it.

Describes how she has suffered from years of migraines and has had three mini strokes.
Print Palpitations are horrible because the heart beats so fast and it's quite irregular, it's jumping here and jumping there and then it flutters and then it goes away and then comes back again. It's not very pleasant, especially if you're lying down and you want to go to sleep, and you hear that thumping in your head and you can't get rid of it. I also used to suffer from migraines for years and years and I often thought afterwards that I wonder if that was anything to do with blood pressure before I knew about it. I had them for 20 something years, dreadful ones where I used to have an injection for it sometimes and about every month, or every 5 weeks, I would not be able to go to work because my head was dreadful. I feel there's a lot of pressure there that needs to disperse but it won't, it just hangs about there. And I think when you get to bed and you can't lie on either side because this thumping goes on and on, and so you eventually lay on your back, and then once you turn over it starts all over again. I have had three mini strokes, and when my husband was alive- I can't remember when this happened- but about 5 years ago, I woke up in the middle of the night and I found I was hanging over the bed. I didn't know at that time that I'd been unconscious so I couldn't get myself to move, I couldn't get myself to think or anything and that's not like me.

Discusses how she remembers to take her course of treatment.
Print I don't think I'd get far if I did forget because I only once walked out of this house going up to the bus stop and I felt my heart was beating like a drum and I thought 'Oh no I bet I've forgotten my tablets,' and I came back and they were still in the little jar. That little blue box there on the table has sections for every day. So I would be able to realise I had forgotten a day, but I've never had that problem.

Discusses her experiences side effects from here course of treatment.
Print I don't think I have any side effects. I have a book, a medical book it's tablets and that gives you little side effects but I've never actually had any of them, only with the one I had a long time ago which brought me out in a rash. But I always read the paper, the leaflet inside any drug or whatever I've had, I've always read the paper and thought about it, whatever it could be for, whether it could be for an antibiotic or whatever you know. I had to have Amoxycillin I remember once and I always read the paper, even for my eye drops I read the paper. But no I don't have any worry.

Describes her current course of treatment.
Print I have the 2.5mg of Licinipril in the morning and then I don't have anything else whatsoever. But while the doctor and I were talking yesterday he said 'It may be that the Tracitrex is running out before the 24 hours and maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea eventually if it still stays high to put you on something different.' He doesn't want to because I've done so well on Tracitrex, but as I've taken it in the morning he thinks that maybe by evening when I get these palpitations, or I feel uncomfortable with myself, he thinks that's when it maybe running out.

Describes her experiences of home monitoring systems.
Print My brother in law had a self-monitor, but he annoyed me in a way because he used to keep taking his blood pressure everyday, it was like a toy for a bit. He doesn't do it now but he did at the time and I used to think there's no wonder he's got blood pressure, keeping on taking it - it's enough to give you blood pressure. But it interested me, I must admit, it did interest me. I thought I'd have to go and buy one but they were expensive, I couldn't have afford it. And when he said 'Do you want me to take your blood pressure?' I'd say 'No thank you', I'm a spoil sport really.

Describes the side effects she has experienced from her course of treatment.
Print I had a problem because certain tablets gave me a rash and other ones made me feel rough. I had Vendorflorizide and then I had something else to go with it, but I even can't remember that. I'm a very down to earth person and I took it that what they were giving me was right and it must have settled it down- until it went up again and, and they had to change the medication. There's always a chance that there may be problems with tablets, like there always has been. That has gone through my mind, but on the other hand I don't know if I could cope without them because of this feeling I get in my chest, like when I did once walk up the road and hadn't taken them. I don't think I could cope without them.

Discusses her diet and drinking habits.
Print I eat all the healthy things I can, I like fish and I do like meat- because you've got to have meat for the protein- but I eat well and I don't indulge too much. I eat as much as I think is good for me, and I enjoy it. I'm very fond of potatoes and all sorts of things, but I'm not a sweet eater. I still have a glass of wine; I have two glasses of wine a day and I told the doctor I do and he said 'That's alright it won't do you any harm'. So I don't know whether I could cut that out because I do enjoy it- just one with my dinner and one after and put my feet up.

Considers using relaxation tapes as a complementary treatment option.
Print I did have a relaxation tape at one time given to me I'm sure by my GP. If it didn't it could have come from the hospital when I had these little boxes taking readings. I usually listened to it at night time when everything was turned off before I went to sleep. It does help because it tells you to close your eyes and then open them and shut them, and tighten your toes and all that sort of thing. As far as other forms of relaxation are concerned, I've heard people on the radio saying that they've had chiropractics for backs which I'd love to go into. It might do me a bit of good, but when it comes to cost it's too expensive. I've often thought about it but of course when it comes to £30 to see a chiropractor, £30 for every session you have, you couldn't do it on a pension.

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