What the Hell is a Doctor
Going to Do?
Mrs. Cranky
comes from tough stock. She seems
impervious to pain sometimes. It is almost impossible to get her to see a
doctor unless it is you know, a broken bone or a wound that will not stop
bleeding.
She suffered from headaches for years and I never knew it.
One day I noticed she seemed to be in some pain.
“You OK?”
“It’s fine, just a headache, I get
them all the time, daily really, this one is just a bit worse than most.”
“What!”
I used to have
occasional headaches that would make me want to cry (since resolved) I could not imagine having one
every day no matter how mild or severe.
“You need to see a doctor, you can’t
be having a headache every day!”
“It’s nothing, I just take some
extra-strength stuff and it won’t be too bad.”
“Too bad! This is not right. You should see a doctor.”
“What the hell is a doctor going to
do. He’ll tell me I have a headache and
give me some extra-strength stuff. I don’t
need to see a doctor.”
“I’m paying twenty thousand dollars a
month in health insurance (not really, but it is a lot…house mortgage
a lot) go see a doctor.”
“I DON’T NEED A DOCTOR!!”
I know
enough to not argue with Mrs. Cranky when she gets her stubborn up. For the next year Mrs. C had a headache
almost every day, some quite severe though she wouldn’t say so unless I called her out on it.
Two years ago,
we were at her Aunt’s house at the Jersey Shore. Her younger cousin Mike (actually first
cousin once removed) was testing a blood pressure machine they had to keep
track of her Aunt Catherine’s blood pressure.
“Karen, try this out,
this machine is really cool and easy to use.”
“My pressure is fine.”
“Check it anyway, it
won’t hurt.”
Mrs. Cranky’s
blood pressure was 5000 over 2000! (I don’t know from numbers; it was
high.)
“Kare, that’s crazy,
you could stroke out any time. YOU HAVE
TO SEE A DOCTOR!!”
A younger first
cousin once removed and a machine carried more weight than I, Mike demanded she
see a doctor, I promised she would.
We saw a
doctor that week. The doctor said that
with blood pressure as high as hers he’s surprised she didn’t suffer from constant
headaches. Hmmm
The doctor prescribed
medication and we bought one of those machines.
Mrs. Cranky’s blood pressure has since been well within the range of
normal and she has had almost no headaches since.
What the
hell is a doctor going to do?
Oh yeah,
thanks first cousin once removed Mike.
Good that you got her to listen to somebody! Wow, it's a good thing she got with the program!
ReplyDeleteWow! Thank heavens for Mike and the machine.
ReplyDeleteI had a work colleague who suffered a lot of headaches and put it down to the not-quite-bullying pressure of the supervisor and the raising of two teenage daughters. She was wrong. By the time she went to a doctor it was too late, she had a brain tumor and died a month later.
I'm very glad that isn't the case with Mrs C, but I hope people reading this will take constant headaches more seriously.
I'm glad she got it checked out! I developed high blood pressure just over a year ago and it was only picked up in a routine check because I had no obvious symptoms. Persistent high blood pressure can cause all kinds of damage to internal organs and in particular your eyes so everyone should make sure they have it regularly checked. On the plus side it can be controlled easily and cause no problems at all. Thank goodness for Mike!
ReplyDeleteThank goodness Mrs C got that machine. I'm learning a lesson here... I won't go to the doctor unless it is ABSOLUTELY necessary. But I don't have headaches either.
ReplyDeleteThat was a lucky happening. If I tell hubby I am concerned about something he immediately takes it seriously unless he feels it has another good reason for the symptom. I am the same with him. Neither of us fear the doctor and realize as we age we are going to have to see them more.
ReplyDeleteThat's actually a scary story. Glad she finally went to the doc!
ReplyDeleteA check-up once a year can catch things early, before they become lethal. That's what doctors can do!
ReplyDeleteCousin Mike is definitIely a God-send! I have been on BP medication for years. Didn't know I had a problem until I got a vicious nose bleed that would not stop. The nosebleed prevented a stroke...
ReplyDeleteGlad she listened to Cousin Mike and went to the doctor. Thankfully she made it there on time to get treated for her hypertension and didn't end up having a stroke first!
ReplyDeletebetty
I'm glad she went-finally-before you were pounded into the ground by bloggers demanding you drag her in, if necessary.
ReplyDeleteYay,Yay...
ReplyDeletea blood pressure machine to the rescue. Enjoy the absence of pain, Mrs.
Cranky
At my age my doctor wants to see me twice a year. I go see her twice a year. It's worth being checked. For things like high BP and a lot of other things. I'm glad she's got her BP under control and no longer has daily headaches.
ReplyDeleteYou don't carry much weight around your house do you. Cousin Mike has far more pull.
Have a fabulous day Joe. ☺
I'm glad Mrs. C. has her blood pressure under control. As you know, our son had a brain aneurysm last year and he'd ignored headaches for years.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad she finally gave in and saw a doctor...I understand her though...I'm just the same.
ReplyDeleteWow! That was a close call. The men in my family all suffer from high blood pressure (does that say something about the women in my family?) so we all take meds. I was at the Dr yesterday and mine was 126 / 78. All I can say is "Better living through chemistry."
ReplyDeleteIt's strange how opposed some people are to going to the doctor. My grandmother is like that, and she's a success story: breast cancer that had spread all over before being beaten 20 years ago!
ReplyDeleteYou're fortunate that Mrs. Cranky caught things when she did.
Go to the doctor, everybody.
Thank God for Mike!!
ReplyDeleteHeadaches are a top (no pun intended) indicator for high blood pressure. I take bp meds daily and keep mine under control. Very seldom do I ever get a headache anymore. Sometimes you just have to give in and go to a doctor. I don't like it either but I saw my father suffer a stroke from high blood pressure. Not good!!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking BP from the first paragraph and am so grateful Mike was able to get her going towards resolving the problem. Phew, that could have been awful. Keep Mike on speed dial.
ReplyDeleteI used to get headaches every afternoon. I figured it was due to the stress of traveling from one building to another, to teach at a different grade level under a different principal. Popping an ibuprofen became part of my daily routine.
ReplyDeleteThen I went to the dentist for a filling, and he stopped the procedure because I became lightheaded. He took my blood pressure, said it was too high, and that he wouldn't work on me any more until I had a follow-up with my regular doctor.
New blood pressure meds on board, I later found out that I have a sensitivity to lidocaine and meds used at the dentist. HOWEVER...the dentist DID solve my blood pressure issue!
It makes me crazy when people take their cars for a lube/oil/filter twice a year (or more often), but won't go for a preventive checkup with their doctor.
ReplyDeleteGood thing for cousin Mike to get Mrs. Cranky to go to the doctor!
It pains (oops) me to say this but when we get older we HAVE to see the doctor(s) frequently. If we want to go on.
ReplyDeleteYou're a husband who pays attention, that's a good thing even if Mrs. C didn't listen to you initially. I'm happy she got to the dr. when she did. Both of my parents had high blood pressure and all of my siblings do, I don't. I have low. My whole life low blood pressure. Not dangerously low and every now and again it will go up to "normal" but my drs. told me a long time ago that my low may be my normal. - I suspect you are the reason Mrs. C's blood pressure rises.. ;)
ReplyDelete