Ignorance is Bliss

Growing up, I always thought it was silly to hear people say they would not go to the doctor to get checked out. Their attitude was, as long as I don't know something is wrong, I am healthy. I thought, and still think this attitude is silly. After all, if you know what is wrong, you can take measures to fix it. In this day and age, however, where information is sol readily available to us, there is such a thing as having too much information. I learned this the hard way.

In today's society, we are able to monitor many of our bodily functions at home. While we have been able to monitor our pulse and temperature for years, now we can monitor our blood glucose levels without going to the doctor. We can also monitor our blood pressure from home. Such devices are important and can even be life saving, but you need to know what works best for you and when to stay away from them. I have a blood pressure monitor at home and I have found that it is in my best interest not to use it.

For the past couple of years I have been on a low dosage of a medication to keep my blood pressure normal. When I first started taking the medication, as per my doctor's request, I got a monitor to do just that, monitor my blood pressure at different times of the day, after eating different foods, and other aspects of my life the doctor felt was important.

The machine I got had a good reputation, although I know it is not as accurate as using a blood pressure cuff they have at the doctor's office. My doctor knows that as well, not surprisingly, and wants me to come in every four months so he can check my pressure and see how I am doing.

When the doctor takes my pressure he gets readings right around 120 over 80. In fact, sometimes he gets that exact reading. When I was not feeling well while at home, I took my blood pressure and got a high reading. In fact, when I use my monitor at home, while I sometimes get a good reading, frequently I get strange readings, such as 150 over 100, or higher. Getting that kind of reading simply gets me anxious and leads to me feeling worse. I am not sure if feeling worse was psychological or if it was due to worrying about the numbers the machine gave me. In either event, I felt worse.

There were times, based on the readings I got that I called the doctor to have him check my blood pressure and guess what, it was right around 120 over 80. In fact, at one point the doctor had me hooked up to a heart monitor for a 24 hour period, just to make sure. The blood pressure readings that it monitored where normal.

I learned that sometimes it is better not to take a reading at home. If there is a reason and I need to, or the doctor wants me to, I can, but, pardon the pun, I take it with a grain of salt. For me, I do a lot better now that I have decided not to take my pressure most of the time, even most of the time when I do not feel so great. And, when I do take it now, I get much lower readings. Know your body and yourself and what will work best for you. Sometimes the best medicine can be doing nothing.