An extra post this week....

I am so relieved that Dave finally went back to our GP, after spending a couple of years going to his company-sponsored clinic, and being seen by a PA.

Sure, no copay....but also, no real doctor.

For the past month or so (including when we were on vacation), Dave has been having a REALLY hard time doing anything like yard work, or taking his walks, or doing his morning work outs.

This is new since he was in the hospital in April, and his BP meds were changed.

This past Sunday, he got really light headed and winded, and could not recover. I made him come inside and sit down (bringing a chair into the kitchen so he didn't have to walk far), and I had him take his BP. It was 72 over 41.

72 over 41.

Once he convinced me that he did NOT want to go to the hospital, and that I was NOT to call 9-1-1, I looked up the meds he was on.

I am not a pharmacist or a doctor, but it seemed to me that he was being HIGHLY over medicated.

Once he recovered enough to focus, he looked at the information on line as well, and decided NOT to take his evening BP pill.

I suggested he call first thing Monday, and make an appointment with the cardiologist who saw him at the hospital (since that Dr. has all of the records of the tests that were done that weekend in the hospital, AND he was the one who prescribed a DOUBLING of one of the med dosages), OR go back to our GP. Either way, though, I insisted that he call and get an appointment with a REAL doctor.

He had already been thinking of going, but this made it clear, he needed to make a decision.

He chose the GP, called first thing yesterday, and got an appointment for this morning!

She had him stop BOTH meds-- cold turkey. She was amazed that he had not been passing out on a regular basis with that much medication in his system.

For a month, he will take his BP every day at the same time, and keep a spread sheet.
He will get labs drawn some time in the next week or so, and between the labs and the BP spread sheet, she will be able to determine a SAFE level of the meds for Dave, and start over.

He WILL still need to take both kinds of medication (one is an ACE inhibitor, and one is a BETA blocker--and as a heart attack survivor, he does need them), but he will be on MUCH smaller doses.

SHEESH!