So this morning it’s off to New Cardiodoc, a fellow whose practice is SO busy he has no time for nonsense.
Since we last met, along about the end of December, I’ve dutifully tracked my blood pressure, every goddamn day. Since diddling away time with a blood pressure monitor is not my favorite activity, it’s been a pain in the tuchus. BUT…the result was a nice little data trove that showed…
a) my monitor calibrated almost perfectly with Young Dr. Kildare’s, suggesting it’s reasonably accurate;
b) the average BP, even with a couple of stress-induced spikes, is 128/75;
c) the average BP when I’m off the sauce is as much as 9 points higher than when I’m on the sauce.
And…and…What’s this spike in December?
That’s where Old Cardiodoc was yelling at me.
What? Why?
I stopped taking the meds he prescribed because I wanted to see what would happen if I lost weight. You’ll recall I lost 30 pounds and started exercising regularly. He flew into a frenzied shitfit.
So…you can identify specific circumstances associated with this and these other two or three spikes?
Yup. They have to do with my annoying work.
Well, hell. New Cardiodoc’s response to all this was that I do not need to be on blood pressure meds.
Do I do upper-body exercise as well as all the walking? No? Well, spring for the cost of a personal trainer: one session should be enough to learn how to do all that’s needed. For hevvinsake, have one drink a day. Two is OK. Three is excessive. Come back in one year. ’Bye!
heh heh heh heh… I’m beginning to like this doctor a lot.
Here’s what I’d say, for general consumption: If you ever have even the slightest doubt about what a doctor says to you, GET A SECOND OPINION!
If the second doc agrees with the first doc, then fine: you have a consensus and a credible diagnosis, even if you don’t like it.
If the second doc disagrees with the first doc, then maybe your suspicions are confirmed. In that case, any other cost to you is decidedly worth it.
😉
In NYC, you can get doctors who do shady things to make an extra buck due to expensive real estate. I had a gynecologist try hawking me vitamin D tablets he sold and wouldn’t write me a script for anything generic, all while telling me this and pulling up the drug rep on speed dial on his cell phone! He was the only gyno in my area in my old insurance but as soon as I got a new job, I was thrilled to change. The new gyno of course had no problem giving me a generic and was no frills, like you describe.
My husband had a doctor try to sell him on a $30 test in-office that insurance didn’t cover. If insurance doesn’t cover it and it’s not required, why would he do it? I told him we needed to look for a new doctor…
That’s great news! Being Canadian, we don’t have a cost to go to the doctor (well, we do – it’s in our taxes! But it costs the same regardless of whether you go or don’t), so there wouldn’t be an additional cost for a second opinion, so that gives even more of a reason to get one. Congrats on your health win!