blood pressure interventions

I just walked back from a visit to my local doctor, a follow-up after getting a home blood pressure machine a few weeks ago. I like data, so I recorded a few notable blood pressure readings. It was the usual borderline issue that has persisted for years, with only 2 exceptions recorded on this home machine. The high reading was immediately after turning off "The Last Of Us", another violent episode that I couldn't stomach and had to turn away. The low reading was during my week-long staycation from work this week, not having to deal with the stress of my current job, and sleeping a lot more than usual. I suspected that this job might be "too much" for me to handle long term, but I finally have some data to back up that feeling.

event	systole	diastole	pulse
today at clinic after walking there	147	97	77
typical reading at home	145	90	59
bad reading after interrupting stressful tv episode	167	100	92
good reading after several days away from work (maybe after walking up/downstairs? not sure about that heart rate)	127	81	79

The doctor prescribed hydrochlorothiazide. We're going to try getting the blood pressure down as a temporary measure. In addition, they are sending me to another sleep specialist, hoping to get me a sleep apnea solution that uses new technology. I don't find it documented in Dreamwidth, but I long ago was prescribed a CPAP for sleep apnea. I gave it up almost immediately because I developed a rash on my face everywhere that the mask touched my skin. I've seen ads for new contraptions that are either mini-masks or some even somehow using electrical stimulation to solve the problem. I'm excited to learn what new technology the new specialist-doctor recommends for me.

The doctor also is referring me to a different gastroenterology clinic, one where they don't use the usual drug to "put people under". It may be because of that drug that a Minnesota law newly (since about 2023, I think, although I don't know which law) requires the patient to have someone transport them to the clinic, remain at the clinic throughout the procedure, and transport the patient back home again. In the past, medical transportation services would take you there and back again. I contacted those services, but they told me they can't do it anymore under this new law, because they're not going to wait around for half a day for a single patient case. We'll see what comes of this new recommendation. I'm a few years behind on what I know needs to be done, because they always find polyps, and I've been doing them since around age 30 because of unrelated gastrointestinal issues.

This is my first long term (but hopefully short term) pharmaceutical pill. Apparently I'm now old enough for me to mooch insurance money off of the healthy young people, instead of paying more into it. I wish we could just do socialized medicine, like a civilized society would do, to make all of this process easier and cheaper on everyone. Instead, I'll be filing insurance claims and costing my coworkers more money. Can you imagine how much extra medical service we could afford if we weren't also paying for health insurance millionaires, stockholders, and denial-of-care bureaucracy?

Edit 7pm: My arm is starting to hurt finally from the pneumococcal vaccine that I got at the clinic this morning. I picked up the hydrochlorothiazide at the pharmacy this morning. The pills are very tiny. If I thought that I was peeing a little too often before, that was just practice. The doctor advised that I take the pill in the morning rather than at night, and I see why. Frequent bathroom breaks are now required. I called the neurology clinic to set up an appointment for sleep apnea discussion. I need to transfer records from long ago to this new service, so they can see my prior diagnosis and test results. Now, I need to figure out how to transport myself to that far northwest metro location. The bus service map didn't offer any routes from my house to there, so I may have to just Uber/Lyft my way there. Certainly doable.

Edit 8pm: In my haste to discuss my urination schedule, I forgot to mention that the insurance co-pay on my prescription hydrochlorothiazide was a mere US$0.36, and that figure is not a mistake. I have no idea what it actually costs to my insurance and therefore my coworkers, but that price is incredibly cheap to me at the pharmacy counter.