Resolution
A few weeks ago, I had another blood pressure spike. I’d been to a friend’s place and ate highly salty snacks. A lot.
By the time I was home, my blood pressure was up to 160/90, a significant rise from what was then a typical 105/65 or lower.
I felt this was the time to check things again, find out about these mystery symptoms, so I managed to drive to the A&E despite feeling awful.
Of course they take this stuff seriously. Perhaps I had had a stroke. I ended up getting a bed, another CT scan, another round of blood tests, and a full night of heart monitoring.
All normal.
In the morning, a different cardiologist said that there was never any evidence of atrial fibrillation in any of my records. The beta-blocker had been a preventive measure and unnecessary. I could stop immediately.
My suggestion that I had ingested a ridiculous quantity of coffee on the morning that initially sent me off to Invercargill A&E seemed the most feasible explanation for my raised blood pressure and heart rate.
After all, I have a very healthy diet and have exercised every day for almost 20 years.
I was actually “the healthiest person in the hospital”.
Despite that, she said that I did the sensible thing in coming in because many men in my situation didn’t seek help, and that could make their situation way worse.
All I needed was a slight addition of salt and more water first thing in the morning. There would be a week as the beta blocker left my system, another two weeks for my body to adjust, and I’d be good to go.