06/07/2009 23:40

674 Work is Killing Me

Something from work must be trying to kill me. A couple of months ago, I determined that my blood pressure was out of control. 160/110, that's what I read on a Walgreens meter. I went to the doctor to be treated, and was put on Benicar 20mg. I stayed on Benicar 20mg for 5 weeks, at which point I returned to the doctor. She wasn't terribly happy with the results and decided to double the dose, putting me on Benicar 40mg. That brought my blood pressure down, but also caused me to have trouble breathing and swallowing. I returned to the doctor's office with those symptoms, and was taken off Benicar in favor of Bystolic 10mg. Bystolic joined the party for several weeks, without consequence. I didn't have any adverse effects. It seemed like Bystolic was doing what it needed to do. However, when I returned to the doctor's office, they read me at 150/90. That's not quite where I've been seeing my BP, but it convinced my doctor that Bystolic wasn't doing enough for me. So I was removed from Bystolic and placed on Lisinopril. On workdays, I continue to experience the shortness of breath, and skipping-a-beat of my heart, and damned near passing out. On weekends, while I'm taking the same pill, I don't have this experience. I worked my ass off on Saturday, cutting the grass, digging up a grass-covered spot around a tree, and planting Impatiens there. No trouble at all. There's something I'm doing during my average workday that causes me to have unusual respiratory symptoms. I hope I'll figure it out before I totally pass out.