Now that my doctor has almost convinced me I’m going to live through this, I can tell the tale. The very fact that I made an appointment with the doctor (and kept it) should let you know how dire I thought it might have been. The symptoms that I had over the weekend will remain a mystery. The doctor is satisfied that I came back after three years and am now back on the high blood pressure medication I stopped taking (on my own, with no excuse except that I didn’t want to make an appointment to get it refilled).

This episode started when I made my normal morning trip to the post office last Friday. When I got out of the car and started walking up, I had a sudden attack of light-headedness. I felt almost as if I might collapse right there on the sidewalk, but I made it into and out of the post office and back to my car. I sat in it for a few minutes until I felt clear enough to drive home.

For the next 36 hours or so I had spells of dizziness and tingling all through my body. I thought about getting myself to the emergency room, but I also felt that I could wait it out for one more day. By Sunday I was starting to feel a little better, and my blood pressure was way down from where it had been Saturday when I took it. I still had the symptoms, but they came and went instead of attacking me constantly.

I took this whole experience as some kind of warning.

Monday I made an online appointment with my doctor. The soonest I could get in (unless it was an emergency, which I still wasn’t willing to admit) was today, Thursday. It was a long and anxious three days, and at times I felt pretty much okay, while at other times I felt pretty much like I should maybe get my affairs in order, if you know what I mean. (I should do that anyway, but never mind.)

The thought of seeing the doctor made me nervous and raised my blood pressure all by itself. As I sat in the waiting room I could feel my muscles tightening and my heart beating faster. My pressure was high when the nurse took it, but not dangerously high. I told the doctor everything and he put me back on the medication and ordered me in for mahoosive blood work next week. I hope I’ll have enough left to drive home from the lab after it’s done, but I’m determined to do it. I think I’m okay. I don’t think the blood tests will show anything that will threaten my lifestyle, which isn’t that stressful except when I let it be so.

For the past week, I’ve got the minimal amount of work done that I could get away with, and I’ve spent almost no time on line. Instead I’ve spent that time, long hours of it at a stretch, in the recliner, trying to be comfortable. Until last night I hadn’t slept in my bed because lying down aggravated the symptoms. Last night I finally had enough of the chair and slept most of the night in bed.

Today I felt better than I have since this started, although I admit that I’m not back to a hundred percent. But the good report from the doctor has helped bridge the gap. And I promised to keep coming back to see him regularly. I’ll do that in the hope that I won’t have to go through something like this again soon.