The perils of getting older

All my life, my blood pressure has run low, with systolic usually hovering around 110. I guess I got this from my father, whose blood pressure ran pretty much the same until he was in his sixties. My daughter also inherited this trait.

Over the past ten years, though, that pesky systolic of mine has crept ever upward. It's been around 140 for ages. My diastolic number is still super low, usually fifty-something.

I usually make Cliff check his blood pressure once or twice a week. He's on prescriptions that control his numbers quite well, but I like to keep on top of it because of his having had heart surgery. So when I check his B.P., I then check mine.

Mine has been in the 150+ range for a few weeks now, and was as high as 170, once.

Dang it.

I called and made an appointment with the doctor. May as well get checked before January 1, when we get different insurance: higher cost with fewer benefits, of course. Not to mention the deductable.

I sure hate the idea of taking blood pressure medicine, but I suppose at age 64, it shouldn't come as any surprise. And I certainly don't want to end up in the hospital like Cliff did!

I look over what I've just typed here and realize I'm REALLY getting old, talking about my blood pressure numbers to the masses, as if it was interesting stuff. Next thing you know, it'll be my bowels I'm blogging about.

If it comes to that, somebody just shoot me.