Today, I share with you how I almost died of high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. I knew nothing and did not know about it until it got worse. Later, I realised it runs in my family—i.e., hereditary. One aspect I will elaborate on as my story progresses.
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Now, this is my story: at age 15, I will have headaches, shortness of breath, and blurred vision. However, as the years went by, it became more frequent. I did not pay much attention because it may just be my body responding to stress.
It was during a family meeting on Sunday, May 20, 2018, when it got serious. There were family members and enough food and drinks to enjoy. As the event progressed, I sat down to drink while chatting with one of my favourite cousins, Benjamin. He looked at me and said, “Eric, are you okay?” It appears I was sweating for no reason and beginning to lose consciousness. All I remember is that I found myself in a hospital bed.
I was surrounded by my parents, siblings, and some relatives, whose faces appeared sad and worried. A nurse walked in and told my parents my pressure reading was 170 mm Hg, the reason I lost consciousness. I was given about seven drips while on my hospital bed to help regulate the abnormal pressure of my blood. A later check revealed I was at stage 2 hypertension. My parents got worried. I later learned by reading and researching that the human average blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg or lower, stage 1 hypertension ranges from 130 to 139 mm Hg, and stage 2, which I was, ranges from 140 mm Hg or higher. After days at the hospital, I was cleared and discharged. The doctors advised that I stay on medication to help regulate my blood pressure. I got a bit worried when it appeared, I might have to stay on medication for the rest of my life, meaning it was a chronic situation.
It dawns on me to learn and find ways to live better and not escalate my situation with hypertension. Before then, I checked my lifestyle and found out that I ate lots of sugary foods, had little sleep, was always on the move, so I was easily stressed, and lastly, some family members had high blood pressure in stages 1 and 2. So, to begin with, I read about the causes. They settled on two major causes, namely, family history and living an unhealthy lifestyle. One can develop hypertension if parents or relatives have the condition at any of the stages. Also, unhealthy lifestyles such as late eating at night, being overweight, and excessive consumption of sugary products raise the chances and might expand the risk of heart disease. In research, it was reported that high blood pressure is more prevalent among black people than white people. Also, a lack of regular exercise can lead to being overweight, which can trigger a high risk of high blood pressure. Stress and excessive drinking are also risk factors. Some complications are associated with high blood pressure, namely heart attacks (strokes), kidney problems, eye problems, and dementia, among others.
Eating healthy, getting regular exercise, and getting good sleep are ways to avoid high blood pressure and regulate it if you have already reached stages 1 or 2.
With the above education, my blood pressure has been reduced, and I live with it every day. I take my medication, eat more fruits, and exercise regularly.
