The lesson for my blood pressure story? Trust your instincts no matter what!

I kept telling my doctors that I did NOT have essential hypertension. Essential hypertension just means that no one can find a reason for it!

I felt like I was the only one, except my very good cardiologist, who wanted to figure out what was going on. It was really hard to wait for an answer too because my BP was really high, going up to 220 and above on occasion. But I didn't want to take a BP drug yet that might mask what was going on. And they are really hard to get off of once you start taking them because your BP can actually go higher (rebound) after you go off of one.

No one, and I mean NO ONE, thought of saying I should go off of the birth control pill. I have been on them since I was a teenager but the one I had been on had been discontinued last year. My doctor prescribed a brand but the pharmacy gave me a generic version to replace it. Basically a bad copy of any original, since the company doesn't have to do the studies, etc. first.

So on a hunch, I went off of Aviane (yes, that's the awful drug). I got my doc's "permission" first but nothing was going to keep me from going off of it. Ten days later, I was having lots of weird symptoms including hot flahses, what I can only assume is a sudden menopause. But now, my blood pressure is NORMAL. I just about cried when it came down to the 120's. It has been normal ever since.

I can't even tell you how fierce you have to be if your instincts are telling you something is wrong when it comes to doctoring. If I hadn't been so tenacious, I would not have figured this out and would be on one more drug instead of being off of one.

And I don't feel like I'm suffocating anymore from the high BP. My MG is taking a hit, however, from being off of estrogen and having a "hot" body!

Annie