Mike's musings

Slow down!

Well, Sally's entry today could have been written for me, or at least parts of it. Went to see the nurse practitioner at our surgery today (thanks, Sally, among others), as I've not been sleeping, and can't seem to throw this cough/sore throat/run-downness/etc.. Lack of sleep during the night (and then having to crash during the day) is a classic sign of raised blood pressure, which I remembered. And, indeed, my blood pressure's gone through the roof, with readings of 170/110 and 150/101, neither of which is particularly reassuring, and Pat (the nurse practitioner) reckons it might well be partly a result of the viral infection generally running me down, which causes my body to put its blood pressure, which makes me tired, which makes me more run down, which causes ...

So, she's increased my dosage of head-exploding pills (named because that's what they're designed to _stop_ happening), and I'm to have a blood test once they've had a chance to kick in. Last time, my bloods came back fine: I don't have high cholesterol or anything, just a predisposition to high blood pressure ("ideopathic", which means "we don't know why, and you're odd", as far as I can tell). Checked, and although it would be good to get more exercise when I feel up to it, that won't be the reason. Neither is my diet or general life-style of particular concern*. So, what should I do? Take it a bit easier is the answer.

I'll be leaving the house before 0800 tomorrow to drive to Swindon for two meetings, then driving back, then going to a seminar in Stowmarket. Don't expect to spend much more than 8 hours in the car. You've got to laugh.

Which, actually, is part of the point. I need to make a conscious effort to back off a bit, I think. I don't mind driving - in fact, unlike Moo, I enjoy it - and I'll listen to some good music, kick back (metaphorically), and chill out a bit. Just need to remember to do it. A bit of passive spirituality is called for, I think, and I might even burn a special CD mix to help myself along.

*(I've never smoked, and don't drink to excess. Well, not often. And, you ERMC folks, you see an unrepresentative sample. Honest.)

Labels: illness, spirituality, work