Re: Why don't people listen to their body ?
Originally Posted by
AnnieS
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Because there are different levels of sensitivity to pain and discomfort. So some people don't register problems until it's quite far gone. Others go to the doctor when it's still too minor.
BP can be very high before you have symptoms. Cancer is often painless.
High blood pressure can have no symptoms at all, as I now know. My health MoTs, the Well Man clinics at my GPs were every four years, then they stopped them.
Not too important I thought, I was always healthy. In fact I had only been to the doctors, for very minor ailments, six times in 36 years. Then I decided to move home so a new GP had to be signed up with. Not being very familiar with GPs I found out that I had to undergo a health MoT before they would sign me up.
All was OK until it came to my blood pressure. After that was taken, the nurse said she would have to ask a GP something so off she went. Minutes later she came back, with my now GP, who explained my blood pressure was so high she would be neglecting her duty to allow me to leave without medication. She went on to say she didn't very often see blood pressure as high as mine. Did I have any problems at all because of this? No, none at all. My GP told me that I was their worst kind of patient – a healthy person is seldom seen for them to check their blood pressure!
I was put on medication there and then for high blood pressure, later it went down to what it should be. A year later I had a heart attack, possibly due to having high blood pressure for so long! Had it not been for that initial health MoT for a new GP I would never have known about the high blood pressure and might not be here now, it really was that high.
On checking my medical notes, it was ascertained I could well have been walking around with high blood pressure for ten years or so with no symptoms! I now take my own blood pressure once every couple of weeks and have an annual health MoT.
I would seriously advise everyone to have their blood pressure checked once a year.