When...

I have a son with hypertension as well as arrhythmia and high cholesterol so I understand the fear that comes to mind when the doctor says your childs BP is too high. I'm sure you know that proper diet, exercise and in some cases medication can help your kids to live a long and healthy life. It's scary, and you have to be strict about the routine needed to live with hypertension but it can be done. My son used to be on a more aggressive therapy, but now that his diet is solid and stable, we rarely sway from the cardio diet, he has come off from many meds he was on and now only takes a low dose of lipitor and he's on lisinopril for his BP. He has to take posassium supplements while he take the BP medicine. He also takes carbamazapine and seroquel and those meds tend to cause weight gain so we have to work extra hard with him to keep him on a close to vegetarian diet.

I am way too familiar with osteo and connective tissue disorders so I feel a kinship with you and Tom in that area. Life is pretty hard when it hurts just to shift positions or raise your arm to take a drink. I have severe CTS in both wrists but can't have surgery because my left hand is partially paralyzed. They wont operate on the right because if there is a failure I would be left with no hand use. That was decided about 6 months after I completed rehab on my left hand. The decision wont be reversed even though I did gain some positive use of that hand. I have to use night braces and I'm suppose to be using day braces but I can't usually afford the money to keep up on my day braces, buying my night braces every few months is bad enough. Medicaid won't cover the rigid shell or side closure braces for CTS and if we use my ligaments as the DX code the bracing for ligament instability collides with my listed CTS and I get denied for any bracing. Usually I wind up paying to have braces made through the brace shop. I have had so many pairs of braces made I'm learning how to make my own!

One day I hope to meet you and be able to give you a hug. There is no cancer in my life...but all the rest I understand and I know your life is not easy.

Posted on by Becky Raymond: Administrator