I blame my parents.

Ha! That got your attention hey!?
I also thank you.

In recent years it came to light that I have high blood pressure. I have had it for some time but it was generally washed under the table, so to speak, as a side effect of my pregnancies. And boy I had me some pregnant days.
As the years went on and I stopped being so pregnant all the time we started to see that this blood pressure thing wasn't going any where, actually it was getting worse.
After a year or so of tests and ultra sounds and trial and error it was decided I was going to have to be medicated. What?! How ridiculous, I am too young for this.

I worked hard at changing my diet and lifestyle, I exercised quite regularly, thanks to a wonderful new man in my life, and drove my kids nuts with fresh veggies and a lack of salt in our diets to help curb this hypertension monster that was hounding me.

Well, even with the medication, change of attitude and lifestyle it all comes down to genetics, hence the blame, and there is simply nothing I can do about it. So as I sit in the doctors office again last night three years after I first started medication she tells me it simply is not helping and we have to start more aggressive meds. Seriously? I started to protest but she got all serious on me, told me that I will always have hypertension, that is my reality, but if I leave it alone my life with be shortend with so much room left on my punch card, she looked me straight in the eyes and told me we have to get this under control, and now.
Fine.
So, I have to go buy a monitor for home, "AND USE IT", was how she put in sternly to me. I have to up my medication and go back to see her every three weeks for the next year or so until we find what will make me 'normal'.
The good news... everything I am already doing is fine. Don't stop living, and by living I mean drinking my morning coffee and evening wine....woo hoo....

This hypertension thing isn't too bad, hence the thank you, having it hanging over my head makes it hard to find excuses to fall off the exercise and mostly good diet wagon. It's also a good excuse to continue my pursuit of slow. I feel good right now and I intend to continue to do so.