An elderly person dressed in a really slimming outfit...

Blood pressure hit 167/116 yesterday. Called the doctor. He told me to go to the ER. I'm 26-years old. A heart attack seems highly unlikely. Regardless, when my blood pressure reading showed intense hypertension, I was seen almost immediately. They put an IV in, just to be safe, which I'm sure didn't help me stay relaxed for the next reading. Apparently, if I was 45, I'd most likely have been having a heart attack. An EKG, two x-rays, a slight scare over my blood clot bloodwork coming back a bit irregular (what the hell sort of medical term is irregular mean- like they'd be sold at the outlets?), and a catscan later, we determined that the birth control pill had given me chest pains by escalating my blood pressure (also, the medical term Angina is just plain wrong). There are some rare symptoms of hypertension, even though it's known as the silent killer, and my body reacted with dizziness, insomnia, and chest pain. Go figure. The doctor put it best by explaining that I should imagine that my blood was really stressed about work, but my body was chilling on a beach somewhere. So now I'm on hydrochlorothiazide.

The backstory- I started taking the birth control pill about 3 weeks ago Sunday, got a sinus infection the following Sunday, went to the doctor that Monday, blood pressure reading was at 138/104. Doctor asked what I had been on recently and asked me to start monitoring my blood pressure. The following Thursday I started having chest pain and got dizzy at work so called the OB/GYN who told me to stop dating the pill immediately. 3 chest pain bouts later, saw my doctor this Monday. Blood pressure was even higher. Told me to monitor it some more. Didn't order tests. Woke up at 4am from chest pain. Took pressure which measured 166/99 (while sleeping). Yesterday at work, called doctor while uncomfortable. Told me to go to ER.

So I've decided I'm an 80-year old trapped in a 26-year olds body... like that Meg Ryan movie Prelude to a Kiss.

More evidence?

1. I like Frank Sinatra a lot.
2. The Golden Nugget is my favorite Vegas hotel.
3. I buy wide shoes (width of D) because my feet swell throughout the day.
4. My favorite shoes are either Ferragamo, Burberry, Easy Spirit, or Naturalizer.
5. I love TV Land- particularly The Dick Van Dyke Show, Leave It to Beaver, Donna Reed, The Patty Duke Show, I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Green Acres, Mr. Ed and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
6. I like American Idol, because it makes me think of what it would have been like to watch Johnny Carson when the Beatles first performed.
7. My bed is dressed in a bedspread (not a comforter) made of toile. I have always had euro shams.
8. I prefer antique furniture, like cocktail tables and sconces, over modern pieces. Even the 1970s is too modern for my taste.
9. I don't drink beer. I don't remember how to tap a keg.
10. My dream house is an old home in a small city like Savannah or Charleston.
11. I very much intend to dress in matching outfits with my children and have a portrait actually painted.
12. I still believe that Thank You cards are a must.
13. I would prefer to send invitations to a party via regular mail, but I know that Evite is more convenient.
14. I fully believe in historic preservation of communities. I don't believe that we should tear down historic properties in order to make room for residential and commercial development... even it means lowering my rent.
15. I don't go home with guys from bars. I require that I am taken on actual dates.... which I'm about to do now. APK's being cute and taking me to Georgia Brown's for dinner.