falls church
thu 29-apr-04

columbine - green springs farm park - 27.apr.2004

Went to the doctor this morning. Blood pressure and cholesterol not within acceptable limits. Now, I have to decide if I am going to take the prescribed expensive meds ... I have been taking some expensive blood pressure stuff that hasn't seemed to be doing the trick. So more expensive stuff was ordered.

Basically, I do believe that the correct meds will lower blood pressure and/or cholesterol But, I am not sure that lowering the pressure and cholesterol will do squat towards extending a good quality of life. I mean, if you have good naturally low numbers - you might live longer - I grant that. But, do artificially lower numbers also correlate to more good quality years?

I am very cynical, because I am one of those women who fell for the "Estrogen Pills are GREAT" line. Took those things for ten plus years. Then "they" announced "STOP - Estrogen Pills are killing you". If I start down this path, will years from now will "they" say "oops" again? Will I just be spending a couple of thousand dollars a year for nothing? (Yes boys and girls, a couple of thou per year for these drugs - OH CANADA!)

Carlton is even more cynical. He will not even go to the doctor any more. Can not say that I blame him. He says that if I start with the pills I'll be starting down a "slippery slope".