Effects of High Blood Pressure: From Fluid Retention to Massive Headaches

Just over a year ago, I had minor abdominal surgery, and all was well until I went into recovery.

Then, my blood pressure, which had always been on the low side of normal, skyrocketed. This is a fairly typical reaction to pain, but my doctor was very concerned. Not only was my blood pressure now on the high side of high, but it was even worse for someone who had always tended to flow in the other direction.

The immediate orders were to lie on my left side to ease the flow of blood through my heart. The idea, my doctor explained, was to let gravity help do the work. Next, I was given pain medication, lots of it, to try to stop the body's reaction to the pain.

I've been around other people with high blood pressure, my husband's blood pressure is regularly on the high side, but I wasn't prepared for how it affected me. My husband has headaches, dizzy spells and a general malaise when his blood pressure gets too high.

I swelled up like a balloon. I could not wear anything other than a nightgown, because everything I owned put pressure on my incision. When I left the house, to go to doctor visits, I have to wear an old pair of my husband's shoes because my feet were so swollen then would not fit in any of my own shoes.

And, I could not get enough to drink.

The doctor had advised me to drink lots of water to help flush the body, but I felt like I was always drinking something.

Since I had never had a blood pressure problem before, the doctor did not want to put me on blood pressure medicine, but did want to monitor me closely. So, I had to go to the doctor every third day for two weeks.

Otherwise, I rested on my couch. I alternated between Vicoden and prescription strength Motrin to fight the pain and set an alarm clock to wake up to take the pills. I tried to tell the doctor that I didn't need the pain medication any more after the first week, but when I got off the schedule, my blood pressure would rise again and quickly.