I knew this weekend would be rough. My body does not do cold temperatures very well anymore. To explain this a little…
Blood pressure goes up when the blood vessels constricts and goes down when the vessels dilates. When it gets cold the vessels constricts to get the blood pressure going and get your warm. Kind of logic, right? Well my blood vessels doesn’t know how to constrict by themselves so I have to take a vasoconstrictor medication three times a day called Midodrine. Well when it is this cold not even the medication could get my blood pressure up at times. After living with this condition for almost 4 years now I have learned how my body feels at certain measurements. Yesterday morning when I woke up I took my blood pressure just to know where I was since it was going to be the coldest day. To start out the day on 64/41, then you know it will be rough.
I was dressed in 2 layers on my legs and 4-5 layers on my upper body yet the 19 degrees was too cold. I ended up taking almost three times the amount of Midodrine than I’m supposed to and was still struggling. It was hard for me to walk from the cold outside to warm inside and back outside again, over and over. As soon as I sat down my blood pressure just plunged on me. My partner drove for a little bit and I fell asleep and slept harder than I do at night in my bed. I was so exhausted from trying to get some kind of stable situation. My pulse plunged as well and went down to 46 for a while when we were posting and I could feel my pacemaker sending the electrical impulses to get that heart beating. When that happens the only thing I can do is just sit still. I have no energy to even move my arms unless I make an effort. It’s a very special and awkward feeling.
I considered going home from work but I didn’t want to. I don’t want my condition to “win”. It’s just not what I do.

When the roller coaster is going like this a lot of side effects are coming with it. I was already a little dizzy, (I doubt that my blood pressure was ever over 90 systolic), but it gave me a bad headache and a nausea so I couldn’t even eat my lunch. I thought I would throw it up so I didn’t dare.

I pushed through the day. The cold weather made people hesitate to call 911 and it was a very calm day thankfully. I was actually very proud that I pushed myself even though I know it may not have been the right thing to do.

The only good thing with the cold temperatures and being freezing all the time is that I’ve lost 6 lbs since Thursday morning… ain’t complaining about that but I know that I will gain it back before next week.

Every day is a learning process. I am learning how my body works in different environments and cold is not what we are exposed to every day here in Texas. Hopefully winter is gone for the season now. I am so over all these cold temperatures. I’m over dressing up in layers and always being cold. But I now know a little more about how much I can push myself and that makes me mentally stronger! And one thing is for sure… I will never move to Alaska…