I had a dentist appointment to get my teeth cleaned today. at 7:10 AM!!! It was the only time they could fit me in, and I really needed a good ‘ole cleaning before moving to New York because I'm not up to dentist searching in crazy land. So I said oh brother and took the time. I avoided the 5's this morning by taking a shower last night, rolling out of bed, downing two cups of coffee, brushing my teeth twice (because that's what you do before a teeth cleaning, especially after two cups of coffee) and heading out the door, groggy but on time.
My cleaning went very well, way better than expected, because she said I was brushing well and hardly had any build up. This was very positive news to me because I don't floss even though I tell them every visit that I will. Even more exciting than that was that the cleaning didn't hurt at all! It must be what that one dentist lady told me a few years ago. She told me the right way to brush. I guess that really WAS the right way. They all tell you the right way, but this one lady must have really had it.
You put your toothbrush (toothpaste and all) right where your teeth meet your gums. Then you tilt the brush ever so slightly toward the gums, up on the top, down on the bottom. Then, you brush in a small circular motion, gently, not harshly, so that you can feel the bristles of the brush reach under your gums. But the trick is to do this gently, so it massages your gums, or you'll just bleed everywhere. It really works! My cleanings are getting less and less painful as the years go by!
But there was a problem this morning. I sat in the chair at 7:10 AM, and the first thing she did was take my blood pressure. I don't really get why the dentist needs to do that, but whatever. She checked the diddelydad when it was finished and said, "Wow, is your blood pressure always this low?"
"Uh," I said, "I don't know. What is it?"
"92 over 45."
"Huh." I said, but secretly I had no idea what those numbers meant.
"Yeah, that’s really low,” she said apparently sensing I was ignorant to blood pressure lingo.
"Oh." And I worried about it the rest of the cleaning.
So I did some research when I came home and this is what I read on the internet.
Low blood pressure (hypotension) is pressure that is so low that it causes symptoms or signs due to the low flow of blood through the arteries and veins. When the flow of blood is too low to deliver enough oxygen and nutrients to vital organs such as the brain, heart, and kidney, the organs do not function normally. When the blood pressure is not sufficient to deliver enough blood to the organs of the body, the organs do not work properly.
Well no kidding! My low blood pressure must have been due to the fact that I had to get up at the crack to sit in her chair! My organs never function properly at that hour of the morning. I'm not worried anymore.
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7 comments:
Glad your teeth are good, and you don't have to get a cavity filled or anything.
Anyways, I have always had that low of blood pressure, every time it gets checked, it's not bad as long as it doesn't drop, or you don't have to take something that makes it drop. Just for info....
Low blood pressure? Don't sweat it: You're married to Seth, you're moving to New York, and you're pursuing a career in the arts. It can only go up from here.
It seems like most Americans these days are dealing with the opposite problem -- high blood pressure. They tell us that our crappy diets, high stress levels, and lack of exercise help contribute.
Do you generally feel and seem to be healthy? Ever suffer from lightheadedness or feeling weak or sickly? As long as you're having no other symptoms, and this "low blood pressure" seems to be unexplainable in an otherwise healthy person, you really don't need to worry about it.
One source says that women under the age of 40 can experience very low blood pressure during pregnancy, dieting, or hot weather. And well, it is summertime in Houston, so that third one certainly applies to you (not sure about the other two...).
Some people actually have a vasovagal reaction to certain stimuli (for example, the stress of a doctor or dentist appointment) that causes blood pressure to temporarily drop, in an otherwise healthy person.
I've also heard of people having lower blood pressure early in the morning -- so I suspect your instinct about this is correct. It's likely because you had to "get up at the crack to sit in her chair", as you said.
"Low blood pressure? Don't sweat it: You're married to Seth..."
True, I am a sexy man.
KD, my fellow low-blooded woman, cheers.
Cach, so how's Beeki's blood pressure?
C-Ham, I would say I'm a healthy gal. Hot weather? Oh lord, yes. Dieting? Um...not really but I watch what I eat. Maybe I'm not getting some certain nutrient. I should ask my naturalist doctor friend. Pregnant? Most certainly not.
Seth, very true...
Hey, which e-mail addresses will you guys still remain reachable at during this transition?
It appears that we are almost certainly going to be able to visit you new Noo Yawkis for a day or two while we are up there in September (assuming that's okay wich yews), so I want to make sure I have good contact info.
(Or just write me an e-mail at the same old e-mail address I've always used with you guys, if you don't want to publish it to the whole internet.) Thanks!
yikes!
My cleanings never hurt in fact I like them.
But you should floss. If you don't, it will catch up with you eventually.
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