A Retired Friend, My Age, Had a Stroke Because He Stopped Taking His Meds
And that scares the hell out of me.
A friend recently had a stroke and he barely survived. The assumed medical culprit was high blood pressure.
The stroke affected his breathing and swallowing, along with a few other functions. The path to recovery is optimistic but uncertain, with no guarantee of returning to a normal lifestyle. His future lies with Doctors, Nurses, Rehabilitation Specialists, Family, and his personal ability to overcome the setback.
When I received the news, it felt like being stabbed with a dagger. I was breathless as it took a few minutes to absorb what was said.
Over the last 18 months, I’ve received negative information on health problems with many friends, mainly attributed to COVID-19. However, this news had nothing to do with the virus; it was all heart-related and affected a friend whose lifestyle is similar to mine.
When I asked if anything set the stage for his stroke, the answer I received was astounding, and it was a complete validation of a conversation I had with my Doctor three days prior.
My friend stopped taking his blood pressure medications without his physician's knowledge, and he decided to go cold turkey instead of phasing them…
