A Family Doctor

When we moved from the country house to Mist Cottage, we lost our access to a primary health care provider. That went on for years, and our only options were walk-in clinics and the hospital emergency. Then, after being on the waiting list for so very long, we finally got signed on with a Nurse Practitioner, with 400 people waiting behind us on the waiting list.

Suddenly last fall we were told the Nurse Practitioner was moving on, and we were assigned a Family Doctor, for the first time in ten years. Ten years doesn’t sound like much, and if we were 40 years younger it probably wouldn’t have been much of an issue. But we are seniors, and we have significant health issues. It hasn’t been easy.

My high blood pressure is an inherited issue. Up until a few months ago, nothing had brought it under control. Lifestyle changes helped, but they didn’t resolve the issue. The medications I was prescribed by the walk in clinics, and the Nurse Practitioner, did not bring it under control. It wasn’t terribly high, but considering I am prone to aneurysms, it was far too high.

Enter the first appointment with the new Family Doctor. I saw a locum, as my new GP was filling in at the hospital. He prescribed a new BP medication. My blood pressure skyrocketed, and I didn’t sleep at all for two days, I stopped taking that medication. My next appointment was with my new GP, we discussed the medications and he suggested two, thought it best to try a particular one first, I agreed. My blood pressure is now excellent, consistently, every day. Oh what a difference it has made to my health to be cared for by an actual medical Doctor.

I have white coat syndrome, my blood pressure rises significantly when I attend a medical appointment… until now. By the second visit to the new GP, my blood pressure no longer spiked during an appointment. Partly the new medication, and partly the trust I have in this new GP.

My cholesterol has always been shockingly high, no matter any lifestyle change or medication. Until I saw an Endocrinologist, at the suggestion of my Vascular Surgeon. Within six months, after adding two more medications, my lipid readings are normal. So far none of the really serious side effects have shown up, diabetes being one of them. My A1C readings are actually falling.

I think our Nurse Practitioners (five different NPs in five years) were great for day to day health issues and ongoing prescriptions. There wasn’t much consistency of care with the high turnover. After all these experiences, I think seniors, and others with chronic health issues, really need a Doctor as their primary care provider. I am so thrilled to be under the care of this GP!

High BP and lipids have plagued me all of my adult life. With the help of new medications this is no longer an issue for me. I hadn’t realized just what a burden it has been over the years, attempting to handle these conditions without the new medications, and without a consistent primary health care provider.

And of course, the new medications and the excellent Doctors would not have had the positive impact on my health without my significant efforts to maintain a healthy diet, exercise, and lifestyle. It takes a village, as they say.

Worldly

Weather

10°C
Date: 8:00 PM EDT Sunday 18 May 2025
Condition: Mostly Cloudy
Pressure: 100.9 kPa
Tendency: Rising
Temperature: 9.6°C
Dew point: 6.0°C
Humidity: 78%
Wind: NNW 19 gusts 37 km/h
Visibility: 24 km

Quote

“There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.”
Willa Cather
1873 – 1947