Search for Holy Grail (or why is my blood pressure so high)

My blood pressure has been extremely extraordinarily high lately (220+/100). A lot of people have been surprised that I am still walking around with a BP like that.

It all started when we stopped the Amlodipine. Unknowingly, that drug has been causing some significant fluid retention. And I thought I was just getting fat. Back in November, when we doubled the dosage (because my BP was 170/90 then - still high), my ankles started swelling up. Worse case, my BP did not drop; I think it went higher.

It has been a quest for new blood pressure medications since then. Most of these drugs have names that sound like they were crafted from the mountains of Mordor: Doxysasin, Teraxosin, etc. I am hoping that Gandalf will come and fix my BP for me. I am already soooo pissed off that my BP is sky-high (and that absolutely does not help).

I hope my nephrologist fixes the situation soon. He is going to have me do an electrocardiogram to see what other meds I can handle. I am already on three BP-regulating drugs (four, if you count my dizzy pill).

The most frustrating thing about this ordeal is now I cannot even enjoy my activities. Walking from the parking lot to my desk is tough. I get tired easily and dizzy doing aikido. We have not even gone skiing since the end of January.

The good thing about this ordeal (if there is a bright side) is I have lost the fluid weight. For the first time, in a long time, I am below 160 lbs! Yey!

Now, let's just try to prevent a stroke.