October - Hypertension Case Management

Today I enrolled my first patient in our hypertension case management pilot program.

As she sat down at my desk, wide-eyed and overwhelmed by her disease, I could see her pressure rising along with her anxiety. She recently buried her son, and has had over 5 family members die due to high blood pressure. I asked what she knew about the disease, and she said not much. She was told she had it about 6 years ago, but felt fine so didn't worry about it. I could see her putting pieces together as I gave simple explanation of what blood pressure is, and what having high blood pressure for a long time can do to your body. As she began to comprehend the risks of uncontrolled high blood pressure, she was more and more willing to take charge of her disease. With the support of her daughter she was ready to make a change. When I asked about what has inspired her to change and how I could best support her, the tears started to well up in her eyes. Still struggling with the recent death of her son, and the social isolation of living with an absent niece, she was grateful just to have someone who would walk with her through her struggle to survive this disease. With support and knowledge she was encouraged and empowered to manage her blood pressure. The silent yet heartfelt thank you spoken through tear-filled eyes reminds me why I have chosen to serve others and inspires me to continue to walk along side my patients in their struggles to lead healthy lives.