I think I'm officially an old man now

It was bound to happen eventually. I'm 74 years old. I've outlived my father (he died when he was 71). I've retired (about 4 years ago). I'm in pretty good health and don't take any prescription drugs. I never really felt that old. Until today.

My doctor has been keeping an eye on my blood pressure for a while. It would go high for a while and then settle down. For years it went up and down. But it never stayed high for months at a time. But for the last year or so, it's staying high. The final straw was when I gave blood a few months ago and they said, "You should check with your doctor." I did and she said, "Let's monitor your blood pressure at home for a month."

Then I gave blood again in August and my blood pressure was still high.  I was taking my own blood pressure 3 - 4 times a week and it matched what the nurses saw at the blood drives. So, today I saw my primary care doctor and she decided it was time to start taking a blood pressure pill every day. So, I'll be starting a daily pill named losartan (Cozaar). I don't know which one is the real name. I just trust that the drug store knows what it's doing. After all, I'm an old man now and have to rely on other people a lot more.

There aren't supposed to be any major side effects but we'll see. My mother used to diligently look over the list of possible side effects for each new pill and, I believe, she would get those very side effects after starting the new pill. I will not be doing that. I'm just going to see how I do and, if I see anything unusual, will then ask my wife to check it against the list of side effects. I don't want to see some other side effect and then start feeling that.

But then again, my mother lived until she was 91. I would be happy to live that long - as long as I am feeling well.