Wanting Plastic Surgery Saved My Life...Not Getting Plastic Surgery Saved My Life. (Testimony)
July 30, 2023
Blog posted: 11-26-2018
This is part of my testimony, and I pray it will help others. In preparation for me getting some Liposuction done, I had to get a pre op exam 30 days prior to surgery. Of course I'd been battling headaches for years but it wasn't until the pre op, that I realized how high my blood pressure was. It had gotten up to 196/120 (or something similar). So I was given Propanolol to help with the headaches and blood pressure and after a week, it still wasn't helping. I was changed to 20mg of Lisinopril for blood pressure and after a week, it still wasn't helping. The week before my surgery, my doctor doubled the Lisinopril to 40 mg. I knew that if my blood pressure wasn't controlled, I wouldn't be having surgery...but I felt I needed to keep pushing forward anyway. At this time, I felt it was either something underlying the blood pressure which is why the meds weren't controlling it, or I needed to lace the meds with something else.
We got to Miami on Monday 3/18 for pre op and it was 155/102. Urggghhh...still high. I asked God "If there is ANYTHING in my body that would keep me from getting off this operating table alive, please block the surgery. "The morning of the surgery, 3/19, I checked my BP and it was 138/89 Woo hoo!! Mind you, my blood pressure would often go up and down a lot but that's the best it's been in weeks! I'm having the surgery right? WRONG!! Once we reached the center and I started prepping, they took it again. 202/120. Yeah girl, you need to head to the Emergency Room. So we drove back to Tampa and that night I was admitted to Tampa General Hospital. (I didn't want to be admitted in Miami and have to stay down there all week.)
They gave me nitrogen to immediately lower the pressure. The ER doctor asked me what I wanted them to do. Did I want them to give me meds and follow up with my primary, or do all the tests they felt necessary to find the problem right then? Of course I went with the second option.
It was obvious that I'd had HBP for a long time, They felt this was the source of my headaches. Having prolonged HBP can cause heart issues and that was of utmost concern. Thank God!! All heart tests were fine. However, I was eliminating urine every 45 MINUTES to an hour when I'd only drank about a cup of water! #Red Flag. so the doctor ordered an ultrasound of my kidneys and found Renal Stenosis in the right one. They felt that this was the cause of the HBP and the HEADACHES! The kidney wasn't getting enough flood flow so it demanded it from the rest of my body which causes the pressure to rise.
I had a procedure on Friday called an angiogram and they were able to open the artery in my kidney! Praise God!! Now my pressure is back to normal and once I'm off Plavix in 90 days, I will be good.
Now...since my blood pressure was going up and down, what if...when they took my pressure at the plastic surgery center, it was a normal reading? They would have proceeded with the liposuction and I believe in my heart, I wouldn't have made it through. (This was also confirmed by the Director of Internal Medicine.) so, the want for this liposuction saved my life, but had I had it, I wouldn't even be here. Don't get me wrong, I'm an advocate for enhancing my body. There's nothing wrong with getting work done. But I thank God He made me aware of this and brought me through it. Big thanks to my husband Anthony Brooks, who was there every step of the way. My babies Amaya T. Morgan and Troy Morgan who I love dearly. My mom Cynthia Pinckney who is a praying woman. My sister Kimberly Woods who never judges, just loves. Kurt Ball who gave us medical knowledge on the entire HBP process and brought awareness about the kidneys in the first place, and a host of other family members who played integral roles in this process. 4 days in the hospital was worth the sacrifice.
Listen to your body...it tells us what we need to know.
Maleika Brooks
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