May 2011

One thing that Cubans love is for one to take their arterial blood pressure.  That is true, quite often I have been stopped on the street by someone asking me to take their blood pressure.  In fact, many patients come to the emergency room just to have one take their blood pressure.  It seems like an addiction, but the fact is that Cubans want to be well informed about their health.  Once they know that their blood pressure is normal they smile and go home happily.
 
Unfortunately there are a few individuals like my good friend, Martha, 75, who was hypertensive and never bothered to check her blood pressure.  This is inexcusable in Cuba since medical care is free and accessible to everyone.  It seems that people like Martha are just not good listeners; one ought to listen to our body.  The body has various ways of warning us that something is not right.  In general, Cubans are good listeners of their body and are very knowledgeable about their health problems.
 
Early this month I met Martha who is also known in the neighborhood of Cerro as “la francesa” (the French lady).  From a distance, she seemed a little unfriendly but once I got to know her I learned that she was a great human being.  The wrinkles in her face tell a story of struggle; her warm and sincere smile speaks of her humble life in Havana; and her soft voice is pleasant to the ear.  It was not until I started inquiring about her health that Martha finally opened herself.  She softly uttered, “I am hypertensive.”  At the moment she expressed herself as if hypertension was really not a big deal.
 
Martha was walking the unsteady streets of Havana with a blood pressure of 180/100 mmHg.  I am surprised that, at her age, she did not suffer a vascular accident.  A minute after taking her blood pressure, Martha was on her way to the nearby clinic to see her family physician.  It was only a matter of time for Martha to suffer the consequences of her uncontrolled arterial blood pressure.
 
Today Martha enjoys the advantages a normal arterial blood pressure.  Her quality of life has improved tremendously.  She claims that she is sleeping well at night and that her headaches have disappeared.  Aside from controlling her blood pressure, Martha now understands the importance of listening to one’s body.  I check her arterial blood pressure daily and, each day, with a sincere smile she utters, “you saved my life.”

Sincerely,

Alejandro Bernal
Website: www.pnhpwesternwashington.org
Email: alex238209@yahoo.com