I had doctors all over me ... injecting things, taking blood, scanning me and god knows what else.

My clearest memory of that day was suddenly feeling very light headed.

The doctor later told me that I "liked" a drug (I think it was hydralazine) he injected into me. I say "liked" because only a doctor could think I "liked" it. In about 30 seconds I went from feeling what I then considered normal, to being drenched in sweat, head spinning and throwing up my lunch. The nurses told me later that I was as white as a ghost.

I remember asking one of emergency nurses if she thought I would be able to go home that night. She laughed.

I ended up spending 4 days in intensive care, and 6 days in general hospital before they let me go home.

The quality of care, doctors and nurses were all amazing. We have a free hospital system in Australia which sometimes gets a bad rap, but my experience was very positive.

MEDICATION

They never found a cause ... I just have high blood pressure. I take a fair bit of medication, and my blood pressure is now at normal levels.

My doctor told me to buy a blood pressure monitor and record my readings each day. Because I kept forgetting to take my readings, I wrote a software program to remind me. The software also charts readings from my home monitor, and it is clear that my readings have been dropping over last six months. My readings are now around 110-120 over 70-80. Much better, but more importantly, I feel a lot better ... I had no idea that high blood pressure could make you feel so unwell.

If you also have high blood pressure I wish you well! If you have not seen a doctor about it, I highly recommend it ... don't leave it as late as I did, they can help you to feel a lot better!