Hypertension successful stories from Rolanda Perkins

Rolanda Perkins

We recently interviewed Rolanda Perkins to share her high blood pressure experience. Here’s her story.

This Q&A was a collaboration between Measure Up/Pressure Down® and two partner organizations, HealthyWomen and WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease.

MU/PD: How did you find out that you had high blood pressure?

Rolanda: In 2005, I had a heart attack that was partly caused by high blood pressure. Prior to the heart attack, I didn’t even know I had the disease, despite having many of the risk factors.

MU/PD: Nearly 70 percent of people who have a heart attack also have high blood pressure. What was that experience like?

Rolanda: It was a very scary experience. Leading up to my heart attack, I had been under a lot of stress working the third shift and planning a surprise birthday party for my sister. I had a headache for a few days that I thought was a migraine and attributed it to this stress. I even took migraine medications to see if that would help. Looking back, I know that my body was trying to tell me something.

The day after the surprise party, we had a cookout with friends and family. While I was cleaning up and mopping afterward, I felt a very sharp pain in my chest. I ignored that pain, but it woke me up around 3:30 a.m. and I was rushed to the emergency room.

Once I was in the emergency room, I didn’t have to wait after explaining my symptoms to the triage nurse. I was rushed to the back for treatment and was then told that I was having a heart attack. A surgeon performed an angioplasty, which means that a thin tube with a tiny balloon on the end was threaded through a blood vessel near my heart and inflated to widen the artery and restore blood flow to my heart and body. When I was released from the hospital, part of the diagnosis was high blood pressure.

MU/PD: Did you have any risk factors for high blood pressure or a heart attack?

Rolanda: The stress in my life was a big component. We also have a family history of high blood pressure—my parents, brother and sister all have it. My lifestyle was also a problem. I didn’t really pay attention to the amount of sodium in the foods that I ate, so I often consumed more than I should have.

MU/PD: How did you change these risk factors to get in better control of your blood pressure?

Rolanda: There are some risk factors—like race, age, gender and family history—that I can’t control. But I knew that I could fully control my lifestyle, especially my diet and physical activity.

For example, before my heart attack, I’d have a can of beefaroni with garlic bread and salad with Italian dressing for dinner. I didn’t realize how much sodium that food had in it—just one serving of beefaroni has nearly half of your daily sodium!

With that knowledge, I began eating smaller portions of healthier food, walked on a community trail and even got a dog to keep me active. I’m now in control of my blood pressure thanks to these healthy lifestyle changes, as well as taking blood pressure medication every day.

MU/PD: Congratulations on being in control of your blood pressure! How did you learn about lifestyle changes?

Rolanda: After my heart attack and high blood pressure diagnosis, I felt alone. I didn’t know many people who went through what I just experienced with my health. So I began volunteering with the American Heart Association (AHA), first at health fairs and then as a national spokesperson for AHA’s Go Red for Women campaign. From there, I learned about WomenHeart, which is a national organization for women with heart disease. I now co-lead a WomenHeart support group in Nashville, Tennessee, and serve as a WomenHeart Champion to spread the message to other women who were recently diagnosed with heart disease or had cardiovascular events, like heart attacks. Now, every fourth Sunday I host a local radio show focusing on women’s issues, including women’s health.

MU/PD:  What advice do you have for others who may have just been diagnosed with high blood pressure?

Rolanda: It’s extremely important for people to know about the sodium in their food. I didn’t realize, until after my heart attack that too much sodium was a major contributing factor. I encourage you to clean out the pantry and cupboards by reading the nutrition label and ingredients list. If you’re trying to cut back on sodium, refill a mini salt shaker every day with the maximum amount of salt, rather than using a table-sized one. And, learn how to season your food by using spices and herbs instead of salt.