As it were, I've been on aspirin (ASA) 325 mg. daily since 2005. That's shortly (well, four years) after uncontrolled hypertention grounded me from my airline pilot job. And I'm talking episodes of blood pressure readings like 210/115, with severe reations to most of the classes of BP drugs. Except for the beta-blocker atenolol. But atenolol made me drowsy and lethargic, so the BP specialists in Dallas kept switching me to something else, trying to find a medication that would control my BP with no deleterious side effects, so that I could return to airline flying (by then my airline had gotten rid of the MD-80s that I was flying when grounded, but I had an open bid as captain on the Boeing 737-300/400, my favorite!). Ends up, the speciaalists were titrating poisons. I could name each of the drugs here (but won't), and their manifold side effects, but the common side effect was wicked bronchitis. The legended "Zestril Cough," with everything except atenolol. So in around 2003, my primary care doc in Dallas said, "Enough! These frequent episodes of severe bronchitis put you at risk for COPD and other things." So I have been on atenolol (with maxide) to this day. Thus, grounded from flying.
Back to ASA. In 2005 I had a probable TIA. So the docs put me on ASA 325mg daily. I have taken a 325 aspirin every day, like clockwork for 16 years. On my first consultation with my new primary care physician (well, I've been with him for seven, maybe eight years now), who I absolutely love, he said to by all means continue the ASA at 325mg per day - but no more. He said that with my history of episodes of uncontrollable, extremely high blood pressure, and with the clincal findings in 2005 (he had my med records and MRI flims from 2005), I had most likely had a cerebrovascular accident - something between a TIA and a stroke.
So, yes. I take ASA. And what a long-winded explanation that was! I apologize, but that is the whole back-story.
You are very perceptive, Nnadir. And I appreciate your comments about my photography and writing, especially your enjoyment of my carbon monoxide essay (again, thank goodness for Nick-Nick. He saved our lives!). That was written in the last ten months - ten months of pain - and it was writing that was pain-pushed. As I told an old former-girlfriend (high school - '62-'66), who is a good friend now on Facebook (haven't laid eyes on her since 1966) .. I told Emily that haven't shot a frame since last September. And I told her that writing is much easier than editing images (and I have thousands of un-edited images in my Lightroom catalogs). So I am writing most of the day now - it would probably be more accurate to say Gabapentin/Tramadol pushed now - to keep my mind working and off the bad things. It works. And I keep an image in edit mode in Lightroom and/or Photoshop to work on, but that is tedious. My photo posts on DU nowadays are what I post on FB, Flickr, Instagram, and my website (if you want, check it out at www.mactippins.com , best seen on the big screen). On DU, if you do that, it's the same name within the website address, well why not, it's Mac Tippins. I've got a bunch of DU'ers with me on FB.
And I'll order the Sackler book. Very germane to my situation today with the pain management restrictions I am encountering. I look forward to the read, and I know my wife will read it too. Speaking of my wife, she just called up the stairs and said that it was time I start the collard greens that I volunteed to cook. I'll take my mid-afternoon half-a-tramadol treat, thinking now about the Sacklers!, and go down and start my famous Cajun-style collards.
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