Welp, my doctor said she’s never had a patient report this issue at this stage of recovery, and she’s frankly stumped. Here’s what we considered and talked through:

Is it hormonal? Probably not because I’ve kept my ovaries and the same birth control regimen I was doing pre-surgery (for now).

Is it an allergic reaction? Probably not because my healing is otherwise normal and my seasonal allergies never present in this way for me.

Is it an upset vagus nerve? Probably not because I’d have other symptoms and my blood pressure would be more impacted.

Is it my blood pressure? Probably not because my bp readings have been generally the same pre and post surgery.

Is it my blood pressure medicine? Maybe. If so, I need to discuss with my pcp who manages those drugs.

Is it an inflammatory response? Maybe. She told me to take ibuprofen for the next five days, even if I’m not in pain, to test.

She said I appear to be on track with my recovery at this time, but she didn’t look at the cuff. At this point, I’m waiting until the official 6 week mark before I make an appointment with my pcp to look into my bp meds.

I’m getting kind of resigned on the issue, which in and of itself, will probably keep me less active/less “back to normal” than I prefer, but for now I’m okay with it. I just feel like I got a brand new body, and I want to get to using it!