I too was fit with exercise and no symptoms, BP 115/75 and then bang….blood clot caused a mild stroke!

I was lucky…the numbness on my whole right side only lasted about 15 minutes, and then recurred over the next week in my hand and wrist causing me to not be able to raise my arm while doing exercise with hand weights, or to lift a spoon to eat my cereal, so I finally went to the hospital. I should have gone after the first episode. But I was in denial that anything was really wrong. But it was. I ended up having surgery to remove a large blood clot from my carotid artery.

Not to scare you, but just a warning.

Low BP doesn't protect against heart attack or stroke when you have elevated platelets. The platelets are sticky and form clots that could travel to your heart, lungs or brain. I also have low BP. But you can decide on your own risk.....I'm significantly older than you and have been on HU for 3+ years now.

@1pearl
As someone else posted earlier, having low blood pressure and healthy habits doesn't keep the overabundance of platelets from sticking together and forming clots that can cause strokes and heart attacks. My BP is almost exactly what yours is but I still have to take a low dose aspirin daily to make my platelets less sticky so they don't form clots as easily. Blood clots are the greatest immediate risk of ET because they can be life threatening or fatal. Platelets are the cells that enable our blood to clot so too many of them can be dangerous.

My doctor told me this and I've also read it in many articles. If your doctor isn't sure what you have I would suggest you consider getting a second opinion and asking your doctor some questions.

Of course everyone should make their own decisions but we all need to have a good knowledge base in order to do that. God bless you and best wishes for a good outcome.