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I am a 52 year old woman with history of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms, vasovagal syncope, and hypotension. So I find myself intrigued that I am now joining a group to talk about hypertension. Approximately 2 to 3 months ago, I had an episode while I was out driving (between clients) and was in the middle of nowhere. I felt a bad pain in my back, around my shoulder blades, right shoulder and along my jaw line, then felt a pressure in my chest. I actually was adjusting my clothing, thinking that it was somehow causing that pressure in my chest. I called work and asked them to look up symptoms of a heart attack for a woman. Since I was in the middle of nowhere, no traffic, and I had no way to tell anyone where I was at, I kept driving. The pain and tightness lasted about 20 + minutes. Finally, it stopped. Ever since then, though, I've been having daily episodes of skipped heart beats. On occasion I will feel a tightness in my chest. This has resulted in 2 ER visits and one Urgent Care (though they referred me to the ER instead of seeing me). 1st visit at ER I went, everything had stopped before I got taken to the back and they didn't find anything. They told me to follow up with my regular doctor.
Problem is, right now I do not have insurance. I fall in that grey area, make too much for assistance, but not enough to pay out of pocket with a pre-existing condition. I haven't been on my blood thinners for a couple of years, and haven't been to a doctor in that long.
My blood pressure has been fine through all of this, at least I thought it had. BP was fine at the ER, slightly elevated at the second visit. However, I bought a blood pressure / pulse monitor because I wanted to keep track of things. The 2nd ER has referred me to a cardiologist, which I will see on the 20th. I was taking my blood pressure today and it has ranged from 122/89 to 132/108 and 152/92. Since, in 52 years, I've never had a blood pressure that high, I'm wondering how concerned I should be about this.
My pulse is averaging about 90 but has gone as high as 132. My monitor has indicated several episodes of irregular heartbeat.
The 2nd ER doctor put me on Xarelto. It has the added bonus of keeping me from developing new clots. Some of the other symptoms I have gotten in these past 3 months is when I'm getting the skipped beats, a few times my vision was impacted in my left eye. I have heard my pulse beating in my left ear and one day felt like my head and face were pounding along with my pulse and I could hear it in both ears.
Having never dealt with high blood pressure, I don't know what to do when it gets elevated. I know what to do for low blood pressure, but this is a new experience for me.
I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but my sleep has been extremely sporadic during this time, too. I'll wake up several times a night and now I find myself waking up early and not being able to get back to sleep.
What should I do to prepare for the cardiologist? How many times a day should I keep track of BP and Pulse to give to the cardiologist? I've been taking it every time my heart skips a beat.
Thank you for any information.
0 likes, 10 replies
joanna17875 benni777
Posted
Hello there, Ivan a lady in my fifties too and have a very variable range of of readings, although my pulse in consistent at about 76. I am not sure what records I would keep before seeing a cardiologist however I was offered a gtn spray for use whilst I was waiting, maybe this is something you can't use with your other issues? Anyway wishing you all the very best and good health.
benni777 joanna17875
Posted
Thank you, joanna. What is a gtn spray? They didn't give me anything for high blood pressure because it didn't get too high while in the ER, so wasn't a concern. I had went due to the irregular heart beats, chest tightness and just discomfort. Of course, they did check to make sure there was no blood clot, but I know how those feel and this was different. Our body is always the first thing to protest our maturity, and mine is definitely protesting! I wish you very good health, too. Thank you.
sylvia23434 benni777
Posted
I am a 74yr old female. I developed symptoms like yours 3yrs ago but not the tightness and pain. I was finally diagnosed with atrial fibrillation which I have an irregular heartbeat. Since then my blood pressure has been erratic but I don't suffer any symptoms when it is high. Your cardiologist will be able to shed more light for you. You could ask your GP for a ambulatory BP monitor which are really good and have a copy of the results when you go to hospital. My problems left me with severe breathlessness and I am waiting for a decision on what they can do to help me though this has now been going on for 2yrs. It is not considered an emergency but I find it frustrating. I have worked out in that time that there is no cure for AF just management. So have patience and soldier on.
Good luck
benni777 sylvia23434
Posted
Afib is what the Urgent Care doctor mentioned and why he wouldn't treat me but wanted me to go to the ER. They even reimbursed me the money I had paid up front. While I was at urgent care, they had marked my BP as normal, but my pulse was 105 and irregular. Right now, I don't have a GP due to the insurance. I mean, he would see me, but I have to pay for everything up front. The ER doctor that referred me to cardiology wants me on an event monitor, which I will get at the cardiologist's office. Thank you for the information, Sylvia. If there is nothing in life that I'm good at, I'm definitely a pro at soldiering on.
Best of luck to you!
jx41870 benni777
Posted
Well for me, the irregular heartbeats correlate only roughly with high BP.
What with your other conditions I hesitate to guess what would be recommended, but often they try a little beta blocker and sometimes it helps, though it's no cure.
BP is going to vary during the day, and you're only supposed to take reference measures when you have been quiet and resting for five to fifteen minutes.
Even with that protocol I know I have a lot of variation - and that also doesn't count just bad reads, the whole process of BP measurement has a lot of variation and sometimes it's just obviously off.
Most doctors I've ever talked to consider home readings as hearsay, they don't believe anything but what they take in the office. So take the readings you want to satisfy yourself, and don't feel it has to be more than a few times a day at most.
benni777 jx41870
Posted
Thank you for all the information Jx! I've been taking my BP after sitting for awhile. My skipped beats usually occur when I'm sitting still, watching TV at the end of the work day. When my BP got so high (for me, high) I was actually lying on the couch, watching a movie. I know that BP changes frequently, but in all the years with all the doctors I've seen, even during a tilt table test checking me for vertigo, my BP was always low. I even had a nurse ask me one time when I was in the hospital if I was alive because my BP had dropped to 68/42. When that happens, I get dizzy, feel like I'm going to pass out (and actually have a few times), and my vision narrows. My GP even told me to make sure that I salt every thing or take salt pills in order to raise my BP. Of course, I've stopped that now. I know I read that you should take your BP at the same time every day, but my schedule doesn't always allow me to do that. I work two jobs, a full time day job and a part-time evening job. At least 3 days a week, I start the day at 7:30 AM and three days a week, don't get home until 9 or 10:00 PM. And both jobs require me to do a lot of driving, though I am able to work from home with my day job and set my own schedule. But I will find a way to take it at least 3 times a day and take that to the cardio. Thank you so much for the info and best wishes to you!
nellgywn benni777
Posted
I've been to A&E (ER) a few times with chest pains.
Turns out they were oesophageal spasms.
They present in various ways:
1. General chest pain
2. Pain across the back, shoulders, right jaw
3. Chest, throat, right jaw
I'm on BP meds - Irbestartan 75mg/ Doxazosin 1mg - due to Prednisolone for Lupus and Myasthenia Gravis, because one of the side effects of Pred is higher BP. It's now controlled.
However, part of its being controlled is less anxiety.
When I read your post, I immediately thought you'd had an oesophageal spasm due to anxiety (or your current meds), which then led to panic attacks, hence your fast heart rate.
Getting into taking your blood pressure too much at home, especially when there's latent anxiety (recognised or not) about the reading, will result in more anxiety, which will elevate both your BP and your heart rate.
The first time I took Doxazosin, my heart rate went up to 120 bpm.
My BP reading journey at home would be comedic if it weren't so tragic.
My cardiologist, who writes the BP directives for the EU, would consider 145/95 normal.
Bring the possibility of oesophageal spasms and panic attacks, as well as anxiety, with your cardiologist when you see them.
I wish you all the best, and please do tell us the outcome, Benni.
benni777 nellgywn
Posted
Thanks, nellgywn. It could be anxiety. It's not a panic attack, as I've had those in the past and remember very well how those feel. I have PTSD from childhood trauma. Even during the panic attacks (this has been over 30 years ago) my BP never raised. I know our bodies change, so it is a possibility. Also, would it affect the left ear and eye? I'm definitely hoping for something as simple as this. Today, though, I was told that I didn't get the job I had applied for (which would have insurance benefits) and that is something that I have been waiting for, and hoping for. When I got home tonight, I took my BP and it was within my normal range of 99/63, though my pulse has remained between 90 and 100, even while at rest, so my pulse this time was 103. I also had a few skipped heart beats which is what prompted me to take my BP. It didn't pick up any irregularities in my pulse that time. Thank you for the info, and I will definitely keep you informed.
benni777 nellgywn
Posted
And also, Urgent Care was able to access my old medical records and said my last pulse was about 62 when I was last at the doctor, which made them start thinking Afib because they felt a rise up to 80 / 90 would be "high" for me, given my last pulse, but to have it rise to where it was and be irregular, and to have little to no exertion, they felt that was too big of a jump. (Not sure why - but that is what the doctor had the nurse tell me.)
nellgywn benni777
Posted
Sorry to hear you didn't the job
I hope you get to the root of the issue soon, benni777!