Question - Would You Have Gone To ER?
 

This morning, at 11 am, a friend was at my house for brunch w/ my wife.

Friend is a 50-ish y/o woman in good health. She started feeling dizzy, tunnel vision, had trouble hearing, had trouble speaking or forming words. After a while it passed.

Wife took friend home. At home friend checked her BP, it was 160/something at HR 60. That is high for her, she's usually like 120/something. Not on BP meds, no history of high BP (I think the BP cuff is her husband's).

During the day, friend checks occasionally. BP keeps going up.

We pick her up at church at 7 pm, she's finished a performance (she's a musician) and we don't want her to drive home alone. She says her BP is now reading so high, her cuff must be broken. I have brought my cuff. It reads 187/97 pulse 60.

She is otherwise feeling fine, no chest pain, dizziness, trouble speaking, nothing. She has a family doc appointment tomorrow.

We call two doctor friends. The GP says no need to go to ER. The pathologist says go to ER.

We take friend to ER. They measure her BP 190/100. I left her there waiting to see the doctor, my wife is with her, I needed to get home and take care of kids.

So I wonder now. Should she have gone to the ER? Or just seen her regular doctor tomorrow?

I'm now reading that brief high BP, by itself, is not cause for alarm. Unless it is really high, like 220/110. Or continues for several days. But she had the weird episode in the morning . . .

She has insurance, this is more me curious about what to do in future.

If they are having neuro symptoms, the speech, auditory and visual disturbances with the high BP, I do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to ER. You only get the one brain, best to take care of it.

Knew a guy who had dumped his Harley, got headache, ringing in his ears a couple days later so he called and made an appt with the doc. Went to bed and never woke up, slow epidural bleed. He was early 50's, about Hugh's age I guess.

I would have called 911 when the cognitive problems became apparent. Those symptoms can hint towards life threatening problems - aka stroke. I'd rather risk a POed friend than a dead one!

G

I vote ER.

The symptoms earlier in the day may have been a TIA/RIND. Kind of a mini-stroke. (Or maybe she just swoons in your presence, who knows.) But for her BP to be elevated without reason can be concerning. It's not just the first (systolic) number--it's actually the second (diastolic) number that can be more concerning. That DBP of 100 that you recorded is slightly eyebrow-raising. Again, that puts her at risk for not just a heart attack, but a stroke as well.

I'd hate to think your friend would have waited overnight to see her PCP the next day...and then stroked out sometime in the middle of the night. If she's having issues with vision/speech/balance/etc and has a hypertension, it might be worthwhile for her to be observed overnight or to get a CT scan. Of course, she can call her PCP's office and see if she can talk to him (or the covering partner if he/she is familiar with your friend) to feel out these issues prior to visiting the ER.

ER, no question.

I guess I don't feel so bad.

Been getting very conscious about unnecessary health care - all the times we've talked about it, I suppose.

A good friend, a dancer, dropped dead during a performance a few years ago. Heart. He had been feeling poorly that day. I still think about that.

just getting dizzy freaks me out because I never get dizzy. Dizzy plus tunnel vision would be extra weird, but if I "had trouble hearing, had trouble speaking or forming words"?! Holy carp, I would absolutely be at the hospital or something immediately. I rarely take meds, I don't even like to take aspirin if I don't have to. I don't go to the doctor, but I'm not afraid of them either.

Wow, if i had that sort of episode, I would absolutely be getting thoroughly checked out right away.

ER for sure after what I have gone through.

Tell me about more about the second number would you? Mine is usually at 87-92 during the evening as I get cracking on this forum. I felt dizzy and they found out about a mini stroke 3 years ago. I was 42. they couldn't wee it in the CT scan but found it the next day in the MRI. After a week in the hospital of running test, they can't fine the cause so they sent me home. My BP is usually around 130ish / 83-5 during the day with I am doing stuff.

Sorry for going off topic.

Jeff

Saw a fellow traveller in the middle of a long flight have a low-BP epsisode.
He was laying in the aisle, white as a ghost, and already looked like a corpse.
His wife and child looked on as the stewardesses gave assistance.

Blood pressure and heart-rate regulate the oxygen supply to the body.
When something is out of whack, it's not a time to guess.

Jeff what is your resting BP? When you wake up in morning, say?

132/88-90 after walking up a flight of stairs. If I eat something and get ready then if goes back down to about 127/85 twenty minutes later. the freaking alarm clock usually strike fear in me and I bonce out of bed. I don't know why.

As a reference:
I check my blood pressure periodically, mostly just out of curiousity....my morning readings
116-118/72-75 and 42-50bpm
During the day
119-123/77-80 and 55-62bpm resting

What's interesting is that those diastolic/systolic numbers were notably higher before I started taking zoloft......I let life get to me way too much...

No way you can take a chance like that.

Keep us posted.

Wow! Deja vu all over again.

At that point, had I been giving her a ride, it would have been to admitting in the ER.

Or, if you want another opinion, let's ask Dave.

Best
Les

ER- As the saying goes... "Better safe than sorry". Whats the harm in going? A little watsed time if nothing comes of it. What's the harm in not going? Maybe death.

Sounds a bit like what I had. Go to ER. Sounds like a mini stroke to me.

Definitely the er. Before I went on blood press. meds and low dose aspirin daily, my bp was typically 137 over 95. What the lady reported was way too high plus she was feeling dizzy.

The other post above jumping out of bed in the morning - that is not good. I have heard that u slowly get out bed so as to have better blood circulation in the brain. You risk a stroke otherwise:eek:

Er

Stroke is caused by clots or blockages in the arteries supplying the brain. Blockage leads to oxygen starvation of the tissue and death of those brain tissues.
Jumping out of bed may give rise to dizziness, but that is not stroke.

However, I prefer to get out of bed slowly myself. ;)

Best
Les