Very high blood pressure spikes...any ideas?

[wheresmymojo]

My DM is quite young (56 - I am 37) but has been having some symptoms lately which seem very worrying IMO.

She has been having spikes in her blood pressure. A couple of weeks ago she woke up blind in one eye - got a same day referral to the eye hospital. Turned out it was a burst blood vessel behind her eye caused by her blood pressure spiking to 180 over something (can't remember the other number!).

No major worries about the eye as vision is getting better as the burst vessel heals.

This week she had pains in her jaw and neck. Her neck apparently went very stiff to the touch. She says she has a strange ache like swollen glands under her armpits. She went very clammy and ill. My Stepdad took a blood pressure reading and it was 197 over something!

They went to A&E (my Stepdad made her go) fearing a heart attack but A&E confirmed it wasn't and have sent her away saying to come back if she has any spikes over 200.

DM does not take things like this seriously at all (she has form for just ' getting on' with things that are actually very serious).

I'm worried that she is just brushing these symptoms off and that there is something untoward going on that will result in a stroke/heart attack.

Has anyone ever heard of anything similar and what did it turn out to be?

Obviously I'm pushing her to get seen by the GP but any ideas of things she needs to consider / ask about would be useful...

[NotSuchASmugMarriedNow1]

OK. Is she on blood pressure medication or not?

[PootleandPosey]

It could be vasculitis

[SpamChaudFroid]

Is your DM being prescribed anything for the high BP? I get the impression she's not. BP that high will be placing the heart under tremendous pressure.

There's also a link between high BP and poor mental health - there have been studies that show a person is 4 times more likely to experience the latter if they leave high BP untreated.

Please do try to persuade her to see GP. I found calcium channel blockers worked well to bring down my own BP. I found my own anxiety levels are much lower as a result.

[wheresmymojo]

Sorry, I forgot I started a thread

She isn't on BP medication - I will hound her into going to the GP to at least get that.

[NaToth]

Another vote for Vasculitis here, specifically Giant Cell Arteritis.

She needs to see a doctor, either GP or A&E urgently.

[MoonlightBonnet]

She needs to see a Dr very urgently to get treatment. Are you sure you got the full story from what happened at A and E? It would be very strange if they sent her away with blood pressure that bad and no medication.

[NanTheWiser]

Please research Polymyalgia Rheumatica, which can start with neck stiffness, and aching shoulders. Giant Cell Arteritis is often associated with PMR, and should be treated urgently to prevent blindness.
This condition often affects mainly women over 50, and can very debilitating (my mother had it in her 70s). It can last for several years, is treated with steroids carefully monitored with regular blood tests.
A blood test for ESR to check for inflammation is usually the first step.

[wheresmymojo]

Thanks all I am currently hounding her into a GP appointment and have sent her the info on the condition a few of you have mentioned to see if she thinks it fits (to mention to her GP).

[wheresmymojo]

She has just let me know she has an appointment on Tuesday.

She doesn't feel like the condition mentioned above fits as no pain around temples - some of the symptoms fit, others don't. I've asked her to mention it just to cover all bases.

Her blood pressure just seems all over the place - 150/99 earlier, went for a walk and then down to normal (125/95) 🤷🏻‍♀️

[GrumpyHoonMain]

My aunt had very similar symptoms in the week before her brain hemorage. Does she have neck, shoulder or leg pain? (It may feel muscular). If yes then march her back to A&E