DH Very high BP what will happen

[Clearinguptheclutter]

Dh went for a (routine he thought) BP check this morning and was sent straight to a&e. They seem to be taking things very seriously and the latest reading is 242/160 which is apparently “a record”. 48, a bit overweight, otherwise fairly healthy (or so we thought).

they are hooking him up to an ecg now. I know he’s in the best place but I have to stay at home cos kids coming home soon. Can anyone advise what’s likely to happen next. I presume he could be admitted.

panicking just a bit. Other that obviously panicking DH is fine with no symptoms.

I had this last year. I was 45 at the time and my blood pressure at the GPs was something like 230/180.
I was sent straight from Dr’s and all that happened was I had my blood pressure monitored for a couple of hours, had an ECG, some blood tests were done and was then given a prescription for blood pressure tablets and told to follow up with my GP.
Hopefully your DH will soon be sorted.

This happened to DH. Tests were fine apart from the BP (the paramedic actually said to me, ‘I don’t want to tell you what it is because you’ll google and be terrified’) and DH is now medicated which brings the BP down to an acceptable level. Crossing fingers for you both.

Thanks. They have done ecg and they think it might be left ventricular hypertrophy. He is waiting to see a cardiologist.

Google suggests that this is bad but can be managed and it’s basically a good thing to find out about it and manage it before the worst happens

A couple of years ago mine was 230/180. Got ECG, all normal, was put on Amlodipine 10mg and briefly Lisonipril too. I lost 2 stones and took up swimming. My usual reading is now around 125/80. Hopefully your dh will be better soon.

Pleased to hear. Dh’s diet is quite good but he definitely needs to do more exercise. Hopefully a talking to by a doc will spur him into action.

Left ventricular hypertrophy is likely to be a result of the high blood pressure rather than causing it. It's good that he's seeing a cardiologist, he'll probably need an echo (like an ultrasound of the heart) to see what's going on as an ECG won't give the full picture.

It certainly did for me 😀I was terrified . Thankfully the medication and lifestyle changes worked very quickly.

I had similar - they asked me about other risk factors, did a cholesterol and other tests - and I'm now on blood pressure medication and take my blood pressure semi regularly at home. Just been asked by GP to do 7 days of tests as they just want to see how it's going.

If you haven't got one then get a blood pressure monitor for home ... they are very cheap.

Yes I am Amazoning now- thanks

As he's a big guy, look out for one with a big cuff.

Google how to take blood pressure readings properly, you need to position the cuff above the elbow crease and not pull it too tight. Have both feet flat on the floor and the machine should be in line with your heart. Don’t talk whilst you’re taking a reading.

Just about everything will temporarily raise your blood pressure, paracetamol, decongestants, hot drinks so don’t take a reading straight after any of these or vigorous exercise.

Thanks everyone

he has been sent home with ramparil (?) and strict instructions to see GP and take BP three times a day in the meantime. Will see cardiologist and have echo scan as outpatient. They seem satisfied that he’s not at imminent risk of the unthinkable which is a relief.

he’s subdued and in a reflective mood and reading up about all the ways he can potentially help. Weight loss is the biggie but easier said than done. He can probably immediately reduce his salt and alcohol intake.

it’s very likely genetic factors are at play. Both his parents have had strokes. He’s now texting his brothers to remind them to get their BPs checked as he has not felt even slightly poorly at any time.

This happened to me during a routine check before cataract surgery. Zero symptoms of anything. I have high BP in the family. I take the medication and my BP has been fine for a decade now.

thanks for all the reassurances, may need more!

DH has been home and taking rampiril since monday night. He's taking his BP reading (on the new monitor) very seriously and they seem to be fairly stable around the 180/120 mark which still puts him in the "hypertensive crisis" category and they don't seem to be coming down yet, at least not significantly. He is seeing the GP tomorrow morning.

Other than being spooked by the whole thing he feels fine. I'm worried what the chances of him actually dropping down at any moment might be and if the doctors would even tell him if it were a real risk. If the medicine doesnt work soon then presumably they will increase the dose. We are talking about changes to diet and increased exercise etc but that will take time. I've been waking a lot at night and giving him a small nudge to check he's still here!

He was told at the hospital that according to the ECG his heart is "fine" even if his BP is not. I'm wondering how sure they can be about that without a scan.

In my experience it takes a few weeks for the medication to bring down the bp significantly. I had to get my meds tweaked a couple of times. There’s also the fact that when you’re taking the reading you’re anxious and that automatically raises it.

I didn’t feel I was “out of the woods” for about 6 weeks. In that time I stopped drinking alcohol and took up swimming and generally avoided fatty foods. It’s been nearly 3 years since my scare and my readings are usually 125/80 now. Don’t worry, he’ll get there.

I had this and ended up in A&E. With medication it took a while to stabilise but did eventually. I had also been feeling fine until I had a funny turn when I was driving. I am sure his blood pressure will adjust with the meds and he will be fine again.

Yes he does have to be sensible for a while until it stabilises.

I don’t want to post any horror stories but I lost my mum at only 57 years old back in 2024 due to high blood pressure 😞 caused a sudden catastrophic brain haemorrhage. I was 27 years old and I’m a nurse myself and she was complaining of headaches and I kept nagging her to get checked and sorted but she was worried about who’d look after my sister with a learning disability who is now in my care. It had clearly been something underlying for a while but now I always urge patients under my care to never dismiss high blood pressure. I often think what if id just nagged a bit harder then maybe she’d still be here. I guess what I just want to say is if you still feel like something isn’t right to please be insistent. Hopefully they’ll get him sorted and he’ll be on the right radar now but I wouldn’t ever want it to happen to anyone else. So many of my patients go ‘oh I’ve always had high blood pressure’ and so many people dismiss it and it’s a cause that is so close to my heart from first hand experience

My DH had this, very scary at the time, but we have since monitored his BP at home and he was initially on Ramipril alongside other medications. We keep him pretty stable now and I monitor his diet too! Just be aware one of the side effects of Ramipril can be headaches, quite severe sometimes, this can be managed with suitable OTC pain relief and good hydration. Good luck 👍

My friend had very high BP which resulted in a trip to A&E then follow up by GP. It took several weeks to get his levels down to an acceptable level, but they did. They tweaked the dose and also added in a second medication. He's significantly older than your husband but 8 years later he's still with us. Try not to worry.

really sorry to hear this. Similarly I lost my DGM at 58 to a heart attack with no warning. DH is absolutely not dismissing the seriousness of the situation fortunately. The change in his mood on monday from "there is nothing wrong with me" to "oh shit this is serious" was notable.

What a stupid thing to have said to you and as worrying as telling you the levels.

It's good he's home. Just a side note, if your DH develops a cough that won't go away go back to the Dr. "Ramipril cough" is a thing that affects some people and it's fucking annoying. I was swapped from that to losartan and have no issues.

They may admit if it’s ridiculously high - but that’s for his own good!

They’ll probably give him a 24 or 48 hour monitor. That give a clearer picture of its stress or if is his ‘normal’. I’ve had this and ended up on BP pills.

and advise on diet, exercise and stress management. Better to find out now than in a&E later, really it is.

Hope he’s ok - all this can’t be doing either of yours blood pressure any good. Try to think ‘it’s good they are investigating this so we can sort it out.

Sorry I was late to the party! I didn’t want to read and run. Glad he’s getting looked at. It’s imminently sort-outable!

I have to go for a proper scan as there was some weird stuff going on with my last 24 hour cuff. But being the NHS isn’t bit until next spring so I guess they aren’t all that concerned 🙄