Is it normal to react like this?

[CaramelBlondies]

This might be a reeeallllyyy stupid question to ask but I’ve never had any dizziness or anything like this in my life so it’s totally unknown to me! And anytime I’ve ever had my blood pressure checked it’s been textbook normal so I’ve never experienced low blood pressure before either

I was staying on a hospital ward. I started to feel really, really unwell and panicky. I can’t really explain it but I felt like I was in a tunnel and about to die. I couldn’t even think rationally and didn’t even think to press the button for the nurse, I just remember thing I NEED to get help, so I tried to get up and get the nurse and ended up bursting out into tears in the corridor because I felt so unwell and frightened. Everything’s a bit of a blur, but I vaguely remember being back in bed and a LOT of people round helping me. I remember them checking my blood pressure and it was too low and kept getting lower every time they checked it (i found out later it was 80/44, then 73/38, then 63/33, then 60/29) it’s all a bit of a blur but I ended up being fine after treatment thankfully

anyway, apologies for the long drawn out post, but basically I’m just so embarrassed at my reaction. I was quite literally frantic, and I remember thinking that I was going to die and feeling so frightened. At one point I was holding the nurses hand and I remember I kept saying ‘I don’t feel right at all’ and I was completely frantic. I always get quite panicky when I feel sick because I absolutely hate throwing up, and I guess I’m just sort of worried I came across like I was anxious and dramatic? I’ve heard of people having constant low blood pressure and being fine, meanwhile I was quite literally wailing because I felt so bad. Is this kind of low blood pressure normal to cause a frantic reaction like this? Part of me wonders if actually I was just having a big panic attack and actually being a bit ridiculous and needed to snap out of it?

if anyone has any perspective on it I’d really appreciate it because right now I’m cringing and feel a bit silly about the whole thing😬

Goodness op. That is low. Please don’t feel silly at all. A very valid reaction. I bet the nurses were panicking too. Glad you’re ok now. Xx

To add- I know my blood pressure was genuinely low (the initial reason I was in hospital suddenly deteriorated hence why I was more unwell suddenly) but what I’m asking is was my reaction to it more likely panic rather than actually feeling truly unwell? Just because I’ve heard of people having constant low blood pressure and living totally normal lives, meanwhile I was wailing and sobbing and acting like a complete baby😬

No no. Their constant low bp wouldnt be 60 systolic. A bp that low is a genuine medical emergency. If you were my patient I would honestly be worried you were about to have a cardiac arrest. I hope they got to the bottom of what was causing it.

Why would you be embarrassed? You had a medical emergency and managed to get help. Of course you can’t think straight when your blood pressure is plummeting.

I frequently see my blood pressure plummet and when I do I sometimes lose all sense of where I am or even who I am. Once I forgot what humans were until I came back around… I thought I was a car!

Honestly forget about it. You did well, you got help, and you are ok. Hospitals see far more embarrassing behaviour.

I know that one of the symptoms of pre eclampsia is a sense of dread/impending doom. I know that's a high blood pressure thing, but it make sense that sudden changes in blood pressure would set off all your body's alarm signals to alert you to the need for attention. People live with all kinds of conditions but that doesn't mean that the symptoms that lead to diagnosis aren't worrying and I'm sure nobody thought anything but glad they were able to help! I hope you are on the mend soon. 💐

I think you've had a very normal response to a very abnormal event. Those blood pressure readings are astonishingly low.

Have you ever heard of 'a feeling of impending doom'? I understand it can be linked to low blood pressure.

Best wishes for your recovery.

And people who have constantly low blood pressure - like me incidentally - do not have blood pressure THAT low. Mine is around 100-110/60-70 when I feel normal. Sometimes it’s higher sometimes lower but not by much unless I’m in actual hypotension.

When mine hit 70/30 the nurse slapped the big old alarm on the wall and had doctors sprinting to me.

Stop feeling embarrassed.

I think the nurses would have preferred you being panicked than unresponsive OP, in a weird way. Did you have a reaction to some meds or something?

Our survival instinct is very powerful. Most people never encounter it. It completely takes over.

If it helps, your brain is tricking you here. You think you were in control of your reaction - that you could have just “pulled yourself together” and behaved differently, hence why you feel embarrassed now.

Well, it’s not true. What you experienced was a perfectly normal reaction to what was happening in your body. Many people experience exactly the same before a heart attack or at the start of sepsis.

Stop thinking of your brain as being the thing that’s in control all the time. Your body is smart too, and it did exactly what it needed to do to get help in an emergency.

I hope you are feeling better

I've had issues with low blood preassure and have fainted a lot. I don't think you were dramatic, it is a really scary feeling even to me when I've been through it a lot. I can rationalise now knowing I'm unlikely to be dying but it is still scary.

A sense of impending doom/dread is very common when you are seriously unwell.

I had a hypertensive crisis post partum and was saying to the nurse looking after me that I felt like I would not be here the next day and I wanted to message people goodbye.

She didn’t think I was being dramatic and I was taken to the HDU for constant monitoring. I was very unwell indeed but didn’t realise until the next day.

It’s normal and nothing to feel embarrassed about at all.

When my blood pressure dropped to 50/40 during a postpartum haemorrhage, I felt very strange indeed, tried to speak but couldn't and then passed out. It sounds like you were on the verge of passing out OP, blood pressure readings that low means your brain is being starved of oxygen. Please don't feel embarrassed - I'm sure the hospital staff have seen a lot worse!

Your reaction probably have saved your life.
Your brain recognised that you needed urgent medical attention and made sure you got it.

I wouldn't worry about acting out of character to medical staff. They will have seen it all before and were probably relieved they got there in time and managed to get you stable.

I had a similar experience while on a hospital ward and reacted in exactly the same way. Please dont feel bad about it, it's completely understandable and I'm sure the only thoughts of the staff were about getting you the right care and helping your distress.

Ah thank you, I feel better about it now. Was just unsure if my reaction was expected for that blood pressure or if I was being a bit silly or fueled by anxiety if that makes sense! Never had low blood pressure before in my life but that was awful. Hopefully never happen again! Impending doom as someone said above is absolutely the perfect way to describe how it felt!

Ah thank you, I feel better about it now. Was just unsure if my reaction was expected for that blood pressure or if I was being a bit silly or fueled by anxiety if that makes sense! Never had low blood pressure before in my life but that was awful. Hopefully never happen again! Impending doom as someone said above is absolutely the perfect way to describe how it felt!

I’m a regular fainter (orthostatic hypotension) and your low bp readings are typical for a faint. I’m used to it so it doesn’t freak me out but if it’s your first time I can imagine it would be terrifying. It’s a truly horrible sensation. Don’t feel embarrassed. Hope you’re feeling better now.