The nurse at my doctor’s office took my blood pressure as 162/84 and, determining it to be high, told me to take a blood pressure monitor home and record additional readings to send back. Two days later, I suffered an enormous heart attack. Should I have been transported to the hospital immediately for a checkup?
Increased blood pressure increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Therefore, it is considered a severe condition. We routinely monitor patients’ blood pressure during appointments because there are no symptoms.
For good reason, we do not diagnose elevated blood pressure, or hypertension, based on a single reading. Blood pressure fluctuates throughout the day, depending on, among other things, what we’re doing, what we’ve eaten, how hydrated we are, and how stressed we are. And it is nearly always elevated in medical settings due to patients’ anxiety.
Typically, three distinct measurements are obtained in the clinic, and if they are all elevated, patients are sent home with a monitor to collect additional readings during the next week.
If a trend of elevated readings emerges, then a patient is diagnosed with hypertension.
Rarely, blood pressure readings may be excessively high, maybe accompanied by chest symptoms or eye issues, in which case we would recommend that the patient be taken to the hospital immediately for treatment. Although 162/84 is high blood pressure, it is not very exceptional. If this reading was consistently observed, we would prescribe medication to reduce it. This may help minimize the risk of heart attack, but managing blood pressure alone is insufficient.
Cholesterol, blood sugar, heredity, age, and lifestyle also have a part, and most heart attacks are the result of years of deteriorating health.
Despite this, patients frequently state that a heart attack “came out of nowhere” because they did not feel particularly ill before the event. And despite the greatest attempts to limit risks, heart attacks continue to occur.
Two years ago, I had a severe case of zoster, which impacted my face, and was left with persistent agony. I was prescribed painkillers, but they didn’t agree with me, so I’ve been researching other treatments, such as acupuncture. Do you have any suggestions in this regard?
Shingles are caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox, varicella-zoster. After contracting HPV as children, most of us carry it harmlessly in our bodies. For reasons that are not entirely known, the virus might reactivate, causing a painful rash of blisters.
It is more prevalent in the elderly, so we administer a vaccine to anyone over 70 to minimize their risk of developing the disorder. However, adolescents can also develop the disease.
The rash often resolves after a week or two, but around one-third of patients are left with persistent nerve pain, known as post-herpetic neuralgia.
It is a dreadful, incapacitating condition, and the resulting sensation is unlike any other. People frequently describe the pain as scorching and severe and even compare it to electric shocks.
In addition, treatment is challenging because the drugs we use to treat nerve pain are notorious for their negative effects.
Simpler analgesics, such as paracetamol and codeine, are likely to provide only moderate pain relief.
Persistent pain should necessitate a referral to a specialized pain service to explore additional treatment alternatives. These may include psychotherapy and complementary and alternative medicine.
Aromatherapy or relaxation therapies could be useful for providing solace, and while physicians cannot prescribe or offer advice on the particular, we would certainly advocate them. Relaxation is an essential component of managing chronic pain.
The Shingles Support Society provides a pack of information for neuralgia sufferers that includes alternate pain management techniques.
Visit shinglessupport.org.uk or dial 0845 123 2305 to reach their helpline.
I’ve been experiencing hip and lower back pain for two months. My doctor collected blood and urine samples, which revealed elevated protein levels. He stated that he wants to check for myeloma again, but I must wait three months for the next test. I am sick with worry. Ought I to be?
Lower back pain is one of the most prevalent complaints seen by primary care physicians. As you might expect, the reason is typically a problem with the back or spine.
However, it can occasionally indicate something more sinister.
Myeloma is a form of cancer of the blood. In the United Kingdom, there are approximately 6,000 new cases every year, with the majority diagnosed in persons over 75.
Symptoms may include lower back pain or bone ache higher up the back. Other symptoms include fatigue, weight loss, stomach pain, and weakness in the muscles.
If a physician suspects myeloma, we would conduct blood and urine testing as well as X-rays of the sore location.
If any of these symptoms indicate malignancy, we would refer the patient to a hematologist within two weeks.
Typically, this would be done immediately rather than waiting.
Whoever is unsure about the advice or treatment provided by a doctor should always attempt to have a second conversation.
999 must be a lifeline – not this inefficiency
Last year, I was appalled to learn that Professor Robert Winston, a pioneer in the field of reproductive research and one of our foremost scientists, was treated horribly by a 999 operator while his wife Lira lay dying from a cardiac attack.
The 81-year-old disclosed last week in the House of Lords that the phone operator assaulted him with “time-wasting” questions and failed to see that his 72-year-old wife had only seconds to live. Lord Winston opined that the individual “had not been trained to ask the appropriate questions.”
