Related to unexpected ER visits, I went to a yearly wellness check once and my blood pressure was abnormally very high. I remember hearing nurses in the hallway saying how I could die. The doctor came in and told me to go to the ER immediately. I said sure, just need to pick up my wife, and I'd go right away. They made it clear that I was not to pick up my wife; I was to go to the ER directly and immediately. I'm surprised they didn't call an ambulance.
Something similar happened to me! I had my well baby visit after the birth of my daughter and they found my bp had skyrocketed. They told me I need to go to the ER right away (they also did not call me an ambulance) except it was Christmas Day and I had family coming over for dinner so I told them I was busy that day and would go the next haha. They responded “We’re telling the ER you’re on your way so…” I ended up having post-partum pre-eclampsia
Ugh I had that after my second. Only if also had it for four weeks before he had to be delivered. And with my first. But even without the emergency c sections the post partum was the worst and the scariest. Never again! I’m happy with the two
Lucky it was pre-e. I had postpartum heart failure and they spent the last 2 months of my pregnancy just testing and re-testing me for pre-e. In the days following delivery, it got worse. I went to the ER 7 times. The last time, I had realized what it was and the doctor didn’t give a shit. She had me removed from security (who threatened to drag me out, just a couple days after my cesarían), while I begged her for my life, terrified I’d die in front of my 9 year old.
The cab took me to another ER. They figured out what it likely was pretty quickly. Holter monitor had it definitely diagnosed.
I would have died if I’d listened to those jerks. And this is an incredibly COMMON experience for PPCM.
I tried to say the same thing to my OBGYN when she told me to go take a shower and go straight to the hospital. She said “they’ll come looking for you if you don’t show up!” So I did.
Once I got there and I was in the wheelchair I tried to reason with this next set of people “you see, I just need to come back tomorrow.” It didn’t work then, either. I was terrified!
Similarly (?), when I was pregnant with my daughter at 39 they considered me a geriatric pregnancy and had me coming in weekly for non-stress tests in the final trimester. The last few times they would find my heart rate elevated, make me stick around for a while until it settled back down to a more reasonable level and tell me, “see you next week!” Month 7 had me on modified bed rest. At 7 months and 3 weeks it was 175 bpm and not budging. My OB told me to call my husband and they’d try to wait for him to arrive. I had an emergency c-section with an entire cardiac team in the operating room just in case.
When my HR didn’t reset once the baby was delivered and they couldn’t figure out the cause I was transferred to MGH where they determined that I had an atrial tachycardia and performed a cardiac ablation, cauterizing 4 locations in my heart.
I was completely asymptomatic and had no idea there was a problem with my heart.
Or called your wife to come ASAP to the doctor’s by Uber or something, to drive you to the ER? That would achieve getting you, wife and vehicle all in the one place, that place being the ER.
This actually isn't great medicine unless it was absurdly high. Standard of care for asymptomatic hypertension is to not do anything acutely. "Stroke level" BP isn't really how it works
This happened to me, but we waited and it finally came down to a safe (if still high) number in about 20 minutes. I'm also definitely surprised they didn't call an ambulance for you. That's wild.
The same thing happened to me after my third child. The doctors couldn’t understand how was I walking and talking. I’ve been on low dose BP meds since then (this was 16 years ago) and it has remained within normal to slightly high range ever since.
I don't know. I didn't have any symptoms. In the past, after eating a salty meal I'd sometimes have burning ears which I assumed was high BP but I didn't even have that.
I’m so sorry this happened to you. Medical staff definitely shouldn’t be discussing all of that within earshot of the patients. It’s their job to deliver news in as calm a manner as possible. My anxiety would have been through the roof and probably made my blood pressure even higher.
My mfm told me that three separate times while I was pregnant with my twins 💀 went back down on its own the first time, had to stay in the hospital for like 3 days the second time, and they just decided to do my c-section a little early the third time since I was a couple days past 35 weeks by then…
They were like “no… if you’re admitted, your fiancé can go home and get your clothes or whatever else, just call him and head over”
same thing happened to me as a teen. was at the neurologist for migraine, routine bp check, father who also is a doctor telling me no, we're not stopping home first. they never did figure out what caused that but told me i couldn't take half the psych meds they were proposing and had to do years of testing. decades of high but not we high bp later that was minimally responsive to diet, exercise, and most meds, and it turrns out all they had to do was a sit/stand test, probably. janked up autonomic system. guanfacine works.
thing is i felt fine other than the headache going in, but pretty sure i picked up a stomach thing or something while there. the nurse actually thanked me for puking in the biohazard trash can instead of on my iv. they gave me something for the nausea since the iv was already in, so probably one of the more mild stomach bug experiences since I was already where it can put you.
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u/wufnu 9h ago
Related to unexpected ER visits, I went to a yearly wellness check once and my blood pressure was abnormally very high. I remember hearing nurses in the hallway saying how I could die. The doctor came in and told me to go to the ER immediately. I said sure, just need to pick up my wife, and I'd go right away. They made it clear that I was not to pick up my wife; I was to go to the ER directly and immediately. I'm surprised they didn't call an ambulance.