Last night at work, I was walking down the hall from a resident room to the nurses station and started having throbbing, stabbing substernal chest pain, I doubled over in the hall way. Well after several minutes of severe discomfort it became just a dull ache. I thought maybe it was a bad gas cramp or something. Well, I kept working and tried to ignore it. I got very sweaty, my head hurt, my right hand was trembling, I saw a few spots, and thought I was going to pass out. Finally someone made me sit down and they checked my blood pressure. 170/120 at that time (8:00pm yesterday) My heart rate was 148. My blood sugar was only 87 after eating early halloween candy and a full meal. Over the course of my 16 hour double I kept close eye on it. It has stayed about the same for going on 14 hours now and I am starting to get freaked out. I went back to work and made my best friend an RN check it again at 9:00am and it was 160/120. It could be just tons and tons of stress all spilling out this way or it could be a medical problem, either way I need to get a handle on my blood pressure. So do I go to the ER?
A BP in that range is perfectly normal. Personally the faint feeling you describe can be attributed to anxiety. Know this from experience.
That makes sense. My dad had a history of anxiety attacks and I have a bit of a social phobia. Man, sometimes the answers infront of my nose are SO hard to see. Thanks Jen.
Yes, id also suggest you get your tail in there, but.... my question is....
What kind of fellow employees let a co-worker walk away with a blood pressure and symptoms like that? I dont care, my super would have been called and you would have been in the next wheelchair going to the ER. So i wonder, what kind of co-workers do you have? What kind of place do you work that they would let someone walk away and work a double no less?
And you should know, heart disease doesnt discriminate. I wouldnt care if you were 5'11 and only weighed 150 you can still be at risk at that age.
I was thinking the same thing. At my hospital they send you to the er if a patient scratches you.
Last night at work, I was walking down the hall from a resident room to the nurses station and started having throbbing, stabbing substernal chest pain, I doubled over in the hall way. Well after several minutes of severe discomfort it became just a dull ache. I thought maybe it was a bad gas cramp or something. Well, I kept working and tried to ignore it. I got very sweaty, my head hurt, my right hand was trembling, I saw a few spots, and thought I was going to pass out. Finally someone made me sit down and they checked my blood pressure. 170/120 at that time (8:00pm yesterday) My heart rate was 148. My blood sugar was only 87 after eating early halloween candy and a full meal. Over the course of my 16 hour double I kept close eye on it. It has stayed about the same for going on 14 hours now and I am starting to get freaked out. I went back to work and made my best friend an RN check it again at 9:00am and it was 160/120. It could be just tons and tons of stress all spilling out this way or it could be a medical problem, either way I need to get a handle on my blood pressure. So do I go to the ER?
Are you taking any type of stimulant(like ephedrine or something else?) Why take time to email this question when you could aska a nurse or physician right there where you work? Maybe you know what the problem is?! Just wondering not being a "----"!
Oh, I didn't think that was low, if that's what you're asking. I meant that's the highest my bp's ever been.. that's all I was saying.
O.K., I am real tired(brain dead), I didn't mean "low", I meant why would you think it is high? If you have your BP checked regularly and it is like 90/60 then you may want to think about what you have ingested, or what type of stress you are under. But that BP is generally not at all abnormal.
I went to the ER, finally. I had a 12 lead EKG, was put on a monitor, had labs drawn, had a chest film, and was put on 25mg of Atenelol daily. Cheerfuldoer, I had my BP checked several times while at work last night by three CNA's and two RN's and they all told me that I needed to get checked out. No one at anytime offered to call anyone in, to let me go to the hospital and keep someone from second, I had to double over in the middle of the hallway with stabbing chest pain before they even checked my BP. I am not on any meds except for tylenol prn. I have been stressed out due to college, work, and EMT class and yes I have been in a dead end relationship that fell apart overnight but that was after the onset of the chest pain and elevated BP. I wish I had a definative answer for why I was so sick. I guess it was the stress of all of this coming on me at once that shot the BP up and then made all of the other symptoms occur. My aunt came over from the unit she works on and checked on me, gave me a hug and then promised to come check on me tommorow at home. I called in for my 12 hour shift tonight and took my first dose of my BP med.
TRUTH BE TOLD, KY NURSES ARE SOME OF THE BEST NURSES IN THE WORLD
Hi Chad......I'm really glad to hear you went to the doctor, and are getting treatment. It's not good to ignore BPs that high...not ever. As for those nurses who took your BP at work and did nothing....they need to be re-educated on what to do when someone presents with a BP as high as your BP was. It's NO excuse for them not taking action. :icon_hug:
Last night at work, I was walking down the hall from a resident room to the nurses station and started having throbbing, stabbing substernal chest pain, I doubled over in the hall way. Well after several minutes of severe discomfort it became just a dull ache. I thought maybe it was a bad gas cramp or something. Well, I kept working and tried to ignore it. I got very sweaty, my head hurt, my right hand was trembling, I saw a few spots, and thought I was going to pass out. Finally someone made me sit down and they checked my blood pressure. 170/120 at that time (8:00pm yesterday) My heart rate was 148. My blood sugar was only 87 after eating early halloween candy and a full meal. Over the course of my 16 hour double I kept close eye on it. It has stayed about the same for going on 14 hours now and I am starting to get freaked out. I went back to work and made my best friend an RN check it again at 9:00am and it was 160/120. It could be just tons and tons of stress all spilling out this way or it could be a medical problem, either way I need to get a handle on my blood pressure. So do I go to the ER?
let us know what happened!!! im from uk and its pointless going to our ER or A and E as we call it you GP should assess then ???? an angiogram if hes concerned im a cardiac nurse and you would be laughed out of our a + es but i feel nursing and health care is different from my corner of the world
JentheRN05, RN
857 Posts
A BP in that range is perfectly normal. Personally the faint feeling you describe can be attributed to anxiety. Know this from experience.