What does high blood pressure feel like?

[Lord Flashheart]

Last couple of days I've had a dull ache in my chest (no pain) and a cloudy feeling head. I'm feeling tired, energy less and not really in the mood to be chatty or bouyant. As luck would have it, I found my deceased father in law's blood pressure tester (he was a GP) and tried it out. It tells me 129/74, which having Googled, appears at the higher end of normal. But could it be the reason for these peculiar feelings?

[rallye101]

How old are you? Age related...that doesn't sound bad, I'd like it!
Mines through the roof but I've been in lockdown with my 6 year old son for 12 weeks all while trying to keep my business afloat

[Dr Jekyll]

High blood pressure doesn't really have symptoms unless it reaches ridiculous levels, 200/110 upwards might give you headaches, but your blood pressure isn't particularly high. If you're young it should really be lower but if you're middle aged it's normal.

[Lord Flashheart]

Well that sounds promising. I'm 53, slim, non smoker, have a single glass of red most nights and as far as I know, eat reasonably healthy food. Probably do a couple of coffees a day too.
So I wonder what this peculiar feeling is. I've had it before and it goes away eventually. Maybe it's a stress thing?

[bigpriest]

Personally, if I had a dull ache in my chest and a cloudy feeling head plus low energy I'd be on the phone to NHS111 as it could be a circulatory problem.

[Luke.]

Your BP is absolutely fine.

[anonymous-user]

Lord Flashheart said:

Last couple of days I've had a dull ache in my chest (no pain) and a cloudy feeling head. I'm feeling tired, energy less and not really in the mood to be chatty or bouyant. As luck would have it, I found my deceased father in law's blood pressure tester (he was a GP) and tried it out. It tells me 129/74, which having Googled, appears at the higher end of normal. But could it be the reason for these peculiar feelings?

That’s not high blood pressure, in fact I’d say it’s pretty good. If it’s shortness of breath and headache, could be COVID. I had those symptoms and that’s what I put it down to. Felt like somebody sitting on my chest. Better now though.

[caiss4]

Your BP is fine.

I'd recommend going to your GP and arranging a Total Blood Count (TBC) blood test plus any others they recommend. It is quite amazing what can be determined from blood tests.

Ask me how I know...went to the GP in February thinking I might have a cardiac issue. Blood test results came back indicating lymphoma. I'm not suggesting for a minute that is your issue but the blood tests can very easily rule in/out a whole load of potential issues.

Also don't delay; I should have sought attention at least a month earlier than I did.

All the best and trust it is nothing to worry about.

[dandarez]

Hey, hang on a mo. I hold the (or some sort of) record for high blood pressure. How many people have had their operation cancelled while waiting outside the operating theatre on the trolley? No idea, but can't be too many surely? However, I suffer WCS! Have had for years.
First I knew something was amiss was when the theatre anaesthetist's jaw dropped open, then a nurse exclaimed that I should be dead!

Yeah, it was fking off the scale. He took my BP again. And again. Gradually came down, but after a good while on the trolley they refused to operate and I was sent home.

[Darlo 1]

I once had a recorded blood pressure reading of 220/140, just had the occasional headache,was promptly packed off to the doctors.

[otolith]

dandarez said:

Hey, hang on a mo. I hold the (or some sort of) record for high blood pressure. How many people have had their operation cancelled while waiting outside the operating theatre on the trolley? No idea, but can't be too many surely? However, I suffer WCS! Have had for years.
First I knew something was amiss was when the theatre anaesthetist's jaw dropped open, then a nurse exclaimed that I should be dead!

Yeah, it was fking off the scale. He took my BP again. And again. Gradually came down, but after a good while on the trolley they refused to operate and I was sent home.

Because, if I remember rightly, you didn’t take the medication they told you to!

[APOLO1]

Darlo 1 said:

I once had a recorded blood pressure reading of 220/140, just had the occasional headache,was promptly packed off to the doctors.

You beat me. I suffer with white coat syndrome high BP, back in April 17 I was about to have an injection in my lower back. I got stressed out looking at videos about what can go wrong, my BP pre theatre was 218/140.
Procedure was cancelled. Lost about 10ks BP now 120/78. 62 next B-day.

[popeyewhite]

Lord Flashheart said:

Last couple of days I've had a dull ache in my chest (no pain) and a cloudy feeling head. I'm feeling tired, energy less and not really in the mood to be chatty or bouyant. As luck would have it, I found my deceased father in law's blood pressure tester (he was a GP) and tried it out. It tells me 129/74, which having Googled, appears at the higher end of normal. But could it be the reason for these peculiar feelings?

No.

[dandarez]

otolith said:

dandarez said:

Hey, hang on a mo. I hold the (or some sort of) record for high blood pressure. How many people have had their operation cancelled while waiting outside the operating theatre on the trolley? No idea, but can't be too many surely? However, I suffer WCS! Have had for years.
First I knew something was amiss was when the theatre anaesthetist's jaw dropped open, then a nurse exclaimed that I should be dead!

Yeah, it was fking off the scale. He took my BP again. And again. Gradually came down, but after a good while on the trolley they refused to operate and I was sent home.

Because, if I remember rightly, you didn’t take the medication they told you to!

Nah, you remember wrongly.
I was asked to go on meds (beta blockers) AFTER that little episode outside the op theatre.

I didn't. And with good reason.
I'll relate the long story tomorrow, bit late now, need shuteye.

[98elise]

Lord Flashheart said:

Last couple of days I've had a dull ache in my chest (no pain) and a cloudy feeling head. I'm feeling tired, energy less and not really in the mood to be chatty or bouyant. As luck would have it, I found my deceased father in law's blood pressure tester (he was a GP) and tried it out. It tells me 129/74, which having Googled, appears at the higher end of normal. But could it be the reason for these peculiar feelings?

I'm a similar age to you (with hypertension) and I would love to have 129/74. I can't achieve that even on medication! Also it's likely to vary through the day and on different days, so being on the high side of normal on one test is nothing to worry about.

Like most people I don't feel any symptoms from hypertension.

Edited by 98elise on Monday 13th July 18:04

[MrDan]

I have inherited hypertension from my parents, It only came to light when I fell of my bike and went to the walk in centre, I would average 160/115 so really high.

I lost a bit of weight and manage it with Ramiprill but its still high.

When im stressed so i know its high i get the lethagy you speak of and a bit of brain fog, main one I get is a metallic taste in my mouth.

Im 35 BTW

[anonymous-user]

MrDan said:

I have inherited hypertension from my parents, It only came to light when I fell of my bike and went to the walk in centre, I would average 160/115 so really high.

I lost a bit of weight and manage it with Ramiprill but its still high.

When im stressed so i know its high i get the lethagy you speak of and a bit of brain fog, main one I get is a metallic taste in my mouth.

Im 35 BTW

That sucks but at least you know so can treat it. My Dad gave me high blood pressure and heart attacks run in his side of the family. Oddly I’ve found mine much better since I’ve cut down on caffeine, only 2 cups of proper tea per day and the rest is decaf which actually doesn’t taste too bad.

[scottyp123]

I'm qualified to answer this one and I'll bet I hold the record for it on here. My short story:-

Probably 20 years ago I injured my knee so wen't to the doctors, the first thing they wanted to do was a medical and I had a blood pressure test, apparently it was "quite high" not got a clue what the reading was but the doctor was fairly concerned but being young and invincible and not wanting to be reliant on tablets I told her I wasn't interested. I didn't bother with the knee op either after hearing horror stories about keyhole surgery.

Fast forward 15 years or so and I needed an op to remove a lump on my leg so went through with the procedure only for the doctor/surgeon to cancel the op just outside the theatre because my blood pressure was too high and he recommended I go to the doctors and get it sorted, (still can't remember the numbers but they meant nothing to me because I didn't know what they should be) I still didn't.

I actually got a few voice mails from my doctors saying I should go and see them urgently as they were really concerned about my blood pressure, one voice mail actually said they knew they were breaking patient confidentiality by leaving the message but it was that urgent.

In all that time I have always had quite a few headaches, at least 2 or 3 a week and if I got one in the morning it would last all day, paracetamol sometimes cured it.

So just over a year ago the headaches started to get really bad, to the point that I couldn't function and wished I was dead instead, I knew it must be the blood pressure and had to go to A&E, I was only in the waiting room for 5 minutes and was beckoned through to the triage room where they hooked me up to a blood pressure monitor, it started up and just said error, the nurse tried it again and it said error again, e then got another machine, tried for the third time and it blew the tube off the side of it. I then had to go and see a different nurse who did a manual test. The reading she got was 260/145. I was immediately sent to the area with all the beds and equipment in A&E and hooked up to a cardio graph thing and given a big orange tablet.

I got a paracetamol drip in my arm to take away the headache and actually spent the next 5 days in the acute medical unit whilst they messed around with various drugs whilst trying to get my pressure down to sensible levels, after 5 days it was down to 170/115 and they let me go home. I now take 3 tablets a day, ramipril, something else and something else. I have my own blood pressure machine and it now sits somewhere around 140/85 and I've not had one headache since, not even a hangover headache.

So basically blood pressure can kill you silently and the only thing you might ever know about it is a bit of a headache.

[scottyp123]

Meant to say as well, since being on the tablets I've always felt a lot colder than I used to. I used to have my room stat sat to 18 or 19 deg but now I feel cold at that and set it to about 21. I always used to walk around on site in a t-shirt in winter and called people soft for wearing a coat, turns out it was me that was different all along, I certainly wear one now more often.

[Glosphil]

For years now my blood pressure as been around 90-95/60-65. But sometimes as low was 83/53 or goes up to 125/75. Neither extreme gives me any symptoms. I'm 73 and have heart & kidney problems.