Dizzy HBP and Panic -nice combo

[Hypocondriac56]

I have had borderline hbp for a year and a half now. It ranges from 132 over 40 to 152 over 80 with a few 183 over 103 as in yesterday at emergency room. I have had panic attacks for years but never had hbp. So now I had a panic attack and I can really raise the rate.  What brought the last panic on was a really strange dizzy feeling. Like I had very briefly two brains inside my head. It felt like a washing machine but only for half a second.  Then I felt just heavy headed. Sleepy.  Eyelids heavy.  And tested bp. 159 over 85.  So I panicked and started thinking stroke.  Then add in the tingling in my left hand, a shortness of breath and a tightness in my chest and I got it up to 190 so decided to head to emergency.
Urine normal - no protein. Blood tests normal - no heart attack. EKC normal.  chest X-ray - normal.  BP went down to 145 in ER then back up to 180's
Home and dizzy comes and goes but mostly here when I am getting a round.  I feel so tired. My elyes feel heavy and my head feels like someone is storing a big winter coat in there.  Drinking water and electrolytes. Taking potassium and magnesium.  Bp has been in137 over 98 range all day.  What the heck is going on?

[is_something_wrong]

I assume that your doctor checked the heart for murmurs with a stethoscope?

If your baseline really is 132/40, it doesn't sound completely normal and did raise some thoughts if your aortic valve (valve between heart and the main artery) is leaky, but if no murmur is found, it's probably not.

During panic, the blood pressure can reach remarkably high levels, and in my (non-professional) opinion, one should avoid measuring the blood pressure during panic attacks. It has no value, besides causing more panic (and higher blood pressure). You already know it's high. The fact that your blood pressure increase with panic is a physiologic response that can't be avoided. What can be avoided, however, is the panic, so maybe you should get that problem treated.

If your 132/40 did occur with a slow heart rate, and your 159/85 and 140/98 with a rapid heart rate, it's another argument why I hope your heart is checked for murmurs. Is it?

[bpchronicle]

Take a couple deep breaths. Calm down and approch this logicly. The first thing that cought my eye about your post. Is drinking water and electroliytes. OK lots of water is good I would like to know what kind of electrolytes you are drinking. Electrolytes include potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium and phosphate, each of which are present in a variety of foods. Then you said you are taking potassium and magnesium. For starters you should not be taking any supplements that include these. You can get all the potassium and magnesium from nateral foods. You see the potassium and other substances must work together for your body to utilize them properly. In fact to much potassium is even worse than to much sodium. Stick to foods that contain potassium. Also take and log your pressure three timess a day and use the average as your representation. Your blood pressure will always fluctuate. There is a good website that has a free online blood pressure log. And also a coll diet tool and great information. bpchronicle.com