Help! Scared to sleep...even with machine on

Hi all....I don't know if this is sleep related but hoping I can get some insight or advice

So first, I have high blood pressure and have been having problems with it recently. I went to the hospital after really exerting myself at work. My home bp cuff read 156/120. It scared the crap out of me, however my reading at hospital read 182/92. They were a little concerned about my heart rate which stayed at about 113 for several hours. They ran some tests and some levels were slightly elevated indicating possible blood clot. They couldn't find one, put me back on medication and sent me home. They did say i had some swelling on right side

So that was a few weeks ago. Last night i was experiencing some shortness of breath with bipap on. I woke up about 3 am with a crushing pain in my chest and i was completely unable to breathe. I ripped off my mask, sat up and still had the crushing pain and couldn't breathe in for several seconds. I sat there for a few minutes, catching my breathe and got up to pee and had sudden rush of extreme lightheadedness, i kept feeling like i was going to pass out. I called the ambulance, they tried about 5 times to take my bp and couldn't get a reading. They finally put a wrist cuff on me that gave a reading of 189/115. They laid me down in ambulance and took it again and got a reading of 184/89. I decided not to go to er so now im scared to go to sleep.

Could this be related to my machine? What should i do? Lately ive been swallowing lots of air and having a hard time sleeping with it. I also git a new night stand and the machine is just slightly higher then my bed. I sleep about 6-8 hours every night with it on but end up sleeping without it several hours after waking up.

Im worried and unsure of what to do. i have also noticed swelling in my right leg and right arm. Also maybe worth noting i sometimes wake up clamping down on my tongue pretty hard, and i often wake up feeling like im falling or passing out. Any advice or insight? Thanks

You should have gone to the ER and definitely should see a doctor immediately. Beyond that no responsible person would guess at much without knowing and examining you a lot more, doing ECGs, etc. etc. You quite possibly might have had an MI, but also could not have, or anything else, and there's no way some stranger to you here could guess. Your Cpap is just a small factor for now until you get yourself properly checked. Please go and do that right away in case you have had some cardiac damage that won't be fixable if you wait any longer. I can't imagine why you didn't let the EMTs take you in at the time. Forget Cpap and speculating all over the place - go and get seen to now. Randomly speculating about clots or BP or the man in the moon won't help anything.

I understand why you would respond this way. I guess the reason I didnt go to the er is because the paramedics didnt seem to think I needs to go after the second reading. Also they asked me several times if i woke up having a nightmare. Which I did not. Also the last time i went to the er for it, and they ran those tests i followed up with my "doctor" whos actually a nurse practitioner and she didnt see the need to investigate further on the blood clot despite the blood test results.

So I am afraid that I wont be taken seriously. And frankly embarrassed to go back to the er.i know what anxiety is and while I do sometimes have anxiety I can reasonably say that's not what this is.

Anyway I appreciate the response and do plan to go see my primary care doctor as soon as they open in a few hours and insist she look further into this.

Julia is giving you excellent advice. You are having or are very close to having hypertensive crisises, potentially causing a stroke, kidney damage or other cargdiovascular damage. Please aggressively pursue treatment and resolution. I wish you well.

I'd gladly be embarassed if I thought it would keep me alive.

And I'm glad you are doing the smart thing. Let us know what happens.

Paramedics don't have the last word.
They are lately over-worked and can make mistakes.
Call your doctor.
He has your medical records, and is able to make a more informed decision.
Without a diagnosis, your health could be a ticking time bomb.
In any case, do not settle for being told what it is not--
You need to know what it IS, and what to DO.

From the Cleveland Clinic:

If you experience new or unexplained pain, pressure or discomfort in the center of your chest or in your arms, back, jaw, neck or upper stomach — along with shortness of breath, a cold sweat, nausea, fatigue or lightheadedness — for at least five minutes, call 911.

These symptoms may signal a heart attack, or myocardial infarction. Immediate treatment is essential to save heart muscle.... the symptoms of heart attack or angina can vary greatly from person to person. Some people experience no symptoms at all. Others experience crushing chest pain. Still others may feel only arm, throat or jaw discomfort.
But the discomfort is unrelenting, typically lasting five minutes or more (even up to half an hour or, rarely, two hours).

Ms Emerita is quite right.
In addition, confusing symptoms can occur in women, diabetics, and others.
Medical science focuses on average patients, maybe you are not average.
Be persistent--it beats taking the dirt nap.

I went to my primary care first thing this morning and while he did suggest it was anxiety or acid reflux ( which is ridiculous because i didn't describe either of these things) he did aknowledge some risk factors and he is scheduling me for a stress test, which isn't for 2 weeks. I do believe my blood pressure episodes are brought on by stress and exertion but it happens after being on my feet for many hours (im a waitress) so hopefully it will cover all that

I did reach out to the pulmonary doctor who has access to my bi pap machine remotely, i think ot could be possible that air got trapped and that's why i couldn't breathe and it hurt so bad. Im still trying to convince someone to look further into the tests that indicated the possibility of clots

Anyway, i thank you all for the encouragement. I needed it, i dont feel like i have access to care from actual doctors who are listening to me. I just hope it doesn't happen again before my stress test

Well, good for going in!

I had a stress test once and what I remember is that the worst part was my sore hands - from holding onto the treadmill bar - because I have arthritis!

Stop looking for clot trouble though... and maybe stop looking at Dr. Google.

Julie wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 25, 2020 10:58 am

Well, good for going in!

I had a stress test once and what I remember is that the worst part was my sore hands - from holding onto the treadmill bar - because I have arthritis!

Stop looking for clot trouble though... and maybe stop looking at Dr. Google.

Im not worried about clots because of anything I read off google....i had a pulmonary function test done and that doctor said something about the results indicated i could have a clot blood tests after that were not conclusive..that was in march. And again at the hospital on the 2nd of august the did blood tests after very high bp reading and again those results showed slight elevations that could indicate blood clots. They injected me with dye and looked only at my lungs for pulmonary embolism, they saw no clots in my lungs. I would just like them to look at the possibility that i have a clot somewhere else since their test results already indicates this is a possibility.

High blood pressure can be very dangerous.
Very important you get it taken care of.

I agree. Im on losartan/ water pill combo and its well into my system....Which is one reason why the huge spike in blood pressure is so concerning to me, my blood pressure should not be out of control if its working

I would persist with your doctor until you are satisfied that your high blood pressure gets under control. Don't let a crappy ER visit scare you off from advocating for your help and going back (or to another ER) when you feel you need it. I have had 3 ER visits in the last 10 months, all for different reasons. I stick with the hospital with which my primary care physician is affiliated, because they have all my history and records, and she can see everything that's actually going on with me in the hospital in real time, which helps a lot when things don't seem to be going well and I need to know. My last ER visit, last Friday, however, went so poorly and I felt like my serious concerns (about a possible hip fracture) were totally disregarded, that I will be unlikely to use that ER again for orthopedic problems. They have been pretty good with other problems in the past. Sometimes, an ER can have a very "off" day or night, you may be seen by new, inexperienced medical personnel, or any other many of misadventures may occur in an ER. I never thought very highly of this ER until last Friday, when it was a horror show and unlike any previous visit. Now, I appreciate my past visits there a lot more. I am still in the process of follow-up from last Friday's ER visit, for an issue that could be very serious for which I got no help.

You have to advocate for YOUR health. I would be very concerned about such high blood pressure. I believe most ERs and doctors I've encountered would have considered it serious and looked for causes and given help to make you feel better. You know your own body best, and unfortunately, not every medical practitioner will give you the help they should. Keep searching for medical help until you are feeling better and are able to sleep without concern.

Have you been to a cardiologist lately? If not, I would think that a good cardiologist would be able to give you better help than you have gotten so far. You may need an adjustment in medications.

All the best,

Maryland CPAPer2