# Hospitals suck. Don't let your blood pressure get out of control like I did **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 13, 2024, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospitals-suck-dont-let-your-blood-pressure-get-out-of-control-like-i-did/1000240 "2024-04-13T18:55:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2024, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospitals-suck-dont-let-your-blood-pressure-get-out-of-control-like-i-did/1000240/21 "2024-04-14T00:42:21Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > I should have been constantly checking it instead of assuming what it was based on my past history. Boy, do I know _that one_! 🤦🏽‍♀️ We have learned from your experience today. Take care and keep us posted. 👍🏽 ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospitals-suck-dont-let-your-blood-pressure-get-out-of-control-like-i-did/1000240/22 "2024-04-19T04:59:25Z")
Well, gosh. When I opened the thread, I thought I was going to wow everyone with where my blood pressure was when I recently checked into the hospital. But my systolic didn’t even hit 200! The American Heart Association would’ve barely considered me to be in hypertensive crisis! I’ll have to try harder next time. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospitals-suck-dont-let-your-blood-pressure-get-out-of-control-like-i-did/1000240/23 "2024-04-19T05:57:00Z")
Hey, don’t, okay? ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospitals-suck-dont-let-your-blood-pressure-get-out-of-control-like-i-did/1000240/24 "2024-04-19T06:10:46Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > I should have been constantly checking it instead of assuming what it was based on my past history. It ended up quite a bit higher than I thought it was. > > I should have been better about knuckling down and exercising as well. I’ve always said “A hospital is no place to be when you’re sick!” (I too loathe them; have had screwups every single time I’ve been in one). Had you been medicated for your BP? Was it not being checked once or twice a year by a doctor? I’ve had hypertension since shortly after my daughter was born (despite being quite overweight, it was always good, until I developed pre-eclampsia; while it normalized, it went back up a year later). Any theories as to why it had been going so high? Luckily (?) for me, I have other health issues that require periodic checkins, so my BP has been monitored regularly. I have definitely not felt any different when it was creeping up. When it’s too low, I feel really bad if I do something outlandish like try to do the grocery shopping, or prepare dinner… I hear ya on the not exercising enough - that’s a huge issue for me, as well. i’ve been trying to monitor my BP at home a bit more regularly - to get a good history since there’s been discussion of lowering my meds (due to weight loss). Unfortunately, my BP monitor frequently, as in \> 50% of the time, announces that I must be dead since it can’t find a pulse. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospitals-suck-dont-let-your-blood-pressure-get-out-of-control-like-i-did/1000240/25 "2024-04-19T06:15:24Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Walking is dangerous, seriously. > > We’re sitting in the ER right now. My wife tripped on our walk and probably broke her left pinky and messed up her right ulna. Ouch!! Yeah, walking is dangerous. Most of my broken bones have been from walking. Or standing up. Hopefully the crunched arm is no big deal (my broken elbows - yes, two, got a matched pair 10+ years apart - have been “minor”). ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospitals-suck-dont-let-your-blood-pressure-get-out-of-control-like-i-did/1000240/26 "2024-04-19T12:32:22Z")
This thread is much appreciated – a potentially lifesaving heads-up for several of us (maybe me, before too long). Glad to hear @engineer_comp_geek is okay (all in all). ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospitals-suck-dont-let-your-blood-pressure-get-out-of-control-like-i-did/1000240/27 "2024-04-19T13:08:20Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Walking is dangerous, seriously. > > We’re sitting in the ER right now. My wife tripped on our walk and probably broke her left pinky and messed up her right ulna. Oh, ouch! I hope she heals quickly and completely. > [@aceplace57](#): > > It’s good to check blood pressure first thing in the morning and again mid afternoon. Do those little blood pressure monitors you can pick up at the drug store work reliably? We have one, and it’s pretty easy to use. I don’t use it very often, because whenever i do it says my BP is fine, so i put it away. But if i were using it regularly, I’d just leave it on the breakfast table. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospitals-suck-dont-let-your-blood-pressure-get-out-of-control-like-i-did/1000240/28 "2024-04-19T13:10:26Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > I knew it was high, but I was expecting 160 or 170 high. It was actually something like 240 or 250. I don’t recall the exact number. My memory got rather fuzzy after the seizure. I was heading down this road, 140-150 typical, occasionally spiking higher. Seeing a couple of readings over 200 got me to take the medicine. A combination of lisinopril, amlodipine besylate, and hydrochlorothiazide brought my BP down quickly. I’m astounded now when I get readings like 120/75. I had tried lisinopril a couple of times before with some minor improvement but I’ve been a bad patient over the years. I have other medical problems as contributing factors, better care for those other issues helped also. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospitals-suck-dont-let-your-blood-pressure-get-out-of-control-like-i-did/1000240.md?page=1)