It is surely very rare to read raw experience and unfiltered truths on the internet however, this is the story of ending up in the ER twice- high blood pressure, autonomic dysreflexia, and a fatal spinal cord injury, It is a roller-coaster ride!
Unflattering moment for sure but I’ve had the roughest 48 hours I’ve probably had since my injury 15 years ago.
2 nights ago I was in bed and all of a sudden my blood pressure skyrocketed. Normally I sit around 90/50 because as a quadriplegic, our blood pressure is pretty low. But when something is wrong in our bodies, something happens called autonomic dysreflexia or AD. For people who have a higher level spinal cord injury, AD is basically a signal to you that something is very wrong in your body. Your blood pressure will go up, you’ll sweat, get a huge headache and your heart rate will increase. I kept trying to stop it and figure out what was wrong but it wasn’t so I had to call 911 and an ambulance came.
my blood pressure was 190/120. That high of a blood pressure for me could literally give me a stroke. The problem is healthcare providers don’t really know about people spinal cord injuries like they could. i’ve had a bunch of tests done, including a CAT scan and bloodwork, and they can’t figure out what’s wrong.
after a full night in the ER, I finally left at 9 AM with not a lot of answers. The following night I laid down again and the same thing happened. But then I realize my catheter wasn’t flowing so Chris and I had to basically emergency surgery myself and replace it. it started working and it unclogged and I thought it was clear but my blood pressure skyrocketed again. I found myself in the emergency room again.
except this time they completely blew me off. By the time I got there, my blood pressure was low again. It was going up and down like crazy. I was given antibiotics and discharged.
i’m home now, but after all of the needles, scans and horrible feelings from the blood pressure, I still don’t know if I’m in the clear.
it’s so scary having a spinal cord injury because even in the emergency room, they’re just not educated enough to help. The doctor even said AD can’t hurt you. 🙄
if you’re a prayer person, I’ll take it! If you’re a positive vibe person, I’ll take that too.
Fingers crossed everything will be OK tonight because I can’t keep doing this.