Forum Discussion
Low blood pressure collapse
Well that was an exciting afternoon...
Last chemo was on Tuesday; fatigue in full flight, nausea present but not too bad after a slightly better than normal night's sleep. Had a long standing dietician appointment at 1230 today, which I should've moved but just didn't process it. Chemo brain. Two friends drove me there and afterwards we went to get some lunch at a Chinese restaurant. I ordered some green veg, something plain to slip down easily.
Before the food had even arrived I started to feel like just being there was all too much. Head went into my hands, then onto the table. Needed to lie down. Very quickly really needed to lie down. Folded over onto the chair next to me. Started to pass out. Felt like I was going to vomit and go the other end as well. Hot and clammy and I'm told white as a sheet.
At that moment, unbelievably, two ambos came in to get lunch. It's the kind of miracle that doesn't happen in my life. Instant first aid. Daniel and Curtis, angels both.
They asked all the questions, had a blood pressure cuff on me fast, 80/40, and very quickly I was on a stretcher heading to the hospital five minutes away. They put the end of the stretcher up so my legs were elevated. That instantly helped.
It took about two hours for my bp to get back to normal. Two ecgs, iv fluids (took two goes to get the line in...), blood tests, oncologist called etc etc. Husband called in from work, my friends rearranging their schedules, what a palaver! What an embarrassment :/
End result is they don't know why it happened. I'm home in bed now and will not be venturing out for quite some time to come. Anyone else have low blood pressure problems? How was your Friday afternoon?!
Last chemo was on Tuesday; fatigue in full flight, nausea present but not too bad after a slightly better than normal night's sleep. Had a long standing dietician appointment at 1230 today, which I should've moved but just didn't process it. Chemo brain. Two friends drove me there and afterwards we went to get some lunch at a Chinese restaurant. I ordered some green veg, something plain to slip down easily.
Before the food had even arrived I started to feel like just being there was all too much. Head went into my hands, then onto the table. Needed to lie down. Very quickly really needed to lie down. Folded over onto the chair next to me. Started to pass out. Felt like I was going to vomit and go the other end as well. Hot and clammy and I'm told white as a sheet.
At that moment, unbelievably, two ambos came in to get lunch. It's the kind of miracle that doesn't happen in my life. Instant first aid. Daniel and Curtis, angels both.
They asked all the questions, had a blood pressure cuff on me fast, 80/40, and very quickly I was on a stretcher heading to the hospital five minutes away. They put the end of the stretcher up so my legs were elevated. That instantly helped.
It took about two hours for my bp to get back to normal. Two ecgs, iv fluids (took two goes to get the line in...), blood tests, oncologist called etc etc. Husband called in from work, my friends rearranging their schedules, what a palaver! What an embarrassment :/
End result is they don't know why it happened. I'm home in bed now and will not be venturing out for quite some time to come. Anyone else have low blood pressure problems? How was your Friday afternoon?!
Views
Sign in to react to this post
34 Replies
- I think you should let your oncologist know. K xox
- @kmakm the irony for me is I’m medicated for high blood pressure! So goodness knows what was happening yesterday
- @Sarnicad Read the beginning of this thread! As you can see, you are not alone in this reaction! Take care. K xox
- AND I got run over when I was 13!! Crossed the road in front of our house (seeing my bus was coming and had to get to the other side) and forgot to look the other way as well .... got cleaned up by a poor lady in a car.
TOTALLY my fault ...... I was unconscious & not aware what happened, taken to hospital - which was conveniently 500m away, interviewed by the cops and still have no memory of it to this day! .... Apparently, the poor woman was on Valium for years!! :(
Red Hair, freckles, glasses, Braces, got run over ..... and now plays uke and fishes! :) The story of my life! LOL - @arpie Your life is eventful!
- @kmakm I like the idea of that built in seat!!
Re: getting out of a bath - it can be SO dangerous, specially as we age - even more so than the shower, as there are so MANY corners/edges you can hit if you pass out whilst trying to stand in a bath - and VERY easy for a foot to slip too. One of those rubber mats on the base of the bath (tho not flattering to look at or sit on) can help prevent the slipping thing! I don't have many baths either - but I do SO enjoy them when I do! ;) With Bath Salts in them! :)
I had knee surgery as a 19 year old - and every time they tried to get me out of bed after surgery to 'walk again' - I'd pass out!! Some stupid nurse tried to tell me that I didn't want to walk again! AS IF!! I just had to learn to take it slowly from a lying position - each step took a minimum of 1 minute. I had to sit up, turn around & hang my legs over the side of the bed, then put my feet on the floor (whilst leaning on the bed) and only if I DIDN'T feel woozy .... only then did I 'walk' - and I didn't pass out or throw up!
I just had to make sure I took those steps (so to speak) and have been aware of it ever since.
Yep, I've had the odd 'pass out' moments with the bath too! Oh .... and I passed out the first time I gave blood!! Now THAT was TOTALLY embarrassing at the Blood Bank in the middle of Sydney!! :( - @arpie Sounds like you might have it as well. I do sometimes feel peculiar getting out of the bath. Good job I don't have them very often!
@Afraser When we renovated last year I had a 'seat' built into the shower. It's tiled the same as the rest of the area. When I was sitting on it after my WLE in December, with my husband washing my hair because I couldn't get my arms over my head, and felt too crap to stand up anyway, I remarked that I loved my shower seat but hadn't anticipated the need to use it so soon...
Sorry for the length of that sentence! I'm too shagged to go back & edit! K xox - Take special care in the shower. Friend recently fainted there, smashed her nose and dislodged an otic bone. Too many hard surfaces and right angles!
- That's a bugger, @kmakm - you may even need to be careful of standing up too quickly from a sitting position - and particularly standing up if you have a bath (vs a shower!)
I've always had low BP & following any anaesthetic/forced lying down situation - I pass out quite readily! I had an angiogram a couple of years back & nearly carked it in the hospital! All the bells & buzzers went off (Code 9, Code 9) and everyone came running!
I hope you'll be able to work out the 'trigger' and then avoid it!! xx - Wow! As we keep on saying....everyone is so different, but really I would've thought that chemo had delivered enough "presents" to you ! Xx
