I would like to know if anyone has dealt with high blood pressure during an attack?  Since my husband has reverse blood flow in his left arm, his blood pressure was always low.  He always gets headaches (back after almost three years)on his right side.  He was to the doc's a week ago, without a CH and his blood pressure was 166/82.  I tried to take his blood pressure the other day but he said he was in too much pain  :-? and couldn't hold still.  Also, he has recently felt pounding (blood flow?) in his caratoid artery and also his ear..all right side.  
I am very concerned about b/p.  Has anyone heard of anyone having a stroke?  He is on bp meds, cholestrol and borderline diabetic.  He is retired and somewhat active, depending on the weather.
If anyone has experienced this , will you please let me know.  Thank you very much and god bless the sufferers and their families :'(  Karen

Hi Karen,

1st off, thanks for taking such good care of my clusterbrother.  You supporters are the rock we cling to in the storm.  You are an amazing breed.

I am not a Doctor so any concerns you have should be first and foremost discussed with your husbands Doctor.

I can relate my experience.  I've had high bp for a while now and take a cocktail of meds to control it.  Got mine from my parents.  What I worry about are the numbers when I'm not getting hit.  I usually take it in the am once I'm up and about.

I did take it a few times when I was getting hit and... let's just say the numbers were extremely high.  It isn't easy to sit still and I only took it once the pain was beginning to subside.  

When I mentioned this to my Neurologist he wasn't concerned as, according to him, high blood pressure is a normal physiological response of the body when you are dealing with that kind of pain.

That is not to say this will be the response of your husband's Doctor.

Good luck...

-Dennis-

This is not a dangerously high BP. BP will climb when we are in pain, under distress/threat/other intense emotional states. It's surprising how quickly it falls to a normal range when the stressor eases.

It's always a surprise how my BP will increase by10-15 pts. just from driving the car. I'm aware of this when going to donate blood. If I don't have 15-minutes of quiet time before they begin the PE, it wil have spiked but quickly drops within 3-5 minutes.

Thank you for your reply, Bob.  Noone explained it that way before, so I guess that's why doc is not too concerned about it!!!  I hope you are having a pain free day.  Tom was up at 1,3,6,and 9:30 w/CH.  Hope today is better for him.   Karen

Thank you Dennis for your nice comments and help.  He did not have a good night last night either.  I would not wish this condition on my worst enemy, no less my husband.  Our boys are grown and out of town, so I don't say too much to them...nothing they can do anyhow.  I don't have anyone (family) that live in PA, have a couple of close friends and I can talk to them, but they really don't understand.  They have come up with such stupid comments, so I tell them to read up on CH and then give me their opinion!
Not having anyone really understand what he (and I) go through is so very hard :(
Thanks again.
Karen

We understand exactly what you both are going through. That's what this place was built for.

Has he joined yet?

-Dennis-

"Not having anyone really understand what he (and I) go through is so very hard
Thanks again.
Karen"

Karen. This is whats good about this site and the apparent reason it was created.
I think the vast majority of us who have come here are here because very few who do not have or support CH understand.
You are in the right place.

The few times I have been able to sit still during an attack for a pressure test I too have had accelerated blood pressures. I also have normally low numbers.