In the Nick of Time

A 55- year old lady came in with a rather flushed face, complaining of pins and needles on her left leg since the night before when she also suffered from an episode of breathlessness. She spoke of a tightening ring around her chest. Her presentation is not at all classic medical text book.

When queried further she admitted that she had been diagnosed as having high blood pressure a year ago but the drug prescribed did not reduce her headache instead she used some kind of "jelly" as suggested by her friend and found that it helped her a great deal and that her headache had gone. She took this "miracle food" for the last six months. She had never since seen a doctor.

Her blood pressure was measured and found to be 210/120, which was dangerously high and her ECG (electrical pattern of her heart) showed a markedly strained heart! She was promptly given a dose of blood pressure-lowering drug and within 1 1/2 hours her blood pressure was reduced to 140/90. She felt a lot lighter and her left leg's pins and needles were gone.

Had she not come to the clinic in time, she would have been a "stroke statistics". We all have heard of people who suddenly developed slurring of speech and paralysis of half of their body....yes, this is hypertension or high blood pressure, the silent attacker/killer. So monitor your health and stick to scientifically proven medicine.