Sudden spike in blood pressure

What would cause a 51 year old woman in great health and not overweight to have a normal blood pressure to suddenly jump to 230/124?  My wife was at work (at a hospital) and didn't feel well.  She went to have her blood pressure taken and was sent to the ER.  They did several tests and all were normal.. She is going to a new Dr. now and he has put her on a blood pressure medicine 2 times/day.  What kinds of things should she be asking her Dr. to look for or test for?


This discussion is related to jump in blood pressure.

[knitterNancy]

I have had chronically low blood pressure, but twice I have fainted and my blood pressure has spiked - 250 over 158.  I was unaware of surrounds for about 2 1/2 hours.  Blood pressure dropped to normal in about that time.  My doctor told me next time to go to the ER.
knitternancy

[GeorgiaNay1956]

To help please,
I have had multispinal surgeries in my lifetime for scoliosis, and spinal stenosis and as a result I have adhesive arachnoiditis and I live in chronic neuropathic pain. After one laminectomy/disectomy surgery that caused trauma to my spine I began having these blood pressure spikes occassionally during the night time or when I awken. Because of the adhesive arachnoiditis from T9 down to L5-S1 I have bladder problems and bowel problems with overfeeling because I do not feel this urge to go as much as others. Would this be the occassional cause' of the blood pressure spikes that happen to me? They are really fearful, with confusion and abdominal tremors along with headaches when I awaken having one with a feeling that I am going to die or of doom called the "flight or fight response". I would appreciate information on what I need to ask my doctor.
Please answer me if you can.
God Bless,
Nay

[GeorgiaNay1956]

Hi All,
I have had many spinal surgeries from age 14 to age 38. I began with scoliosis and had three spinal fusions by age 14 and then I had many wonderful years before needing spinal surgery once again at age 37. After this laminectomy/disectomy from my thoracic spine down to L5-S1 I had 10 pedicale screws in my lower spine along with attachments up the rest of my spine. After this surgery I began having blood pressure spikes that were frightful . These began 5 days after spinal surgery and now I am age 54 and I still have them at times. After this laminectomy/disectomy I found out a year later I had not fused anywhere. I was in constant chronic pain all of the time. Finally Emory University Spinal Clinic looked at my pics of my spine and saw I had no fusion from a year previously. Also I had a plate that had come out from the front and it was embedded into my abdominal aeorta. I had to have more spinal surgeries to fuse my spine the best that could be done as well as removing the plate on the aeorta without tearing it . Since this time I live in constant pain. I began with the blood pressure spikes from 5 days post op and still have these. Then I began having all body muscle pain and spinal pain. I then got a pain infusion pump for my spine for the awful pain. I had this for 8 yrs. in all but when I was getting the second one put in I began having allodynia ( severe nerve pain ) in my groin area along with the same pain on top of my upper  right leg. Not only this but my muscle spasms were so painful and you could actually see the spasms on top of my upper leg. These spasms made it to where my lower right foot turned toward my left foot and I can no longer walk. After this in 2003 the burning spread to my left foot and lower left leg also. I have arachnoiditis from my surgeries and because of this I have poor bladder and bowel feelings to where I have to make myself go even though I do not have the urge. Would this have anything to do with the blood pressure spikes which is called has to do with my autonomic nervous system from what Mayo Clinic said many years ago. I was not told what to do for this though. Could I have hyperalgia ?
Thank Anyone and God Bless YOu,
Georgia Nay