I have CP. In my early twenties I went to an immediate care because I did not have a PCP at the time (I'd only recently come out of the adolescent healthcare / insurance system)..I was fairly healthy, moderately active through community sport, but I started to feel the cumulative effects of spasticity in my neck and shoulders. This one particular visit was caused by underlying chronic pain but made urgent coupled by a recurrance of severe acute pain that limited range of motion in my neck, to the point where I couldn't sit up or turn my head without assistance and I was met by two confounding reactions: "You may have slept wrong" and "your blood pressure is high, your HR is elevated, your BMI indicates that you are slightly overweight, do you have any underlying conditions?" I looked this physician's assistant in the face, not sure if they were situationally unaware or if they didn't believe I was at the level of pain I had reported, and said, "if you were experiencing some combination of chronic and acute pain, do you think your blood pressure would be elevated?" To which they responded "so hypertension is not normal for you?" to which I wanted to shout, but simply replied "no." Since then, I've never had much success through the healthcare system of addressing chronic pain with management strategies and as a result, my otherwise normal blood pressure of 90 to 110/ 60 to 70 in my 20s has increased in the presence of stress, pain, and poor sleep to hover at 130 to 145 / 70-80 in my 30s, despite the fact that my diet, physical activity, cholesterol, etc. is well maintained. It's one of the things that annoys me the most about aging, CP, and care considerations.
I'm not surprised it is hard to find rural investigators. Most of my rural doctors say I'm their only pt with CP and are unwilling to ask others about my concerns. I switched to CP doctors in the city.
I have CP. In my early twenties I went to an immediate care because I did not have a PCP at the time (I'd only recently come out of the adolescent healthcare / insurance system)..I was fairly healthy, moderately active through community sport, but I started to feel the cumulative effects of spasticity in my neck and shoulders. This one particular visit was caused by underlying chronic pain but made urgent coupled by a recurrance of severe acute pain that limited range of motion in my neck, to the point where I couldn't sit up or turn my head without assistance and I was met by two confounding reactions: "You may have slept wrong" and "your blood pressure is high, your HR is elevated, your BMI indicates that you are slightly overweight, do you have any underlying conditions?"
I looked this physician's assistant in the face, not sure if they were situationally unaware or if they didn't believe I was at the level of pain I had reported, and said, "if you were experiencing some combination of chronic and acute pain, do you think your blood pressure would be elevated?"
To which they responded "so hypertension is not normal for you?" to which I wanted to shout, but simply replied "no."
Since then, I've never had much success through the healthcare system of addressing chronic pain with management strategies and as a result, my otherwise normal blood pressure of 90 to 110/ 60 to 70 in my 20s has increased in the presence of stress, pain, and poor sleep to hover at 130 to 145 / 70-80 in my 30s, despite the fact that my diet, physical activity, cholesterol, etc. is well maintained. It's one of the things that annoys me the most about aging, CP, and care considerations.
I'm not surprised it is hard to find rural investigators. Most of my rural doctors say I'm their only pt with CP and are unwilling to ask others about my concerns. I switched to CP doctors in the city.