Severe Headache after massage

[TheDeathMessage]

I am baffeled !!! Help !!
: :?: Last eve. I gave my best friend a massage.
I have given her many massage's in the past.
At the end of the massage in which I incorporated hot stone massage, she was congested & asked for her "Afrin" nasal spray.
She raised up slightly from her supine position and used the spray.
Immediatley she said where did that spray go ? ! She told me that it was burning and stinging up in her nose.
She went and changed clothes and came back complaining of a headache.
The headache was on the left side of her face starting at her nose and then going all the way up and over the top of her head and down to her left side of her ocipital lobe. It got worse and worse. She could not get comfortable and paced all around.
Finally I asked her to go to the emergency room. Her blood pressure had jumped to 183/118. We flew to the E.R. (She did forget to take her B.P. med that day). Upon arrival they gave her morafine...several times...did not help. Her blood pressure had jumped from 244/120. They took her to do a CAT scan and that showed that she had arthritis in her neck and some bone spurs. The CAT scan also told them that her sinus's were ok. The asked me what type of massage I did and I told them exactly that I did basic Deep tissue alternating with relaxation massage, following with Hot stone massage. Total 1 hour 15 min. Dr. told her she could have had a huge release...but a nerve in her neck could have been compromised in the massage. He really did not have much else to offer in a diagnosis.
She was sent home with an increase in her B.P. med and another morofine shot. I spoke with her this A.M. and after she got home at 10 and went straight to bed she has been awake since 1:30 a.m. I am baffeled !!!!
What do you think this episode was ??? In the past 2 weeks she has been going through a massive amount of stress with her marriage falling apart and poor diet lack of sleep, mental anguish etc. What do you think caused this ??? Any feed back would be greatly appreciated !!!!

 

[bethxx]

Severe Headache after massage

Her blood pressure had jumped to 183/118. We flew to the E.R. (She did forget to take her B.P. med that day). Upon arrival they gave her morafine...several times...did not help. Her blood pressure had jumped from 244/120.

Blood pressure being that high can cause a nasty, nasty headache. My guess would be that the pressure she is under had caused her BP to be higher than normal and then when she forgot to take her meds, it got even higher.

Hope she is able to get her BP under control.

Angie

 

[Whispers]

Agreeing with Moogie, that *probably* the stress and missing her BP med caused the rise in BP, which caused the headache.

I'm surprised the doctor didn't mention high blood pressure causing headaches. The stress of the headache can cause the BP to rise further.

The stress of it all could certainly have interrupted her sleep last night.

 

[James B]

:?: My blood pressure at times has spiked up to 211/100 but I never got a headache. I just felt like crap.
My friend had only been on this B.P. med for 2 weeks...in that amount of time did it even have time to take effect and level her out?

 

[goingfast2004]

Headache is not always present with high blood pressure - it is called the silent disease because there is no guarentee of any symptoms to warn you. Headache is a fairly common symptom, but it is just as common to not get it.

Blood pressure meds should be fairly effective fairly quickly within hours, at least. It's not like cholesterol meds, which take a few months to make a big difference.

 

[Xia Qureshi]

It's a good thing this was a friend of yours, isn't it? Not for your friend, of course, but imagine if it had been a client you don't know very well...I'd be fairly freaked out if this happened during or directly following a massage, even if it wasn't my fault. I've wondered what I'd do in an emergency. For example, if a client had a seizure on my table. Yikes! Besides calling 911 for an ambulence, I've added a place on my intake form for an emergency contact: name, relation to you, and phone number. Does anyone else do that?

 

[rjn529]

Seebs, I do have a place on my intake for emergency contact information. People find it odd, and I tell them in a TRUE emergency, I'd call 911....but they might like for me to let someone else know about it, so put that person's name down.

Since I work with elderly a lot, most of my clients don't question it. For those who are a bit startled by it, I tell them I work with a lot of elderly people. That satisfies everyone, lol.

 

[pikko]

I also put in emergency contact info on my intakes as well.
You just never know what can happen after all.

As to the matter of the headache & BP spike, I'm just curious did they by any chance check her for dehydration as well as her potassium & electroylyte balance ?

I had a friend who had done her standard gym workout & came home with an elevated heart rate which wouldn't drop for several hours. After 6 or 8 hours or more she went to the ER. Her BP was elevated along with major dehydration, although she had taken in plenty of fluids, she was also low
on the above mentioned levels. I don't recall as to whether she had the severe headache as well, but she was "off" & shakey for a few days or so after the episode.

 

[Pompal 09.]

I believe it's common for antihistamines to elevate BP... is it possible that it could spike the blood pressure because she used the nasal spray?

 

[Not A Supermum!]

I would wonder about an allergic response to the nasal spray given the sequence of events. Nasal spray is a substance many people become addicted to. Given her extreme level of stress and that perhaps she is a very frequent user of Afrin (she reached for it immediately), it could be a set up for a severe reaction. Of course the makers of the drug say that a serious reaction is rare, but being a suspicious homeopath, I'd sure be careful with it.

I do hope she is feeling better and that you are, too. Maybe you can guide her toward some approaches to reduce her stress (in addition to your massage) as she moves through this period of her life.

from http://www.rxlist.com/drugs/:

Afrin Nasal Spray Nasl Side Effects

Temporary burning, stinging, dryness in the nose, runny nose, and sneezing may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly.

If your doctor has prescribed this medication, remember that he or she has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects. Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects.

Tell your doctor immediately if any of these unlikely but serious side effects occur: slow/fast/pounding heartbeat, dizziness, nausea, headache, mental/mood changes, trouble sleeping, shaking (tremors), unusual sweating, unusual weakness.

A very serious allergic reaction to this drug is rare. However, seek immediate medical attention if you notice any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including: rash, itching, swelling, severe dizziness, trouble breathing.

If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

 

[Becky Curta]

I would wonder about an allergic response to the nasal spray given the sequence of events. Nasal spray is a substance many people become addicted to.

Indeed, since one of my BIL's had this problem, it was a likely conclusion for me to think of the nasal spray as a possible culprit.

 

[^~Tobi~^]

Dr. told her she could have had a huge release...

It seems odd to me, that the MD would say this. Maybe I'm just confused, but it doesn't seem to fit.

...I've added a place on my intake form for an emergency contact: name, relation to you, and phone number. Does anyone else do that?

I do have emergency contact on my form. I have had to use this information once, and boy was I glad it was there. A client had to be sent via ambulance to the hospital. I used the info to contact her "helper".