Woman's appointment at work saves her life in lesson for others

18 May 2024 , 19:19

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Justine Daly is now advising people to get a health check-up (Image: NICHS)

A woman has told how a routine health check at work led her being told to "go to A&E immediately".

Justine Daly, from Belfast, who led an active lifestyle and had no pressing health concerns, was shocked when she found out she had dangerously high blood pressure during a routine workplace health screening. "My employer had organised for Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke (NICHS) to come to our workplace in Belfast to carry out health checks in March. I saw this as an opportunity to get things checked either for piece of mind or a nudge to change something," she said.

"I had a similar check back in 2019 and although my blood pressure was elevated, it was nowhere near a critical level. I certainly didn't expect to find out my blood pressure was off the Richter scale and that I should go to A&E immediately." Justine praised the NICHS staff member who measured her blood pressure. "My check was carried out by a lady called Valerie from NICHS's Health Promotion team. She was lovely and had a very professional and caring manner," she said.

Justine Daly was diagnosed with dangerously high blood pressure in March and is now responding well to treatment (NICHS)

"Valerie explained what the health check would involve and that the blood pressure check would be at the end. My results from the other tests were all great. I had a metabolic age of 40 and at 54 I was delighted to hear that. When it was time for the blood pressure check Valerie did it on my left arm and said, 'Right. Take yourself off to the beach. You are standing on the beach. Imagine how calm you would be feeling', and then she measured it again. Once more, she asked me to take a few moments to try and relax. She then did the measurement on my right arm, and that is when she told me I needed to go to A&E because my blood pressure was dangerously high."

Justine told BelfastLive: "It took a moment for the news that it was that high to sink in. I hadn't experienced anything, no symptoms or warning signs, which would have made me concerned about my blood pressure or health in general. I was expecting it to be elevated like previously but not so high I had to go to hospital. It came as a complete shock.

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"Valerie could see the look of horror on my face and must have thought another course of action might be worth trying. She said that I should phone my GP surgery and ask their advice. If they felt I didn't necessarily need to go straight to A&E and would arrange an urgent appointment with my doctor, then she would be happy with that advice.

"Valerie waited with me until I got a call back from my doctor, which was very reassuring and kind. My surgery prioritised me, getting an appointment for the following morning and Valerie advised me to go home and do nothing but rest, which I did. She was able to make me understand this was extremely important, but without petrifying me.

Justine spoke candidly about her experience (NICHS)

"I was obviously feeling quite anxious as being told that you need to go to A&E makes you realise just how serious the situation is. Valerie was so calm and considerate however and that really helped. I saw my doctor the next day and he was fantastic. He checked me over, and given my previous history of elevated blood pressure, he prescribed medication right away. He explained that for me, it was not a case of trying lifestyle changes to make a difference to my blood pressure such as losing weight or reducing my salt intake.

"The nurse took my bloods to get a baseline and I had to go back two weeks later for a review and an ECG. The doctor was happy with everything, so I was advised to keep taking my medication as prescribed and go back in a month for a further check-up."

Justine is speaking out about her experience as she wants to encourage others to get their blood pressure checked. Reflecting on her health scare said: "At first, I thought, 'it might not really be that serious because I can't feel anything, I feel fine', but that's the thing many people don't realise, you don't necessarily have symptoms when your blood pressure is through the roof. I had experienced absolutely no signs that would have made me concerned about my blood pressure."

Lauren Harte