Hi I have a question. My 77 year old mother gets intermittent 'episodes' where she first develops a pain in her lower jaw and then she feels immediately inside the middle of throat a pain that she feels as if it is deep inside her throat and then a couple minutes later it is followed by a headache and then she begins to have heart palpitations and her heart rate speeds up considerably whereby she is unable to function until this 'episode passes. She say the episodes have increased in duration but last about half an hour. She is usually with my father (who has Alzheimer's) which is like being alone when this happens. I witnessed one of these episodes and took her pulse which went as high as 180 during that episode and quickly decreased when I gave her a carotid artery massage and ocular massage. Her blood pressure was not elevated at this time. She stabilized quickly at that time. She then saw a cardiologist who gave her an EKG, ECHO and monitor and he diagnosed her with atrial fibrillation-arrythmia and gave her Toporol 25mg. Xarelto 20 mg. and baby asparin. At the doctors office, sometimes she was
hypertensive, other times normal, but he gave her norvasc he said mainly for the hypertension, which still seems to be intermittent. I have taken her pulse periodically as well and she seems to be more hypertensive when my fathers condition worsens. Since then she was also found to have a 731 platelet count (all other blood counts were normal). She then saw a hematologist who put her on Hydroxyurea to lower her platelet count and prevent a stroke. She seems more tired and now has developed swelling in her legs and feet which she was now told to use compression socks to alleviate. They are saying her problems are not related. I don't understand how all these things are taken as seemingly unrelated. No one is terribly concerned, but I have a feeling they are missing something. I may be crazy, but I would appreciate your opinion on her case.