Woman who had 'no symptoms warns everyone to get checked after test saved her life'

A 'healthy' woman who had 'no symptoms' has told how an impromptu workplace test 'saved her life'. Justine Daly showed no signs of having high blood pressure and enjoyed a relatively active lifestyle including hiking.

The 54-year-old even wore a fitness tracker and kept tabs on some of her vitals. But she was left 'completely shocked' when she was told she needed to go to hospital.

A workplace test carried out by a charity revealed her blood pressure was surprisingly 'off the Richter scale' and she needed urgent medical attention. She is now urging others to get checked out before it is 'too late'.

READ MORE: Full list of DWP benefits being paid early this week - see if you're affected

Sign up to the BirminghamLive newsletter here to get the latest updates on the biggest and breaking stories.

Charity Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke (NICHS) carried out the test in March, BelfastLive reports. Ms Daly, from Belfast, said: "I saw [the test] as an opportunity to get things checked either for peace of mind or a nudge to change something.

"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."

After checks on both arms, Ms Daly was told her blood pressure was 'dangerously high'. She added: "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."

Ms Daly initially called her GP surgery to see if she did need to go straight to A&E. She said: "My surgery prioritised me, getting an appointment for the following morning and Valerie [from NICHS's Health Promotion team] advised me to go home and do nothing but rest, which I did.

"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." She saw her GP the next day.

Ms Daly said: "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."

Reflecting on her diagnosis, she 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. I have been wearing a fitness tracker watch for years and it measures heart rate, but I didn’t realise quite how different that is to monitoring your blood pressure.

"That is something I would love people to understand - just because your heart rate and other vitals are ok, your blood pressure might not be. That is why it is so important to check it.

"If you don’t and it is high, it could then sadly be too late. Finding out about my high blood pressure really could have saved my life as I was able to seek medical help.

"I also think people don’t realise that these things can happen at an early age, you do not have to be in your 70s or 80s. I am 54 and was leading a normal, healthy, relatively active life but my high blood pressure could have hit me like a brick.

"I could have had a heart attack or stroke which would be life-changing. Thinking about how different things could have been has had a big impact on me mentally.

"It was also very hard to hear that I will be on medication for life, I can never stop taking it. That made me feel a bit nervous and apprehensive at first but after I had time to reflect, I thought, if a medication can improve my health and reduce my risk of a heart attack or stroke that’s a good thing, not a negative.

"That is another message I would stress to people - if you are prescribed blood pressure medication, please take it and do not put yourself at any unnecessary risk."

Ms Daly said she is now trying to lead a normal life again. She recalled feeling exhausted after her diagnosis and had to 'really slow down'.

She added: "I am usually a 100 miles an hour type of person but my body was definitely telling me to take it easier. I am improving however and feeling better as time goes on.

"I am walking a lot and enjoying Tai Chi and hope that with time I can get back to doing more intensive exercise like hiking in the Mournes, but that is something I will discuss with my doctor first. Finding out about my high blood pressure has had a huge impact on me but the fact is, it could well have saved my life.

"If my employer hadn’t organised the health checks with NICHS who knows what might have happened." Ms Daly went on to say she could have been 'none the wiser' had she not had the test, adding: "Do not put it off, because you could be too late."