Under Investigation

[AllieOcean]

Hi all. In August whilst on holiday in Spain i noticed that my temporal artery was swollen and pulsating. No other symptoms. It gradually went down over a few days but I went to see my GP when I got home and she put it down to hot country, lots of walking. Last week it happened again, only difference being I havent done anything exerting and the weather is cool...am in the UK. Went to the GP again, this time you could see and feel it as it hadn't gone down. A few years ago my carotid artery tore but has healed and I've been told to carry on with life as normal. Because of this my GP did bloods and they came back negative for TA. My blood pressure was high, 140/97. She phoned Rheumatology, they didn't want to know, they told her to phone Neurology and they said to go back to Rheumatology. She ended up phoning Vascular and they told me to come in the next day. They took more bloods which were fine and did some strength tests etc. They've arranged for me to have an ultrasound tomorrow. The artery has gone back down again. Would I get results tomorrow? If that shows nothing would anyone know what would happen next?

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Do you have any other symptoms?

It doesn’t sound typically GCA/TA, [but never say never] and just because the bloods are okay that doesn’t necessarily prove it isn’t.

As blood pressure is high, do you have headaches?

Hopefully the ultrasound will give some answers, hope so.. and please let us know.

[AllieOcean in reply to DorsetLady]

Thank you for your reply. No, no other symptoms. I was exhausted for a couple of weeks a few weeks ago, struggling to stay awake by mid afternoon but I put that down to a bad batch of HRT patches. New batch now and a bit better, am tired but my sleep is quite poor since menopause.

[AtopicGuy in reply to AllieOcean]

According to the link below, the oestrogen (estrogen) in HRT causes blood vessels to widen in such a way that it reduces blood pressure:

"Estrogen helps to keep your blood pressure down because it has a vasodilative effect, meaning it allows your blood vessels to widen so that blood can flow more easily."

It is normal to feel some pulse in arteries. It is the soundwave (pressure wave) of the heart beating travelling through the blood.

bloodpressureuk.org/news/ne...

[PMRpro Ambassador]

"they came back negative for TA"

There are NO blood tests that are conclusive for GCA - and even normal level inflammatory markers don't mean you don't have GCA.

What you are describing really isn't the sort of thing any doctor would recognise as GCA. However, you mention the artery in your forehead was pulsating - you mean you could see the pulse beating in it, in time with your heart? That is usually a sign that the artery isn't affected by GCA since if it is the wall thickens and the blood flow is slowed down.

The ultrasound may shed some light on things - do tell us what they say,

[AllieOcean in reply to PMRpro]

I will, thank you

[Blearyeyed]

I think Vascular was probably the right direction to go here.They will be likely to use the ultrasound and examinations to help rule out GCA .

But they could also help them prove if it's another vascular issue causing the temple pain.

Vascular migraine can occur with rapid episodes of hypertension.

They will look to rule out other types of vasculitis too.

Basically the results come back very soon but not necessarily on the day , unless you have a follow up arranged for straight after the appointment.

If it's something simple they will contact your GP to sort out what you need as soon as possible.

If they think it could be Migraine but not related to blood pressure they would refer you over to Neurology for more advice.

Whatever they do they will be a good option to rule out anything causing this .

Good luck, Bee