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The original was posted on /r/tifu by /u/omnipresentrain on 2026-03-24 07:48:43+00:00.
Since I was a teenager, I've had these random episodes of sudden onset shortness of breath, palpitations, black spots pulsing in my vision, and pain in my chest, neck, and head. They weren't happening in response to anything, I could just be eating, walking around, or lying in bed.
The first few times I tried to bring this up to medical professionals, this was dismissed as just being anxious, and I was referred to mental health services and told I just needed to practice mindfulness. I convinced myself that I was fine and just needed to get a grip.
Then, at age 20, I had a stroke in my first year of university. Unfortunately, this was the day before my country went into the first COVID-19 lockdown, so once it was established that I wasn't immediately going to die, I was discharged and didn't have further investigations for over a year. Fortunately, university being online meant I didn't have to drop out, even if I did have to do most of my lab work from a wheelchair.
Fast forward to now, age 26, still having these episodes, and I finally have my own BP machine due to a recent diagnosis of diastolic hypertension. Episode starts right after a meal, so I lie down as usual, but this time, check my BP. 202/145. For context, 180/100 is classed as a hypertensive emergency requiring hospital management. The paramedics stabilise me in the ambulance, but my left eye is drooping, and I have significant left sided weakness, which thankfully does pass after a few hours.
Now, I'm taking actual medication instead of going through mindfulness exercises, though the cause is so far undetermined.
TL;DR: Believed doctors that paroxysmal hypertension was just anxiety, and spent the last decade of my life trying to deal with life-threatening medical episodes with mindfulness.