08/06/2025
đŻď¸ SHE THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A HEADACHE.
She came in quietly, holding one side of her head.
"Itâs been three days," she said. "Panado hasnât helped."
She didnât seem panicked.
Just tired.
Like many patients we see every day.
But something in me said: Check her blood pressure.
𩺠I did.
đ¸ 233/121 mmHg.
Not just high â dangerously high.
The kind of pressure that bursts blood vessels in the brain.
We referred her instantly.
But by the end of the day, she was gone.
Not from the headache.
From what the headache was trying to warn us about.
đWhat can we learn from this?
1. A headache is not always "just a headache."
Especially if it's one-sided, persistent, and resistant to medication.
It can be the brainâs alarm system screaming that something deeper is wrong.
2. High blood pressure rarely gives warning signs.
You can feel âokayâ at 200+.
But the inside of your body is under extreme strain.
3. Panado can treat pain â but not the cause.
Painkillers donât treat stroke risk, heart attack, or brain bleeds.
We must learn to ask: âWhatâs behind the pain?â
4. BP checks should be routine â not emergency-only.
Itâs fast. Painless. Free in most community pharmacies.
And it could literally save your life.
đ She was someoneâs mother, sister, friend.
And now sheâs a lesson we must all carry.
Please, let her death not be in vain.
Next time you or a loved one has an unusual, stubborn headache
Donât just take a painkiller. Take a BP reading.
đKnow your numbers.
đAsk questions.
đAct early.