AUTONOMIC DYSREFLEXIA

You may experience sudden sweating above the level of injury, accompanied by a sudden pounding headache or rapid heartbeat and feelings of panic. The autonomic nervous system controls things you don't have to think about, like heart rate, breathing, and digestion. Autonomic Dysreflexia indicates over-activity of that system. It means something is occurring in the body which would cause pain if we had normal sensation. This results in a rise in blood pressure. Since the brain is not able to send messages below the level of injury, blood pressure cannot be regulated. 

Autonomic Dysreflexia (AD) is a potentially life-threatening medical emergency, but if you show up in the ER, odds are they aren’t going to know what you’re talking about. Though AD affects people with spinal cord injuries from the T6 level on up, it still isn’t common enough for hospital staff to all be familiar with it. So when I come in panicking about something being wrong but I don’t know what, they look at me like I’m crazy. That’s when I ask them to pull the laminated card from my wallet, explaining AD.

When AD is triggered, sit up or raise the head to 90 degrees and lower your legs if possible. Then you need to fix the underlying issue. 

 
If you are experiencing symptoms like a sudden pounding headache, sweating of the face neck and shoulders, rapid heartbeat, and feelings of panic, start by looking for your most common causes. These include a blocked catheter hose, constipation, and tight clothing.

“I have dealt with A.D. many times through the years. Usually, it is triggered by a clogged catheter, impacted bowel, or by sitting too long in my wheelchair on a red pressure point. Depending on the severity of the problem, my A.D. symptoms range from clammy sweats, accelerated heart rate, and piercing headache. So far, I’ve always managed to make it stop by alleviating whatever is causing the problem.” Tiffany, C5-6

 “A.D is scary. It can feel like a panic attack! The first time it happened my catheter was clogged. I had an unbearable headache and felt disoriented. I also get goosebumps and my face gets really flushed any time I get AD. Once it was so bad I got so light-headed I fainted. We had found the problem but couldn’t correct it quickly enough. Don’t let constipation become an AD emergency!” Sandy, C3-4

Some quadriplegics use nitro paste to bring blood pressure down when systolic blood pressure continues to be at or above 150 mmHg.