I am dealing with sudden onset hypertension. I was fine in January and about a month ago my dentist took my bp before an exam and it was 158/98. I thought it was a one time thing. I went to my cardiologist and his partner wanted me to take diovan hct (thank goodness i researched it as it has sulfa in it and I'm allergic to it). I refused to take it, and I wound up in the ER from stress of worrying about the bp. It got as high as 175/98, and they wanted me to take straight diovan. My face was flushing,and I kept insisting I thought it might be something else causing the problem. They ran a basic blood test and nothing showed up. I went back to my cardio, and he ordered a 24 hr bp monitor. It came back with what they thought was mild hypertension with %'s of readings in the 130's, some 120's and 150's, maybe 1 160 and a lot of diastolic numbers between high 80's and 90's. My omron 790 always gave higher numbers (always diastolic between 94-113). it has been frightening to say the least. I pushed for more blood work and more tests. I was also concerned because when I stood my bp was always lower and i do a lot of standing and walking around. it is when i sit that the numbers skyrocket of late. When I exercise, my numbers drop down to 119 - 126 and my diastolic to the 70-80's but hours later it rises again. I found out after having a renal sonogram, that a blocked artery to my left kidney showed up. They wanted me to start on low dose norvasc until i could see the vascular surgeon. I prayed a lot! I lost 13lbs in 10 days and have been eating super healthy and walking. The vascular surgeon said he was perplexed because my aldosterone was up but not my renin, and although he was the one who read the sonogram, none of it made sense to him since the blockage was not where it typically is for renal artery stenosis. He ordered an MRi with gadolinium (I'm scared of that even though supposedly you can't have a reaction to it; I am allergic to cat scan dyes which is another medium - however the radiologist and Bayer who makes the drug said there is always a possibility of an anaphylactic reaction - gee thanks). Now I've been taking my bp like the monitor did - sometimes sitting and sometimes standing. When I sit, I do get some regular readings in 130's, 120's, 140's depending on whether it's after exercise or not. But it always rises at night - 150's 160's and tonight 178, 185 over 107-113 (my diastolic numbers seem to be off on this machine), but when I stand - and i've done it 3-5x - it goes down to 119-124 - what is going on?

And what if I was on bp meds? how would it adjust when i stood up? I'm so scared of a stroke, but i'm also afraid that because my bp fluctuations are so drastic, that I might pass out - I drive up to 3.5-4 hrs a day once school starts. I am going to talk to the cardio but they also want to see what story the mri tells...either way there is something terribly wrong with my bp.

Anyone ever experience this? I'm very concerned.
Many thanks.