After a stroke, it is common to cry at incidents which formerly would have had a minimal emotional effect. Similarly, after a stroke, laughter can act in the same way, becoming excessive at times.
I recently experienced something I think is related to this after stroke phenomenon.
I visited my cardiologist yesterday and got my blood pressure checked. It was terribly high – 210/110. I had taken it at home the night before and it was normal – 112/70. As a matter of fact, over the preceeding month (taken 8 times), it averaged 115/69). On a previous visit to my doctor(about a year ago), the same thing happened, excessively high bp. On this occaison, the doctor admitted me to the hospital due to his concern over my bp. Three days later I was discharged after undergoing various tests (which revealed no abnormality).
I think these two incidents were the result of White Coat Syndrome (WCS) which, although not uncommon, was exascerbated due to the stroke in a manner similar to the (emtional)crying and excessive laughter.
Thinking back to earlier (post stroke)doctor visits, the doctor was always concerned with my bp and prescribed various medications(some of which resulted in anaphylactic reactions – which are common in some people).
I think the lesson to be learned from this, is to view bp measurements taken at your doctor’s office with a critical eye. Otherwise, you may get prescribed unnecessary medication. Of course, the bp prescription might still be necessary if there are too many incidents throughout the normal day with anxiety induced high bp.