mal, sorry to hear about your blood pressure. i've had high blood pressure my whole adult life, but it's always been symptomless for me. work can be a real pain when they aren't understanding. when i was pregnant with my son, there were two of us in the office who were pregnant, and the other lady could do no wrong (miss as much work as she wanted, etc) and suddenly I was the worst employee they've ever had and i quit at the advice of my doctor (and psychiatrist, lol) due to stress in the first trimester.
fortunately, i now work for the state and i have a lot more job protection because I have passed probation.
Anyway, sorry to make that about me, lol. keep us informed as to what's going on. it sounds really scary!