Woman has a cardiac episode at Texas Roadhouse and pulls out her blood pressure cuff. Then she was asked, ‘What is wrong with you?’

A woman said she was left in tears after a stranger questioned her for using a blood pressure cuff at a Texas Roadhouse restaurant. Madii Vogel shared the story in a TikTok video, saying she experienced what she described as a cardiac episode while having lunch with her boyfriend. She said the incident happened while the couple sat at the restaurant’s bar, surrounded by about 15 other guests.

Vogel said in her TikTok video that she has heart disease and dysautonomia, two conditions she said can cause her to faint. According to her account, roughly 45 minutes into the meal, her heart rate rose into the 130s for no clear reason, and she said she could sense her blood pressure was dropping.

Vogel said she then used a wrist blood pressure cuff to check her levels before putting it away. About 30 seconds later, she said an older woman approached her and asked, “What is wrong with you? Why are you using a blood pressure cuff?”

Boyfriend responded before the woman continued asking questions

Vogel said her boyfriend answered the woman first, telling her, “Oh yeah, she has like a chronic heart this happens sometimes, she’s okay.” Vogel said she assumed at that point that the woman had approached them out of concern, something she said has happened to her before in public settings.

However, Vogel said the woman did not stop there. She said the woman continued asking questions about her medical condition, including how she developed it, how serious it is, and other details Vogel described as inappropriate to ask a stranger during a meal. Vogel said the woman’s tone throughout the exchange was “incredibly brash and rude.” Apparently, this example of alleged ill-mannered behavior isn’t the only one as other people with chronic conditions have also described strangers prying into their private health issues in public settings.

Vogel said she has severe social anxiety, and described the situation as a “nightmare scenario” given that her heart rate was already elevated and she was starting to feel unwell. She said the woman’s questions, combined with her own physical state, made the moment especially difficult for her.

According to Vogel, the interaction ultimately made her cry, which she attributed to embarrassment. She said she is still relatively new to living with a medical disability and to using medical equipment in public settings. She said moments like this one are, in her words, “without a doubt, every single time it happens, incredibly embarrassing.”

Vogel said that in most cases, when people notice her feeling faint in public, they respond with concern or offer help, such as bringing her water. She said this encounter was different, describing the woman’s behavior as invasive and said she asked “a million different questions in the rudest way possible.” Other cases have shown how a medical episode can lead to unexpected trouble with authorities as well.

Vogel said that once the woman noticed the couple appeared uncomfortable, she apologized and attributed her behavior to simply being “nosy.” Vogel said she found the exchange upsetting overall, saying, “It was rude. It was just rude and it made me cry.”

Vogel shared the video along with several hashtags related to chronic illness, including #chronicillnessawareness, #chronicillness, #invisibleillness, #heartdisease and #invisibledisabilities. In her caption, she wrote, “anyways! maybe don’t ask people questions about their medical equipment in public lol.”

The video shows Vogel, who has blonde hair tied in a ponytail, sitting in a room and speaking directly to the camera while holding a tumbler. On-screen text in the video reads, “lady made me cry over using a blood pressure cuff in texas roadhouse.”

Reactions to Vogel’s video included a mix of pushback and support in the comments section. One commenter wrote, “I don’t know why you would be embarrassed nobody would look at you and laugh.” Vogel replied to that comment, writing, “Incredibly entitled of you to think that. People will in fact look and laugh.” Another user responded to the same thread, saying, “they literally laugh at anything they seem the slightest bit not normal.”

Other commenters shared their own experiences with medical conditions in public. One wrote, “I have a medically and intellectually disabled 3 year old and I’ve begun just being very short when people ask questions and avoid eye contact so they can tell I’m not open to discussion. Its not our job to educate ppl and they aren’t entitled to your heath information when you’re trying to enjoy being out.”

Another commenter defended Vogel’s response to the situation, writing, “People of all ages have medical conditions. You responded correctly for your needs. You acted fast & checked. You did things right! This lady is wrong. Next time asked ‘Are you a Cardiologist?’ No? Then its none of your business! or ‘I don’t share my PRIVATE medical information with strangers!’ I understand strangers being worried & trying to help because we all need support in emergencies. This is not that.”

This story is solely based on Madii Vogel’s TikTok video, and the identity of the alleged woman in question is not known nor has she publicly commented on the video.