It's time for me to get serious about my health.
I went to orientation today for a new truck driving job. I took my last physical in November of last year. My blood pressure was borderline high then. I think something like 138/80. But they let me go because technically it wasn't considered high yet.
I had to do a physical today and I was worried enough about my blood pressure that I checked it for free the other day at CVS. When I first sat down it was high...about 152 over 85. I rested for a bit and it was lower...about 144 over 80. Then I rested for a little longer and it was down to 134 over 75. I thought I would be okay as long as I didn't have to exert myself before they took the reading. I was wrong.
They checked it three times. 150 over 92, 152 over 94, and after I sat for a little while 142 over 88. Not thinking, I did have some caffeine early in the morning and that may have affected the readings, but I don't think it did that drastically.
So they won't certify me because of that. I still have the job, but they want me to go to the doctor and get checked out and probably get a blood pressure med. It will just push my start date back about a week.
But this is a real wake-up call. It's the first weight related illness that I've contracted. I have to lose some weight and keep it off.
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Allow me to bend your ear, metaphorically!
The 88--90 numbers are troubling, because those indicate the pressure in the heart between the beats. That tiny pause is when the heart itself gets its blood. If the numbers are too high, then the heart won't get enough blood.
A few pounds may well do it. You might need a medication. Either way, the numbers must come down.
I know you can do it!
Live well!
That should help. Good luck with your new job.
Best wishes to you.
J/K, bro. But do get it checked. Perhaps a simple med will help get it down initially. Might need to drop a few pounds, and take a look at that diet. If you're not mainlining coffee, that probably isn't a huge problem. Some conditioning excercises wouldn't hurt, either.
Best of luck!
Great that you're getting the new job and also that you will be getting medical care for the condition.
I have the opposite problem in that I tend to be too skinny and really should work on bulking up for both appearance and health. Though I've never had high BP. My doctors usually tell me they wish they had my BP. Which I take to mean that I'm probably doing something else wrong that is gonna kill me. 
