[MRM]

Whoa there. Those are bad numbers but nothing that can't be changed. I strongly disagree with the honorable gentleman from California about meds. Not taking meds your doctor suggests is the worst advice you can follow. I have an unfortunate and well researched involvement with this issue. My father died of a stroke at age 60 with blood pressure just north of yours. He was in excellent shape, did not smoke, and was his ideal weight. His only risk factor was high blood pressure.

Except this was ten years ago and he had an older doctor. He went in for his yearly physical about two months before he died. My mother went with him. The doc looked at his numbers, which by the old standards were considered borderline high blood pressure. The doc offered meds, to which my former mother reportedly threw a fit and said my father didn't need meds and would take care of it himself. By the old standards this was an acceptable response and the doc didn't think anything more of it. I still have the blood pressure card the doc filled out for my dad.

Two months later he had a massive hemoragic stroke and died without waking up again. The docs told us the only risk factors he had were that he was male (gets you a plus one) and his BP. When we told the cardiac docs what his BP was they just shook their heads. Turns out that every point above about 120 is a risk factor and when you get consistently above 130 you need to be on meds because the strain put on your cardiac system that increases your risk of stroke expodentially, regardless of weight, physical condition, etc. Diet and exercise can bring the numbers down, but usually that's not enough.

I always had similar numbers to my dad. As I went through my 20s my BP was in the mid 120s over 75-80, in my early 30s it was steadilly above 130 and touching 140. I was 6'4" and about 185. The doc sat me down and had a talk with me. Under todays' guidelines, anything over 130 is considered at least the risk that people though 150 was 10 years ago. The statistics on it are frightening. The doc put me on a half tablet of Maxide once a day. It has a slight diaretic effect, but otherwise no side effects. I went down from 140 to 120 over a reliable 75. The risk level between those two numbers is astonishing.

The important thing to remember, which my doctor drummed into me, is that a person with high blood pressure can expect to have a stroke some day, but that a person who naturally has high BP that is controlled with medicine is as healthy as someone without high blood pressure. Every year you live with high blood pressure increases your risk. Every year your blood pressure is controlled reduces the risk factor. The earlier you get on a medicine the easier it is to control the blood pressure, and the less likely it is that you'll need more invasive medicine in the future. As I said, I started taking Maxide when I was in my early 30s. I'm in my early 40s and have been controlled perfectly. I could last another ten years on a half tab of Maxide before I need anything stronger. And my risk factor is less than when I was 30.

Go to your regular doc, ask for a referral to a cardiologist, and follow whatever he says. Tens of thousands of men die every year with blood pressure numbers that used to be considered pre-hypertension. A doc told me that it's like 2 jumbo jets crashing every day, and the cause is treatable. You'll never be cured. You'll have to take something the rest of your life. But you'll live with your blood pressure under control and will never notice the difference. Check out the American Hear Association web site for some sobering statistics.

Diet, excercise and