Under Pressure.

Thursday saw me getting a typhoid jab from the nurse for our holiday in Egypt - we go on Friday.  Whilst there, I asked if she could take my blood pressure.  I felt a little guilty asking, but the gauge was there on her desk just begging to be used.  The jabs were a non-event, didn't even feel them despite the needles being 2 feet long.

Anyway, blood pressure taken - 3 readings, one on the left, one on the right, then one on the left again.  Evidently this gives more accurate data.  She pondered a while before telling me the news - 150 over 90 which, I was informed was too high.  High!!  I was expecting too low, so it was a bit of a surprise.  All she could advise was to eat less salt.  Very useful.
I have to go back in a month to see if it was a one-off or not, then maybe borrow one of their machines to take regular readings over a week.

All in all, a little bit worrying.

She (or I) couldn't offer any explanation for the high reading.  It was OK 7 years ago according to my medical records.  I have a reasonable diet (in fact, very healthy since this training kicked in), have no known family history of heart issues, and my exercise regime is not small at the moment.
A quick read on the web (dangerous, I know) offers advise on how to reduce high blood pressure: Eat more fruit (I'm already on 2 apples a day minimum); take regular exercise with periods of high intensity (I definitely for qualify for that); eat less salt (I rarely add salt, and generally eat non-processed food).  So that's no flipping help!

That same evening we visited some friends of ours, and one of them being an ex-nurse took my blood pressure again.   ..and it was normal, or at least near normal, whatever that is.  Panic over.

However, I've since remembered that my uncle did suffer a heart attack 18 months ago, and he was a regular exerciser, so I probably do need to keep an eye on it.  I might invest in a machine to try and find out what circumstances drive it upwards.  He had a couple of stents fitted I think, so there's a chance I have similar - sounds like a bit of web educating required.