From: dauphin@adobe.com (Kimberly Dauphin)
Subject: How Serious is High Blood Pressure? 
Organization: Adobe Systems Incorporated
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 23:19:21 GMT

My SO and I belong to a health club.  He is 26, in good health, and
very athletic.  He used to be an avid bicyclist and plays hard 
racquetball a few times a week.

Last night he signed up for a weight training appointment at the
club.  You know, where they do all the medical tests, and then
flexibility and aerobic tests to see where you fall in the
"charts" and then design a weight program to fit your personal
profile.

Well, the trainer stopped the tests after he took my SO's blood 
pressure.  He said it was too high (I seem to remember something
like 130 over 110 - does that sound reasonable for a high blood
pressure reading?).  He won't continue the weight training until
my SO gets a release from his doctor saying it's okay for him to
lift weights and do the stairmaster, etc.

The problem is that my SO refuses to go the doctor.  He says he
just needs to get "back in shape" by biking to work every day
(which he used to do a couple of years ago), and that the doctor
will just prescribe medicine which he doesn't like taking.  He is
willing to give up enjoying an entire portion of our health club
(that he was looking forward to using!) because he won't go get
the release from his doctor.

(By the way, he had to get a physical a year ago, and the doctor
then found high blood pressure, and put him on medication that my
SO took for a few weeks and then stopped.)

I disagree with my SO strongly on this.  I think he should see
the doctor, explain what he wants to do, and see if his blood 
pressure problem is mild enough to make that kind of activity
okay, or severe enough to warrant medication/other tests.

The problem is that I am not a medical expert and my SO scoffs
at my urging him to go the doctor. (He actually gets angry.)
It took 2 years and huge fights before he would even go to the
dentist.  He also is choosing to go through life with a sinus
problem, and unable to breathe through his nose, rather than
get it checked out and possibly fixed.

Questions for the net.experts:
1. What can you tell me about high blood pressure that will
convince us both that seeing the doctor is the right thing
to do, and that not doing so could be dangerous?

2. What are the possibly health dangers associated with extremely
heavy exercise and very high blood pressure? Does my SO's heavy 
bicycling and racquetball regime pose any dangers for him?

3. Has anybody else dealt with a spouse/significant other who
refused to get medical attention?  How did you deal with it?
I love this guy madly, but am infuriated at the thought he could
drop dead :-(, and, at the very least, continue to go through life
not being able to breathe properly, simply because he doesn't
like doctors.

4. Any other advice you can give would be helpful.  Please send
email to dauphin@mv.us.adobe.com, or post if you think it's
useful info for the net.

Thanks!
=Kimberly=
dauphin@mv.us.adobe.com
-- 
__________________________________________________________
Kimberly Dauphin	  	Adobe Systems Incorporated
dauphin@mv.us.adobe.com	  	Mountain View, CA
*********All these opinions are mine, not Adobe's.********
Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative,sci.med.nutrition