Hypertension
Pat Nicholson
I have had high blood pressure (Hypertension) now for just over 8 years, but have still passed my medicals and been able to continue to drive HGV’s for a living. It has always been closely monitored by my Doctor and varies from test to test, there doesn’t really seem to be a pattern to it at all. I’m currently on two types of tablets(both one a day) and one of them is a Beta Blocker. Now in the news last week it’s been said that patients on Beta Blockers will have their medication changed at their next check, so we’ll have to see what happens then. On two occasions it has risen quite a bit and I have been given a portable blood pressure machine to check my own blood pressure every day( for a week) as soon as I park up at night at the end of a days work.The odd thing about this is that on both occasions the stressful 15 hour days gave me a good reading while the laid back 12 hour days gave a bad one!
It’s also a little disconcerting for the drivers parked either side of you when they see you take out your tacho chart and attach a blood pressure machine cuff to your upper arm with the unit balanced on the steering wheel. Exercise and diet will help but as many other drivers working maximum legal hours each week, I really cannot find any time to exercise. I do smoke as well and of course that won’t help either. I will keep this updated on the change from Beta Blockers and the affect the new medication has but I would be happy for anyone to contact me by email if they would like to discuss this further in private.
Alan Dale
Firstly I failed the medical when I decided to get my HGV and PSV entitlements back, so in effect all I have lost is the return of a licence, not earnings, although I did have some work lined up.
On attending my medical I was, I felt, in reasonably good health, a little over weight yes, but I was not expecting any problems and like many, I’m sure, I had complained about the price my doctor was charging for the medical (£88.00 for half hours work!!!!)
I had thought about phoning around, something I am now so relieved I did not do as I found myself in the fortunate situation of being able to organise for my treatment to start there and then. This simply involved my blood pressure being monitored once a week over a three week period by the practice nurse, for as the doctor said, one swallow does not make a summer and one high reading does not mean you suffer from high blood pressure, sadly it seems I do.
I am now two weeks past that last monitoring appointment, I am on medication and have been asked to go for a blood test to check for diabetes and/or cholesterol problems, both of which can be a problem with high blood pressure, so there could be more unknown problems to come (Oh joy).
I have just spent a week on Perindopril, (Coversyl), which I think it would be fair to say did not agree with me and today I was given a prescription for Ramipril, both of which are ACE Inhibitors.
The pharmacist tells me the problems I had with Coversyl were “not at all typical” of ACE inhibitors, she also said I should be taking them at night not in the morning as per doctor’s instructions, so I’m hoping the change of prescription and the time of day I take it will make life a little happier.
Professional Drivers Association
Raising Standards
British Hypertension Society
The British Hypertension Society provides a medical and scientific research forum to enable sharing of cutting edge research in order to understand the origin of high blood pressure and improve its treatment. An annual scientific meeting is held every September at a University Campus in the UK and Ireland......more
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