# High blood presure



## G-man1 (Mar 28, 2016)

Hi everybody 
I'm living in NZ almost 5 years now 
I've bought a house and just recently I got married to a lovely kiwi. 
I'm currently on a paternership visa and am due to make an application for residency 
My problem is I recently had to do a medical for heavy vehicle licence and the doctor told me I had borderline high blood presure 
That has me worried now and am wondering will I be refused residency or will I be ok ? 
Gary


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

G-man1 said:


> Hi everybody
> I'm living in NZ almost 5 years now
> I've bought a house and just recently I got married to a lovely kiwi.
> I'm currently on a paternership visa and am due to make an application for residency
> ...


Nah you'll be fine. I had the same and ended up on medication for it even though it was borderline. 
Blood pressure meds are cheap as chips and prognosis whilst taking the meds is very good so no real risk of you costing the nz health system that much unless you have some other underlying condition. 
My medical wasn't even referred so it wasn't even questioned. 
I did have to change meds after my uk supply started to run out as the one I was on wasn't available here but easily found an alternative. Luckily after a change in diet and a bit more exercise meant I didn't need it and haven't taken any meds for a few years now.


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## G-man1 (Mar 28, 2016)

That sounds promising 
I've joined a gym and started working out and trying to eat healthy aswell 
Any particular diet you did?


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

G-man1 said:


> That sounds promising
> I've joined a gym and started working out and trying to eat healthy as well
> Any particular diet you did?


Nothing major. Just cut down on a lot of the snacking like biscuits and crisps etc in between meals plus try and place smaller portions on the table instead of being a typical bloke with a mountain of food at each meal. Give up beer if you drink it. Yeah man it's hard as there's nowt better than a cold beer after work but cut it out for a few months and it'll make a massive difference. If you have to have a drink choose something else like red wine or vodka 

I work nights regularly and one thing that keeps you awake is food so it's a difficult one as if you don't eat your body just goes slower as it naturally wants to sleep. I just changed the snacky stuff for healthier options and cut down on the coffee and tea. Drink a lot more water. 

What is very very good for the high BP is losing weight and daily exercise. I too joined a gym, lost a good handful of KG's - only around 5 or 6 as not massively overweight but kept up with a daily routine of doing something every day with one day off. Was boring as hell being part of the lycra gym bunnies so ditched that when we got here. The country is so beautiful I just had to get out and do my exercise out in the wilderness of NZ. I golf, cycle, swim and walk regular (but still not as much as I should) plus hike a bit as there's mountains surrounding us in Tauranga. 
The exercise doesn't have to be much or for a long time. So long as you get the heart rate up and sweat like a pig for at least half hour a day that'll be enough.


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