What the Air Force people did, was to take me back to a room down the hall, and they told me to take a nap, and they they would check the blood pressure when I woke up. After the nap, they took the blood pressure again, and this time it was low enough to be admitted.

High blood pressure has been a life-long problem for me. So much so, that I have never been able to give blood. I've had a history of suffering from headaches, high blood pressure and nose bleeds. And, I know where it all started. When I was eleven years old, me and my family went to a picnic, sponsored by the company where my father worked. And, it was here, when I had an accident to my neck and upper spine, that was never fixed. My evil and wicked father had good health insurance with General Electric, but he never took me to get a check-up after the injury, despite pleading with him! I wrote this article on February 11, 2008, however, this story goes back over 40 years, and there is so much I can write about in a short article. I have to be brief, and relate a summury and just touch on the highlights and low-lights.

A book can be written on all of this, etc. One Saturday, I was working around the house, and I noticed I was getting a cold, and I had flu-like symptoms for the past couple of days. I didn't want to get the flu (or worse), so I went down to the clinic to get it checked out. When the doctor saw my blood pressure, he asked me, "Boy, did you run down here...your blood pressure is way too high!" A normal blood pressure is about 120/80, and mine that morning was 180/120!

The doctor raised the red flag right away and pushed the panic button, and told me we had to do something about it right away, before I had a heart attack! He wrote out a prescription for me, and told me to come back the next day (Sunday) and he would be in the office from 1-5. With this...the battle was on!

This incident happened in the early 1900's, when veteran's could get care at the VA, only if it was service-connected. This was also about the time, I was laid off from a job, and my HMO went with it. After the rules were changed at the VA, I could now go the VA for treatment.

It didn't matter where my blood pressure was taken...every nurse or doctor would raise the red flag, because I would light up the screen! For the next five years, I went to the VA Medical Center, twice a month to have my blood pressure checked. I also bought one of those little machines and took my blood pressure at home.

During all this time, I kept records, on what was going on, and after five years, we went through ten different medications...and still we had no luck in lowering the blood pressure. When the dosage was increased, side-effects came into the picture, and we would have to start all over again. Needless to say, it was a very frustrating time for me!

After five years of record-keeping, the numbers were terrible for me, and I took medication all during this time. The average blood pressure for this entire time, was 167/107, and I never got under 100 on the lower number without medication! Five years is a long time to do anything, and some disturbing thoughts began to enter my mind.

All of us have to place great trust in our doctors and medical people, that they do the right thing. I was beginning to think that there COULD be some guinea-pigging and/or experimentation going on here at the VA. This was making me quite nervous! If there is ever expermentation going on, what better place than the VA for veterans, or the county hospital for the poor! How could I do this for over five and still no results? I was caught between a rock and a hard place! What to do?

Remember the accident I had to the neck and upper spine at the picnic? I decided to quit the VA and go back to my chiropractor, to see if he could help me. I think one of the best qualities a person can have, is to have an open mind to change for the better. My father would never make a good candidate for chiropractic, because my father wanted to pop a magic pill...and expect to be the six million dollar man in the morning!

Throughout my life, I had suffered from the crippling migrane headaches and nose-bleeds and the high blood pressure. In the mid-1970's, I decided to try chiropractic, because I was so desperate! To make a long story short, it took many years of treatment, but I have probably visited a chiroparctor over 125 times in over 30 years on my wellness plan. My successes in chiropractic are as follows;

I haven't had a cold/flu since 1992; no more migraine headaches; nose bleeds are seldom; high blood pressure has been reduced by 20 points; no more allergies or sinus problems; no more ugly cold sores on the lips; sleep better, etc. It all makes sense to me, as the spinal cord is our super highway, and anytime there are bumps and bruises, treatment should start on the spinal cord.

People are tired of popping pills and surgery without results. Ever wonder why there is a chiropractic office on just about every corner? There are no durgs in chiropractic, and the body is manipulated to heal itself and it takes time and patience. If you don't have the patience...this is not for you. I don't remember the year, but I think it was the mid-1990's, and I was terrified, as I got a small stroke!

One morning, I began to stutter...and stutter and stutter some more! What's going on here? I was having trouble pronouncing my name; where I lived; my phone number...I was in shock! What is happening to me? I immediately left the house to take a walk, and I kept talking to myself and trying to make sense of what was happening to me! All along the way...

I kept talking to myself, and repeating easy words that just wouldn't come out right! I known a couple of people who stutter, and they probably have gone through hell, in this hateful and evil society of getting teased and put-down! It was an awful thought, but now I could probably join them! I continued to walk around the park and I screamed out words...and none of them came out right!

It didn't take long to sink into a depressive state! I was now looking through glassy-eyes...and my whole world was coming apart! Nobody will ever understand me! After about 20 minutes in the park, my regular speech began to return...I could now say normal words...that were understandable!

Needless to say, this was one of the most terrifying experiences in my life! But, when my speech returned...I still had glassy-eyes...bue glassy-eyes of happiness! I was jumping for joy...I will never...ever forget this awful day! If I get a heart attack or stroke and die, that fine! But, I would hate to get a stroke and be a burden to someone and to society...or be a vegatable! How awful!

In 2006, I was having breathing problems, and was taken (ambulance) to the VA Medical Center. I was told I had a lot of fluid in my lungs, and I was admitted. I was told by my doctor that my heart was pumping at 18% and it should be pumping at 60% or higher! A pace-maker was implanted, and this was probably because of the damage done to the heart by having high-blood pressure most of my life.

If a person has high blood pressure, the heart works all the time, even during sleep and idle time. The VA has a program (voluntary), that is called the Tele-Health Buddy System, and it works over a wall telephone system. The small appliance resembles a small television set, with buttons in the front to answer questions. I've been on this program after the pace-maker was implanted, and it asks questions every day about blood pressure; heart rate; weight gain, etc.

I like it because when I have a problem, I can just call my coordinator at the VA, instead of going through all the bureacracy at the VA which may take centuries! I started jogging 15 miles a week back in 1986, because I thought it would reduce stress and help me with the blood pressure problems, headaches and nose bleeds...and it did.

And, that's one reason why I'm probably still alive today. And, in 2008, I still walk/jog 15 miles a week, "pump aluminum," and the pace-maker doesn't get in the way.

Everybody has their own priorities, and healthcare is my number one priority. How can a person have a quality of life, if they're sick all the time? I've never been a crusader for anything, and it's none of my business if a person wants to commit suicide one puff at a time; one pound at a time; one snort at a time; one drink at a time; or one heart attack at a time...it's none of my business!

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