By Isle of Wight Observer
High blood pressure? Don’t ignore it. This was the stark warning from IW Councillor and Cowes Mayor, John Nicholson, following our sit down this week.
John, 67, from Northwood, was first diagnosed with high blood pressure 40-odd years ago, which he put down to the stress of running his own building company, which he still does today.
Although he says he has always been fit and goes to the gym as well as eating a healthy diet, he wasn’t expecting the repercussions which he now has to deal with.
John is happy to talk about his illness, as he undergoes kidney dialysis and, hopefully, waits for a transplant at some point. But he emphasises that his problem could happen to anyone who ignores his cautionary advice.
John said: “The high blood pressure generates hormones and hypertension, but it had never really been an issue for me.
“I visited various doctors’ surgeries over the years, and the main problem was when I started to have gout-like symptoms in my legs around 30 years ago.
“None of the doctors could work out what was wrong, and it was only when I was seen by a locum that I was told it could be to do with my kidney function. I had tests and was told the kidney was damaged and, unfortunately, that’s an organ in the body which can’t regenerate itself.
“Over the years, I was put on various medicines to control the problem, but it has exacerbated and got to the stage where my kidney was not filtering my blood and I had to face the reality of dialysis.
“The symptoms felt was like there was black pepper in my blood and I had a feeling under the skin on my arms and legs which was hot and itchy.
“So, to cut a long story short, I now have a tube inserted in my abdomen which is kept in place by a belt strapped across my body.
“It is connected to a machine which inserts a two-kilogramme glucose solution into my system over an eight-hour period which filters the blood through osmosis. But, I have had problems with it following a blockage, so now, I am having manual dialysis training to connect me to a machine.”
John accepts the seriousness of his condition but says that even if one person heeds his words reading this article, then by speaking out about it, his warning will have been a help.
He is also chairman of the Island’s Campaign for Real Ale, a hobby close to his heart. He finished by saying: “I’m still able to have a little drink. The doctors don’t encourage it, but the liquid intake is good for me! But the days of a few drinks are long gone now.
“If someone had told me all those years ago about how high blood pressure could affect the kidneys and that the damage is irreversible, I would have done something about it. I see this as my opportunity to help someone else.”