Tyrell's story

When Tyrell's doctor told him he had high blood pressure, he was shocked.

"I thought, 'Hey, I'm a physical fitness trainer. I'm in great shape. How could I have high blood pressure?'"

He knew that both of his parents have high blood pressure. And one of his uncles recently had a stroke. But Tyrell had always been kind of a health nut. It just didn't seem possible that he could be sick.

"My doctor put me on two kinds of pills," the 35-year-old says. "And for a few months I was really good about taking them every day. But they made me a little tired, and I got tired of being tired."

Instead of going back to his doctor, Tyrell just stopped taking his pills. Then, a few months later, he was working at his fitness club when he heard sirens. An ambulance had been called because a club member had collapsed while lifting weights. Tyrell found out the next day that the club member had had a stroke, probably caused by high blood pressure.

"I learned that it doesn't matter how healthy you feel—if you have high blood pressure, you're sick and you'd better do something about it," Tyrell says. He went back to his doctor, who changed his prescription.

The new pills still made him a little tired. But this time, instead of not taking his pills, he went back to the doctor yet again. His new combination of blood pressure pills is working well—with no side effects.

"Now I often talk about high blood pressure with my clients," he says. "I tell them about my own high blood pressure—which always kind of surprises them—and let them know about the importance of taking those pills."

This story is based on information gathered from many people facing this health issue.

For more information, see the topic High Blood Pressure.