“FORGET the macho-man business,” Joe Miller says as he gets to the heart of a staggering problem for blokes his age.
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Mr Miller, 61, had a stroke about this time last year.
It wasn’t his first, he had three previous strokes, as well as a heart attack.
He was having a pie at the Northgate shopping centre in Tamworth, when suddenly lifting his smoko snack to his mouth became a challenging task.
He was lucky to see a colleague from the hospital at the shopping centre and got to help in those crucial early minutes when a stroke happens.
Mr Miller is “still here on top on the ground” and has a stark message for any other blokes who may be ignoring the signs.
“Forget the macho-man business, because it doesn’t get you anywhere,” he told The Leader.
“It only gets you where I got, on death’s door. Go and have a check-up.”
Not just a men’s issue
Mr Miller had high blood pressure for 30 years but didn’t realise the consequences of not dealing with it.
Since his last stroke, Mr Miller has kicked a lifelong smoking habit, taken to walking regularly and credits friends with helping him manage stress better and keeping committed.
Sunday marked the start of “Heart Week” and this year the Heart Foundation is putting the spotlight on untreated hypertension.
According to the foundation, 31 per cent of New England North West adults are hypertensive, but 40 per cent those are not taking medication.
“High blood pressure is one of the main risk factors for heart disease, stroke and dementia and you can be suffering from high blood pressure without any warning signs,” foundation spokesperson Penny Milson said.
In a bid to tackle hypertension ignorance, the Barton Lane Practice will focus on the issue.
“The good news is if you have high blood pressure you can bring your numbers down,” Dr John Pearson said.
“For the month of May, we will be asking all our patients to take a serious look at their heart health and take active steps to reduce their risk”