Killian,
I am not a doctor but I think your chemist and nurse are closer to being right on the high blood pressure. Have you been to www.kcalist.org? There are a lot of informative posts on there about the various treatments and side effects. Also some on patient support and caregiver help.
My husband was diagnosed in Sept 2004 and has been fighting hard ever since. I understand your being anxious - I am the same way. And that is good because they need our help.
Wishing you the best.
Chris