High blood pressure is what is called a "silent killer". Most people don't have symptoms, it just gets picked up randomly by a physician doing a routine examination.
Blood pressure measurements are actually two measurements in one: the top number is called the systolic blood pressure which is the pressure exerted on your blood vessels when the heart is working; the bottom number is called the diastolic blood pressure which is the measurement of the pressure in your blood vessels when the heart is at rest. The diastolic number is the one that is most concerning to me - it tells me that your blood vessels are under excessive stress when your heart is at rest.
Are you also diabetic? If you are, then there's even more cause for concern. High blood sugars in concert with high blood pressure are both risk factors for hardening of the arteries, heart disease (including heart attacks) and stroke. If you also have a lipid profile that has your doctor concerned, well, that's a perfect storm waiting to happen.
If you are on medications to control your blood pressure, don't stop taking them without first consulting with your doctor. If there are other health concerns that are contributing to high blood pressure, try working on those too. If you need to exercise, get a good pair of walking shoes and start walking. If 30 minutes a day is too much, try 10 minutes to start, then increase by a couple of minutes each day. A good website is www.mapmywalk.com where you can keep track of your walks and measure your progress over time. If you have a smart phone, they have an app as well that allows you to record your walk as you go, and maps it out via GPS. If you can do this a few times a week, you should notice an improvement in your blood pressure within a month or so.
If you need to modify your diet and lose some weight, start by watching portion sizes. The Dukan Diet, by Dr. Pierre Dukan, is a good place to start - it emphasizes lean protein and plenty of fresh vegetables. It starts with a 7-day "attack" phase consisting of "pure protein", followed by a "cruise" phase that allows proteins plus fresh veggies, then a third "transition" phase, and finally a "stabilization" phase. Dukan claims that his way of eating is the reason why French people are rarely overweight.
If you have diabetes, monitor your blood sugars. Purchase a test kit and have the pharmacist show you how to use it. (Get your doctor to write a prescription for the monitor and test strips so you can be reimbursed by your insurance provider.) You can also purchase a blood pressure cuff for home use. Keep track of your numbers, either manually in a log book or with one of the apps available for smart phones. I like Diabetes App because you can track blood pressure, blood sugars and weight with one application. It also allows you to look at graphs of your numbers over time and you can email your numbers to yourself or to your doctor. As with blood pressure, blood sugar numbers will improve with exercise and improved diet.
Good luck. Let us know how things go.