3 Positive Things Part 6

[Daniel E.]

Re: 3 Positive Things Part 5

1. It's nice exercising in the A/C. So will probably keep gym membership until winter.

2. Mulch on sale at Lowe's for Memorial Day.

3. Have over 20 trees on our property now. Planted half of those this week, so place should look great in a few years.

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[David Baxter PhD]

Re: 3 Positive Things Part 5

So there will be much munching on mulch by your chickens this summer?

 

[GaryQ]

Re: 3 Positive Things Part 5

1 - Saw Doc - Blood pressure very low again even after morning coffee and drive there. He had mentionedf it before but today told me I had no choice in the matter and was referring me to see some kind of generalized medical specialist on top of the ones I allready have. Yahoo more tests and annoying questions that honestly I can't remember 1/10 of the facts anymore. I said oh well at least I shouldn't have to worry about it for a year before he can see me. He says no I'm pushig for within the month. I didn't want to bust his bubble and crush his high hopes. But, good luck with that one off Dude!

2 - Had Burger and Poutine with bud at Harvey's

3 - Got to go and wash car before going for next medical appointment. Had windows all squeegeed nwhen I realized; crap I didn't raun a wax on it and it's been 2 years almost since I last washed it. Put another loonie in the jukebox baby :facepalm:

BonusTrying to stay positive here so it's a bonus wether it suck or not!)
Got ABI test done and saw vascular specialist. Which confirmed why it took 2 reading to do each test. After a mega cup of coffee before leaving this morning, the drive there, a large double double, a Pepsi, burger, poutine, drive across town, wash car go to hospital. Park and huff and puff hoping to catch my breath before the tech was ready to see me since I was 15 mins early. Nope 5 mins later he calls me in.

ABI Test = Ankle brachial index. The high blood pressure differential between the legs and arms after taking readings of both arms, legs and yes big toes. it's to see if the blockages in your legs are getting better or worse.

Results: Right Arm = 85. Left arm = 76 indexes were .79 and .95. I'm pretty sure the .95 was because of the extremely low blood pressure score to accurately measure and get real at 76 x .95 = 72/? it starts getting too low to get an accurate blood pressure reading in any extremity.

At first he though "Maybe you blew a valve?"
Then listened to my heart and lungs and took my blood presure reading again after shooting the poop and it was up to a whopping 90/60. He thinke me maybe had another silent heart attack, Explain the reduction in angina and the increase in fatigue weakness etc.

I go see my cardiologist on the 19th and doc again on 25th of June. It's a lot of work being a sick ole' man running to appointments and tests all the time. No more psychiatric drug trials though for now and hopefully forever. That's a really big bonus reasssurance. Specialist told me to try and to not take blood pressure pill (the clonidine helps for that anyway) and see if it helps a bit if it does and doesn't cause any problems try not take it the next day. If no issues and feel better keep going without it. I can imagine how that one will go down with my cadiologist if I do stop it completely when I tell him :rofl:

All that just to say I made it to the city and back home and that in spite of it all: I'm still friggen alive!

 

[GaryQ]

Re: 3 Positive Things Part 5

1 - too tired to read any posts

2 - too tired to respond to any posts (some people will be happy LOL)

3 - and too dang tired to apologize for 1 and 2 .

This is GaryQ signing off. Good night and sweet dreams

 

[forgetmenot]

Re: 3 Positive Things Part 5

Good night GaryQ sleep well you have had a very long day. Sweet dreams to you too.

 

[Daniel E.]

Re: 3 Positive Things Part 5

Free luxury from the car dealership:

1. Washed car.
2. Multi-page report of everything imperfect with 17-year-old vehicle.
3. Found out why it seems we need alignment -- ball joints need to be replaced.

 

[Daniel E.]

Re: 3 Positive Things Part 5

All that just to say I made it to the city and back home and that in spite of it all: I'm still friggen alive!

Did the doctor make any recommendations for self-care?

Imagine a world in which cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not the No. 1 cause of death decade after decade because self‐care is pushed to the top of the hierarchy of best practices to managing health. Now, imagine the more probable scenario in which a “perfect storm” of an aging population, increased numbers of individuals with multiple CVD risk factors, and increased prevalence of people with multiple chronic conditions, converge to create a healthcare crisis because self‐care has been ignored. The latter scenario is the reality we are facing as fragmented, episodic, acute care remains a major focus of the healthcare system, whereas primordial and primary disease prevention fostered by optimal self‐care receive far less attention.

Self‐Care for the Prevention and Management of Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke

 

[H011yHawkJ311yBean]

Re: 3 Positive Things Part 5

daughter doing well at volunteering wildlife sanctuary i support her by taking her there 4x a week and back it is therapy for her to be with animals
daughter been sober and drug free for a week now
i went to therapist appt. and a gp appt.

Hooray!!! Oh what great news!! After the ordeal she has (and you have) been through, that must make you feel so happy!


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[H011yHawkJ311yBean]

Re: 3 Positive Things Part 5

1 - too tired to read any posts

2 - too tired to respond to any posts (some people will be happy LOL)

3 - and too dang tired to apologize for 1 and 2 .

This is GaryQ signing off. Good night and sweet dreams

Hey, GaryQ, that’s okay, man! You had one heck of a busy day! Hope you are feeling decent today after
all of those blockage/blood pressure/heart issues!! [emoji53]


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[H011yHawkJ311yBean]

Re: 3 Positive Things Part 5

Free luxury from the car dealership:

1. Washed car.
2. Multi-page report of everything imperfect with 17-year-old vehicle.
3. Found out why it seems we need alignment -- ball joints need to be replaced.

Whaaaat??? Free car!?! Or just the luxury was free???


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[Daniel E.]

Re: 3 Positive Things Part 5

Whaaaat??? Free car!?! Or just the luxury was free???

No free car, but they had free pastries

 

[H011yHawkJ311yBean]

Re: 3 Positive Things Part 5

No free car, but they had free pastries

OMG! Free PASTRIES?!?! Could you have more than one?!?!?


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[GaryQ]

Re: 3 Positive Things Part 5

Pre-Post scriptum - got lost on another long winded post here so just skip it if you're not interested in understanding the difficult journey...

Did the doctor make any recommendations for self-care?

Thanks for the link. I had my 1st acute heart attack will be 18 years June 27. And my triple bypass was 17 years ago Last month. It's not like I'm new to the game. The self care check list is pretty much basic common sense and the same for healthy people for prevention. They know I know everything I need to know (and more) so no, they don't give me recommendations. They simply check on my status and progress or regression. My GP and my cardiologist have been on my team since 2005 and the outlook was not good then and after the 2 heart attacks in 2009 and 2010 they were convinced I would never make it this far. (Cardiologist actually finally honestly told me a year ago)

The main risk factors and my progression or regresssion:

1 - Stop smoking: That was literally unthinkable and impossible until my vascular specialist recommended I try vaping in 2015 and finally started trying it out Jan 2016. I'm finally almost there! Can go a few days when I'm not feeling good to some rare bad days like yesterday (13) since when I leave the house I smoke real cigarettes. lately I might have one or 2 a day when I'm not in bed all day. I actually told bud at lunch yesterday that I wanted a Birthday gift from him this year (September) One final last carton of tailor made cigarettes. Told him Not before then though or I'll probably smoke them instead of the tobacco I have left from last fall. Want my last run to be with a good smoke not crappy cheap rolled ones. Then when I light that final one, somewhere between fall and the new year, even if I smoke a whole pack in a row on the last day, that is my projected and hopefully will be the last one I ever smoke in my life. The timing is great because I'll be finished it somewhere after it starts getting really cold ouside reducing the desire to go freeze my tush off to have a smoke. That day though, I'll be going in my car and warming it up first to actually smoke without the wind having most of it. I have 2, 100gr tubs of tobacco and a bit left to keep me going as I progress to then and maybe a bit longer. The vaping equipment and e-juice recipes should finally be tweaked enough to take care of my nicotine addiction without too much frustration. Then I'll have to put some willpower into it to deal with the fact I actually love the feeling and nicotine rush a real cigarette gives that vaping can never replace. But that's something it's taken me over 3 years to slowly go down and down and down and will be close to 4 years when I get to that point. Sure I could try and push it and just do it now. But that could have a reverse negative effect. It's been a slow long and hard journey and I want to reach that final destination positively and so no need to rush after almost 45 years of smoking. Every other attempt using pharmaceutical options has always resulted in a reverse effect and a substantial increase rather than a decrease or a stop. Nothing ever worked. My cardiologist gave me a dirty and confused look at the time when I mentioned that I had started vaping but never said a word though. I guess he was uneducated about it at the time but now surprisingly is really happy and cool to the idea and especially that I'm actually finanly getting close to the finish line. None of my medical team ever thought this would be happen due to my extreme addiction. So they are all really surprised and excited about it.

2 - Weight: contrary to popular belief it's not body mass index that's the most dangerous weight risk for a heart attack it's abdominal fat. We call it the heart attack storage tank. I had (still have a bit) a propensity to have a pot even when I lose weight. My weight has gone down 16 lbs since my last weigh in and now it's once again I'm losing too much weight that is the problem. I'm 5'10" tall. I was at 160lbs yesterday with my clothes on and I'm guessing probably 35 lbs down from a couple years ago before I started losing weight and appetite inexplicably when I maintained around 185 to 195 on avereage for years. I had that bad spell a couple years ago when I went down to 155 when I started having the sever constipation issues. One of the main factors men gain a pot with age is lowering testosterone levels which increases cardiac risk factors as higher T levels reduce abdominal fat and also reduce cholesterol levels! That's another thing that my vascular specialist decided to test in 2011 to discover I had almost inexistant T-Levels increasing my risk factor exponetially with my previous history. Started getting injections in 2011. Lower cholesterol levels and reduced abdominal fat are the results.

3 - Exercise: That's one of my 2 biggest obstacles. Physical and psychological barriers make even walking an serious issue. I'm unable to get proper exercise. I have blockages in my legs as well as m my heart causing pain after a block or two. The kind that can make a grown man want to cry (literally). 2 or 3 summers ago I tried walking to my cardiologist appointment, 850 metres (almost exactly 1/2 mile for Daniel) to be precise. After 1 block my legs were in pain, after 2, I had to pause it was so intense that it was also causing angina. I forced myself and wanted to cry there and then back home. I was out of commission in bed for over 2 days after that. Then there's the important fact that a good portion of my heart muscle is literally dead. That's what the difference between angina and an actual heart attack is. During a heart attack depending on the severity and region of the blockage a small to significant part of the heart literally dies. It's called necrosis. This reduces cardio-vascular strength and endurance and what's dead is dead. Will not, can not, ever get better or stronger.

4 - Diet: That's another sad part my other physical and psychological problems (what came first the chicken or the egg) are causing loss of appetite on and off and so I'm losing weight now again (good and bad) and throwing out more fresh food than I'm eating so I get mad and stopped bothering buying vegetables and fruits and other healthy foods because I can't afford financially to literally throw money in the garbage constantly. My pharmacist actually gets my doc to prescribe my B12 and my multi-vitamins so that he can put them in my bubble packs so that I can at least get supplementation and take it regularly.

5 - Diabetes: Because my fasting glucose test put me just above that 7 marker I'm technically officially labeled as diabetic but it's under control without medication.

I take my meds as prescribed. Know exactly when I'm at the time to stop before I go too far and know how and when to take my nitro spray including 15 minutes before any exertion that could cause problems preventatively. I know how to monitor all the signs and although I would rather avoid the ensuing tests I have to go through I always inform my medical team of any change in my health.

My neuro-psychiatric problems are a big obstacle that seems hard to manage expecially executive (dis)funtion disorder wich makes being able to schedule and manage my daily routines with any consistency literally impossible along with the major depression that doesn't help at all.

BUT... I'm still alive

 

[H011yHawkJ311yBean]

Re: 3 Positive Things Part 5

Pre-Post scriptum - got lost on another long winded post here so just skip it if you're not interested in understanding the difficult journey...

Gary, if people can listen to my long-winded following-white-rabbits-down-rabbit-holes meanderings, they will be happy to listen to your more organized thoughts and concerns.

Dude, you’re quite the warrior. So much more than a worrier. Don’t roll your eyes at me.

1st acute heart attack will be 18 years June 27... triple bypass was 17 years ago Last month. It's not like I'm new to the game... They know I know everything I need to know (and more) so no, they don't give me recommendations... My GP and my cardiologist have been on my team since 2005... and the outlook was not good... 2 heart attacks in 2009 and 2010... they were convinced I would never make it this far...

Wow, never had a clue. I’m glad you’re letting us know about your illnesses because, sure, you have what sound like AWESOME doctors, but do you have any emotional/psychiatric support?? Not necessarily doctors, just anyone to talk to or vent or lean against?

... Stop smoking: That was literally unthinkable and impossible until my vascular specialist recommended I try vaping in 2015 and finally started trying it out Jan 2016. I'm finally almost there!

My father tried multiple times to quit. It sounds like you are making steady progress for such an addictive substance. So the only thing that seemed to work for my dad was acupuncture. He told me that whenever he felt like smoke he’d press on a pressure point somewhere on his earlobe... [emoji15] I guess that was one of that points where he was stuck with an acupuncture needle. Beats the hell out of me! lol All I know is that it worked. It’s different for everyone, of course, but maybe there’s something less “conventional” that wasn’t really accepted in the past as respected medicine/procedure.

... Weight: contrary to popular belief it's not body mass index that's the most dangerous weight risk for a heart attack it's abdominal fat. We call it the heart attack storage tank. I had (still have a bit) a propensity to have a pot even when I lost weight...

I have heard that is the case. I am so annoyed that my abdomen is always the last thing to lose fat when I exercise or change diets (ie: I’m thinking of going back to fish, eggs, MAYBE chicken and vegetarian diet. I lost 10 lbs and the abdomen fat decreased significantly!

And that’s gotta be super tough to keep up exercise when you have physical obstacles that make it tough. I suppose it’s a bit of a vicious cycle if you constantly have to be mindful of what you can or can’t do. My husband is in a similar situation with his chronic back pain. Some days he over does it and has to rest more, but he can’t NOT move around or he’ll get worse! [emoji53]

Diabetes: Because my fasting glucose test put me just above that 7 marker I'm technically officially labeled as diabetic but it's under control without medication.

Holy crap!! All that and diabetes!?! It may be inappropriate at this juncture to say a phrase like “all that and and a bottle of ketchup.” Or “all of that and a cherry on top.” That would just be rude of me.

My neuro-psychiatric problems are a big obstacle that seems hard to manage expecially executive (dis)funtion disorder wich makes being able to schedule and manage my daily routines with any consistency literally impossible along with the major depression that doesn't help at all.

BUT... I'm still alive

You mention your neuro-psychiatric obstacles and major depression... Just not sure if you have a psychiatrist/psychologist (forgive me if you’ve ever mentioned before in another post, I’ve been away too long).

Holy crap, all of these things and your still a formidable force in this world. It’s gotta be exhausting sometimes to be you. You have both my empathy and admiration. I know you didn’t ask for either, but tough. lol

I dunno if you’ve ever considered swimming, or even just walking/floating around in a pool/body of water. That’s one way to build up strength whilst not feeling your full weight. It might also help with increasing lung capacity... I dunno if water exercises would help with blockages, of course, but it was just a thought.

As I mentioned, you sound like you’re slowly but surely getting to the point of where you need to be, so good on you! Some people would just throw in the hat and lay down and give up.

If that isn’t the definition of warrior, well, I better buy me a Thesaurus...


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[forgetmenot]

Re: 3 Positive Things Part 5

GaryQ you are doing the best you can do and the struggle i hear you is very very very tiring. You can post as long a post as you want we are here we are listening and we do care. I hope as said you can just be kind to you in whatever ways that will bring you joy. You are still alive you are still fighting even if it may seem like an endless battle you are winning. Hope you can rest as much as you need it and continue to reach out here. I hope you also continue to enjoy your friends, music food computers whatever brings you happiness ok. Good for you getting out to all these specialist, keep fighting as long as it takes to bring you some stability. hugs

 

[Daniel E.]

Re: 3 Positive Things Part 5

throwing out more fresh food than I'm eating so I get mad and stopped bothering buying vegetables and fruits and other healthy foods because I can't afford financially to literally throw money in the garbage constantly.

Just a few months ago, I switched to more frozen veggies and fruits. My favorite frozen fruits are berry mixes.


Of course, as the article mentioned, having a support team is ideal (though may not be covered all-or-in-part by one's healthcare system/insurance). For cardiac rehab, that could include psychologist / social worker, physical therapist, dietician, etc.

 

[gooblax]

Re: 3 Positive Things Part 5

I mostly buy frozen veges too unless I'm willing to commit fresh ones to a particular meal that I'm happy to eat daily that week. As it is I probably have some bad cucumber that I'd forgotten about until just now. :/

 

[Daniel E.]

Re: 3 Positive Things Part 5

I also have bags and bags of lentils, beans, etc. that I collect in my pantry then forget to put in my Instant Pot

 

[gooblax]

Re: 3 Positive Things Part 5

Me too, sans instant pot. I should probably use some of them now that it's sub 20 Celcius and perfect for hot food.

 

[Daniel E.]

Re: 3 Positive Things Part 5

Me too, sans instant pot.

The Vegemite could taste even better under pressure

https://www.thekitchn.com/sticky-and-savory-xx-recipes-w-148360