Five years ago today

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bluefields409

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 17, 2010
Messages
191
Location
Nova Scotia ( formerly ON)
In some ways seems eons ago...so much has happened. I am alive, blessed and thankful but very aware of the expectations I had for physical improvement post surgery have fallen short. Were they unrealistic ?? No marathons in mind , but there were hopes of being able to walking upstairs, minor inclines without losing breathe and having angina ... throbbing pain to my core, hypertension that still is uncontrolled.

Five years later.... New Province, new home, new job, new doctor... not sure how the bovine valve is faring and awaiting some investigation but in the meantime..will strive to live each day with purpose, recharging the batteries with the joys of now living on the coast with the wind and sea a treasured balm to my soul.

Oh..and still the occasional chocolate...;)
 
Let me share what has helped me, and I offer this just to reinforce the idea that you are more in control of how you feel than your doctor. What worked for me won't necessarily work for someone else.

I haven't had my valve replaced yet, but had been experiencing discomfort in my chest. It didn't meet the definition of angina, but it go worse as my aortic stenosis got worse. I read something that made me think sulfur might help, so I started taking MSM. Within a few days the discomfort stopped and hasn't reoccurred for 2 months. Just getting rid of discomfort lowered my stress level.

Like you, I had high blood pressure that wasn't controlled by medication. Doctors kept increasing doses and changing meds, but nothing helped. I went to ER several nights when BP was 220/130. After laying in a bed for a few hours my BP would come down enough to be released, with BP spiking again the next night.

So the pattern was moderately high BP during the day, then starting around 4 pm BP would start to spike reaching it's peak about 1 am, then slowly coming down only to repeat day after day. It took me over a year to figure out what was causing the problem.

Through genetic testing I learned I had several SNPs indicating a likelihood of trouble digesting and metabolizing fats, especially saturated fats. I also found a scientific study which showed some people who had uncontrolled hypertension could control it by avoiding saturated fat or taking vitamin c and e before a meal containing saturated fat.

My initial test was to fast mornings and then eat only a baked potato with nothing on it when hungry. BP dropped almost immediately. It took a lot of experimenting with diet to finally get to a diet where BP is mostly under control. I have been able to stop completely 2 of 3 BP meds and lower the final one by 33%. It's been 5 months since I have had any spike in BP. Most days it is under 120/80 for the entire day. The more sun and more exercise I get, the lower it goes.

Cardiologists tune me out when I try to explain this to them. It doesn't fit their model of hypertension. I have also seen a huge improvement in lipids.

Experimenting with your diet is worth a try. Having blood pressure over 120/80 contributes to heart disease, so if diet can help control it, why not give it a try. Getting a 23and me or other genetic test can be a big help.
 
In some ways seems eons ago...so much has happened. I am alive, blessed and thankful but very aware of the expectations I had for physical improvement post surgery have fallen short. Were they unrealistic ?? No marathons in mind , but there were hopes of being able to walking upstairs, minor inclines without losing breathe and having angina ... throbbing pain to my core, hypertension that still is uncontrolled.

Five years later.... New Province, new home, new job, new doctor... not sure how the bovine valve is faring and awaiting some investigation but in the meantime..will strive to live each day with purpose, recharging the batteries with the joys of now living on the coast with the wind and sea a treasured balm to my soul.

Oh..and still the occasional chocolate...;)
Good to hear from you and I like your quote: ' strive to live each day with purpose, recharging the batteries with the joys of now living on the coast with the wind and sea a treasured balm to my soul". You have your priorities straight. Wishing you better health and peace.
 

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