Post by RumiDude on Dec 20, 2017 0:51:14 GMT -8
I have been absent from the forums for a while but I am back an hope to stay back. I wanted to catch you all up on my health saga. I kinda hesitate because I don't wanna sound like a whiner, but bp2go Steve encouraged me to return and give a report. So here it is ...
My prediabetes is about the same with my A1c values remain about 5.8, which is at the edge of prediabetes. With all my other values and family history, I want to lower that. I don't have a goal value in mind yet. I take atorvastatin, which can raise blood sugar and actually cause diabetes in some people. But my other values and family history make using a statin drug lower my mortality risk. It's a situation my doctor and I keep an eye on and discuss. I may at some point get off statins or move to another cholesterol medication.
The last twelve years I have had a reoccurring discomfort in my upper abdomen, right below the heart. I have also had boughts of pain right at my rib line on the right side as well. At first I thought it was my heart. I went to the ER and they ran all kinds of whiz-bang tests and found nothing. well they did tell me I had hypertension and I started on lisinapril at that time. I continued to have discomfort in my heart area and the pain on my right side. I went and had an endoscopy and they told me I had a pre-ulcer condition. I took some Zantac for a few months and the pain on my right side went away. In 2012, some of you will remember I had to abort a 200 mile backpacking trip after 86 miles because of severe discomfort in my chest/upper abdomen right below my heart. I went to the ER following that and after several hours of prodding and poking and scanning, they threw up their hands and guessed it might have been pancreatitis. My doctor later sent me for a full workup on my heart, especially given my family history of heart issue. But they issued a clean bill of health. I decided that whatever the issue was, it wasn't my heart and I was just going to ignore that uncomfortable feeling I got every so often.
The last three or four months I began to steadily notice a feeling of being unwell. I couldn't put my finger on it, just didn't feel good. I eventually stopped my daily walks and my gym workout. I stated experiencing times when my blood pressure seemed out of whack. And then three months ago that uncomfortable feeling just below my heart returned. And then it got worse. I thought it might be stress, but it just kept getting worse. And then the Sunday after Thanksgiving, I awoke to a pretty good pain in my upper abdomen, around my heart, and on my right side just at the rib line. As the day went on it got worse, then better, then worse, then ... well it just kept fluctuating like that. Several times I seriously contemplated going to the ER. But I HATE the ER so I waited till Monday morning and went in to see my doctor. By then the pain was exclusively along my entire rib cage line. They ordered an ultrasound and took an EKG. The EKG indicated I might have some ischemia. First things first, the ultrasound. It indicated a fatty liver but nothing else suspicious. They set me up for a stress test and sent me home with orders to go to the ER immediately if any chest pain returned. I ignored that.
Anyway, my stress test indicated no ischemia or anything else They got my heart rate to 210 before they told me they were shutting me down. My highest BP got to 198/92. I did significantly better than most people my age. So I am now back to ignoring the possibility of heart issues and just trying to live life. I am still trying to get back down to a weight of 155 pounds. I am currently at 170. I know I have some visceral fat to lose. It may be that is most of my problem. We shall see.
I will start back at my gym work come the first of the year. I am cutting portion size along with carbs and excess snacks. I try to plan snacks now, not just mindlessly eat as I pass through the kitchen. I am eating beets and green leafy stuff. I have almost no added sugar (except for the Irish cream in my coffee on Saturday and Sunday. I have fruits but limit them. My favorite evening snack is half an apple with peanut butter.
Sorry for the long post, but I am optimistic about my health. I just wanted to try and explain everything. I feel my life has been on hold the last couple of months and now I am going back at it with some gusto. That's gusto in all lower case. hahaha Maybe someday they will tell me I have a hernia or something.
Rumi
My prediabetes is about the same with my A1c values remain about 5.8, which is at the edge of prediabetes. With all my other values and family history, I want to lower that. I don't have a goal value in mind yet. I take atorvastatin, which can raise blood sugar and actually cause diabetes in some people. But my other values and family history make using a statin drug lower my mortality risk. It's a situation my doctor and I keep an eye on and discuss. I may at some point get off statins or move to another cholesterol medication.
The last twelve years I have had a reoccurring discomfort in my upper abdomen, right below the heart. I have also had boughts of pain right at my rib line on the right side as well. At first I thought it was my heart. I went to the ER and they ran all kinds of whiz-bang tests and found nothing. well they did tell me I had hypertension and I started on lisinapril at that time. I continued to have discomfort in my heart area and the pain on my right side. I went and had an endoscopy and they told me I had a pre-ulcer condition. I took some Zantac for a few months and the pain on my right side went away. In 2012, some of you will remember I had to abort a 200 mile backpacking trip after 86 miles because of severe discomfort in my chest/upper abdomen right below my heart. I went to the ER following that and after several hours of prodding and poking and scanning, they threw up their hands and guessed it might have been pancreatitis. My doctor later sent me for a full workup on my heart, especially given my family history of heart issue. But they issued a clean bill of health. I decided that whatever the issue was, it wasn't my heart and I was just going to ignore that uncomfortable feeling I got every so often.
The last three or four months I began to steadily notice a feeling of being unwell. I couldn't put my finger on it, just didn't feel good. I eventually stopped my daily walks and my gym workout. I stated experiencing times when my blood pressure seemed out of whack. And then three months ago that uncomfortable feeling just below my heart returned. And then it got worse. I thought it might be stress, but it just kept getting worse. And then the Sunday after Thanksgiving, I awoke to a pretty good pain in my upper abdomen, around my heart, and on my right side just at the rib line. As the day went on it got worse, then better, then worse, then ... well it just kept fluctuating like that. Several times I seriously contemplated going to the ER. But I HATE the ER so I waited till Monday morning and went in to see my doctor. By then the pain was exclusively along my entire rib cage line. They ordered an ultrasound and took an EKG. The EKG indicated I might have some ischemia. First things first, the ultrasound. It indicated a fatty liver but nothing else suspicious. They set me up for a stress test and sent me home with orders to go to the ER immediately if any chest pain returned. I ignored that.
Anyway, my stress test indicated no ischemia or anything else They got my heart rate to 210 before they told me they were shutting me down. My highest BP got to 198/92. I did significantly better than most people my age. So I am now back to ignoring the possibility of heart issues and just trying to live life. I am still trying to get back down to a weight of 155 pounds. I am currently at 170. I know I have some visceral fat to lose. It may be that is most of my problem. We shall see.
I will start back at my gym work come the first of the year. I am cutting portion size along with carbs and excess snacks. I try to plan snacks now, not just mindlessly eat as I pass through the kitchen. I am eating beets and green leafy stuff. I have almost no added sugar (except for the Irish cream in my coffee on Saturday and Sunday. I have fruits but limit them. My favorite evening snack is half an apple with peanut butter.
Sorry for the long post, but I am optimistic about my health. I just wanted to try and explain everything. I feel my life has been on hold the last couple of months and now I am going back at it with some gusto. That's gusto in all lower case. hahaha Maybe someday they will tell me I have a hernia or something.
Rumi
:D
