Week 5 of walking 5 days a week. I'm up to 2 miles a day and feel like I could push it a little further, even. Chest pains are completely gone. Whether that's due to exercise or Lipitor, who knows? Maybe both.
Added benefit: My knees seem to be growing stronger as it's not as difficult to get out of the chair like it used to be. The weight doesn't seem to be going anywhere, but I'm primarily focusing on being healthy. And that's alright by me.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Feeling Better...
I'm losing weight very slowly. But I'm walking 5 days a week for 25 minutes each day. (My dog Dani really enjoys that.)
I had some blood-work done recently (special thanks go to the tech who stabbed me with the needle leaving a very ugly bruise - you sure got your money's worth at that Internet college you went to) and surprisingly, my cholesterol came back much better than expected. My good cholesterol was actually good and my bad cholesterol was at 166 where 133 is normal and in patients with family histories of heart disease, they like that number to be below 100. So my doctor decided to put me on Lipitor and he said that I'm doing really well with my diet and exercise and to keep the faith. The weight will eventually come off.
My BP is still really good. I have decided, however, NOT to go with the nuclear stress test. If my EKG and Holter Monitor both came back normal, I'm not going to spend $2,000 on a test I don't need. Even if the test revealed I had some sort of small blockage in my heart, they would probably prescribe something like Lipitor to help open up those blood vessels and I'm already on it now. The tightness in the chest isn't as prevalent these days, anyway.
I had some blood-work done recently (special thanks go to the tech who stabbed me with the needle leaving a very ugly bruise - you sure got your money's worth at that Internet college you went to) and surprisingly, my cholesterol came back much better than expected. My good cholesterol was actually good and my bad cholesterol was at 166 where 133 is normal and in patients with family histories of heart disease, they like that number to be below 100. So my doctor decided to put me on Lipitor and he said that I'm doing really well with my diet and exercise and to keep the faith. The weight will eventually come off.
My BP is still really good. I have decided, however, NOT to go with the nuclear stress test. If my EKG and Holter Monitor both came back normal, I'm not going to spend $2,000 on a test I don't need. Even if the test revealed I had some sort of small blockage in my heart, they would probably prescribe something like Lipitor to help open up those blood vessels and I'm already on it now. The tightness in the chest isn't as prevalent these days, anyway.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Update
Blood pressure is better than it's ever been. Right in the butter zone. Because my primary physician spotted an anomaly in my EKG, he sent me to a cardiologist.
The cardiologist put me on a device called a "Holter Monitor" which I wear for 48 hours doing my normal daily routine and it monitors my heart during that time. After the 48 hours, I return the unit where a specialist reads the EKG and gives the doctor the results.
Then I had to go in to do a stress test or an "Echo Stress Echo." Here, the technician wires up your chest and takes an EKG and sonogram of your heart at rest before he puts you on a treadmill. Then after the treadmill, he takes another sonogram and EKG reading. Unfortunately, because my heart is so deep in my chest (probably due to the extra baggage I'm carrying) he couldn't get a full picture of my heart before the treadmill portion. He was only able to get about 90% of it. So we had to abort the ESE and go another route. They'll now have to perform a nuclear stress test. This is where they give you an IV containing a radioactive solution (very mild today, but I was told that it wasn't so long ago that the amount of solution they inject in you used to set off all sorts of bells & whistles at airports) and take a picture of your heart using a special camera that detects the solution. This new nuclear test will be scheduled for sometime in October.
A few days after the aborted stress test, I get a call back from the cardiologist's office with the results of my 48-hour Holter Monitor: It came back NORMAL. Great news, right? Except that when the technician aborted the stress test, he did mention that my EKG reported an abnormality which required further investigation. But it could be several things, it could be a simple genetic issue, it could be gerd, or it could be a lack of oxygen to the heart.
Meanwhile, I'm walking 5 days a week and sticking to Weight Watchers. But I'm having a really tough time losing more weight. I've lost 10 pounds and I seem to be hovering around there.
The hardest part of all this is waiting to be diagnosed. Why do I feel a tightness in my chest sometimes? Bear in mind, that the tightness is VERY slight. I barely notice it. And there are no other symptoms. If I were having a full-out heart attack, I'd expect cold sweats, shortness of breath, headache, shooting pain down my left arm, or any combination of the above. But nothing else other than the tightness.
I have a follow-up with my primary physician sometime tomorrow to discuss my BP. I think he'll be very pleased. Maybe he can help shed some light on what might be happening to me because I'm not getting much from the cardiologist so far. I haven't even met the actual doctor I was referred to - just a nurse, a student doctor, an associate doctor, and a technician.
The cardiologist put me on a device called a "Holter Monitor" which I wear for 48 hours doing my normal daily routine and it monitors my heart during that time. After the 48 hours, I return the unit where a specialist reads the EKG and gives the doctor the results.
Then I had to go in to do a stress test or an "Echo Stress Echo." Here, the technician wires up your chest and takes an EKG and sonogram of your heart at rest before he puts you on a treadmill. Then after the treadmill, he takes another sonogram and EKG reading. Unfortunately, because my heart is so deep in my chest (probably due to the extra baggage I'm carrying) he couldn't get a full picture of my heart before the treadmill portion. He was only able to get about 90% of it. So we had to abort the ESE and go another route. They'll now have to perform a nuclear stress test. This is where they give you an IV containing a radioactive solution (very mild today, but I was told that it wasn't so long ago that the amount of solution they inject in you used to set off all sorts of bells & whistles at airports) and take a picture of your heart using a special camera that detects the solution. This new nuclear test will be scheduled for sometime in October.
A few days after the aborted stress test, I get a call back from the cardiologist's office with the results of my 48-hour Holter Monitor: It came back NORMAL. Great news, right? Except that when the technician aborted the stress test, he did mention that my EKG reported an abnormality which required further investigation. But it could be several things, it could be a simple genetic issue, it could be gerd, or it could be a lack of oxygen to the heart.
Meanwhile, I'm walking 5 days a week and sticking to Weight Watchers. But I'm having a really tough time losing more weight. I've lost 10 pounds and I seem to be hovering around there.
The hardest part of all this is waiting to be diagnosed. Why do I feel a tightness in my chest sometimes? Bear in mind, that the tightness is VERY slight. I barely notice it. And there are no other symptoms. If I were having a full-out heart attack, I'd expect cold sweats, shortness of breath, headache, shooting pain down my left arm, or any combination of the above. But nothing else other than the tightness.
I have a follow-up with my primary physician sometime tomorrow to discuss my BP. I think he'll be very pleased. Maybe he can help shed some light on what might be happening to me because I'm not getting much from the cardiologist so far. I haven't even met the actual doctor I was referred to - just a nurse, a student doctor, an associate doctor, and a technician.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Doing Better...
The BP is getting under control now. The other day, I peaked at 125/104, but that was after driving from Ft. Worth to Dallas for a tech rehearsal in afternoon traffic. Half an hour later, it was down to 130/96 (remember, the bottom number is the more important one.) By the time rehearsal was over, I was down to 125/86. So I avoided having to take my emergency pill. In fact, I haven't taken the emergency pill in a week and a half.
I'm finally getting serious about losing weight now. I'm counting points again (Weight Watchers) and I'm down 2.5 pounds since Monday. Again, it's easier to be more careful about what I eat when Lesli's not around. And since we have conflicting work schedules this week while I'm in rehearsal, I'm taking full advantage of it. Sticking to it afterwards, however, will be the key.
New goal: Lose 30 pounds in 30 days.
I'm finally getting serious about losing weight now. I'm counting points again (Weight Watchers) and I'm down 2.5 pounds since Monday. Again, it's easier to be more careful about what I eat when Lesli's not around. And since we have conflicting work schedules this week while I'm in rehearsal, I'm taking full advantage of it. Sticking to it afterwards, however, will be the key.
New goal: Lose 30 pounds in 30 days.
Friday, August 12, 2011
The Fight Continues
This is going to take some getting used to. I'm actually eating very well. I've lost about 8 pounds since last week. But the BP is driving me nuts.
I'll go a couple of days without taking the emergency pill - or "the EP" (not to be confused with "early pregnancy" - and then my BP bumps up just high enough that I need to take one. I'm on a roller coaster until this other stuff kicks in. But in the meantime when I take the EP, my BP falls so low that it's very difficult to function.
The other night, I fell asleep around 10:00. By 10:15, I was wide awake and I felt my heart pounding through my chest. Not more rapid than usual, just noticeable. I took my BP: 112/80. The pulse was 84 which is a little high, but that's resting heart rate these days. (Eat your veggies, kids.)
This morning, I was feeling really great. I was energized and in a very happy place. I even found that I was being more pleasant with people on the phone. It was a really good feeling! I attribute that to the fact that I'm getting much better sleep with the CPAP. I sleep straight through the night now. I never realized how often I was rousing out of sleep.
Then this afternoon, I was recording a series of TV voiceovers for Boy Scouts of America. I could tell that something was off. (Look at me being all tuned-in with my body!) So during a break, I went downstairs and took my BP. 176/112 and my pulse was 109. I took a pill and warned the producer that in about half an hour when my BP crashes, I could fall flat on my face if I'm not careful. As it turned out, I was fine for the rest of the session, but I wanted someone to be aware of what was going on so I don't surprise anyone. I'm feeling the effects now and I have another session coming in at 5:30. But I really want a nap.
I've been keeping a detailed log with my BP and pulse rate to show the doctor on Thursday.
I'll go a couple of days without taking the emergency pill - or "the EP" (not to be confused with "early pregnancy" - and then my BP bumps up just high enough that I need to take one. I'm on a roller coaster until this other stuff kicks in. But in the meantime when I take the EP, my BP falls so low that it's very difficult to function.
The other night, I fell asleep around 10:00. By 10:15, I was wide awake and I felt my heart pounding through my chest. Not more rapid than usual, just noticeable. I took my BP: 112/80. The pulse was 84 which is a little high, but that's resting heart rate these days. (Eat your veggies, kids.)
This morning, I was feeling really great. I was energized and in a very happy place. I even found that I was being more pleasant with people on the phone. It was a really good feeling! I attribute that to the fact that I'm getting much better sleep with the CPAP. I sleep straight through the night now. I never realized how often I was rousing out of sleep.
Then this afternoon, I was recording a series of TV voiceovers for Boy Scouts of America. I could tell that something was off. (Look at me being all tuned-in with my body!) So during a break, I went downstairs and took my BP. 176/112 and my pulse was 109. I took a pill and warned the producer that in about half an hour when my BP crashes, I could fall flat on my face if I'm not careful. As it turned out, I was fine for the rest of the session, but I wanted someone to be aware of what was going on so I don't surprise anyone. I'm feeling the effects now and I have another session coming in at 5:30. But I really want a nap.
I've been keeping a detailed log with my BP and pulse rate to show the doctor on Thursday.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Rude Awakening
Okay, fine. It's been a while since my last posting. I fell off the wagon. Big time. And last Thursday, I was made aware of my transgression in a very scary way. To start the day, my weight registered at 265. That's right two hundred sixty five pounds. That's the heaviest I've been in my life.
To make matters worse, at about noon, I was very quietly working away in my studio editing some audio for a sound design I'm working on. I wasn't stressed and I hadn't been over-exerting myself. I started to feel a bit dizzy. I thought this might be a good time to check my blood pressure.
Now, you have to understand that I have NEVER had a normal blood pressure to my recollection. Even in high school when I was 5'10" and 175 pounds and VERY fit my BP was marginally high.
Over the past year, I've been working with my doctor to get my BP lower as it had begun to creep up a bit. I was taking 20mg of Lisinopril twice a day. I even started using a CPAP machine a couple of weeks ago to see if my sleep apnea could be elevating it. (Boy, does my wife love the CPAP!) But nothing has really been all that effective.
For reference, blood pressure falls into the following categories:
So I come downstairs to take my BP and - hold onto your seats, folks - I registered at 173/119! I thought I was dying. I took it again using the other arm: 183/120! I immediately called my doctor. I gave them my BP and indicated that I was dizzy but did not have a headache, was not sweating, nor was I short of breath. The nurse advised me to lie down and relax for half an hour and take my BP again and call her back. If I developed any of those other symptoms I should go to the ER, but if not and it was still high, I should come into their office. This time I was down to 175/108 - about what I'd been running since before starting CPAP. The nurse advised me to come into the office. I called Lesli at work and asked her to come home. This set everyone at HEBISD into a panic, from what I understand.
Lesli came home and drove me to Dr. Kurz' office where he took my BP again and it was back up to 170/117. He was very good at setting me at ease. He said that, essentially, what we were trying wasn't working. He gave me a two-week sample of Diovan to take at bedtime each day and to check my BP 3 times daily and follow-up with him in two weeks. He also gave me a prescription for Clonidine which he said I should only take as needed if/when my systolic pressure gets over 200 (which it never has) or if my diastolic pressure gets above 100 (which it ALWAYS does.) In the meantime, take it easy over the weekend.
The next morning (Friday,) my BP registered at 153/103. I didn't take the Clonidine yet because I was so close to the mark. But by noon, I had gone up: 164/113. I took the emergency pill. Less than an hour later, I could barely stay awake long enough to take a reading, but it came in at: 144/98. Another hour later: 125/76! That's damn-near close to normal! I've never had that before! Of course, I could barely stand up because I wasn't used to my BP being that low. I slept most of the day and Lesli took excellent care of me.
Saturday morning: 133/88. Saturday afternoon: 160/110. Took the emergency pill: Back down to 124/85.
Sunday morning: 123/75. Wow! In fact, I didn't take an emergency pill all day yesterday as the highest I got all day was 126/94 for an average BP of 121/81 for the entire day!
This morning: 116/78.
So I get it. It's time to make a change. I'm having fruit for breakfast and snacks followed by a small lunch and sensible dinner. I went for short walks yesterday and this morning. I hope to go further as I get used to this lower BP and as the heat wave ends (IF it ends.) I may have to cut back on my daily Sonic Diet Vanilla Cokes. (My apologies to Sonic. I hope you won't have to face any lay-offs as a result.)
Oh, by the way - I've lost 6.6 pounds since Thursday! I hope to be a skinnier Scrooge this Christmas. Or at the very least - a healthier one.
To make matters worse, at about noon, I was very quietly working away in my studio editing some audio for a sound design I'm working on. I wasn't stressed and I hadn't been over-exerting myself. I started to feel a bit dizzy. I thought this might be a good time to check my blood pressure.
Now, you have to understand that I have NEVER had a normal blood pressure to my recollection. Even in high school when I was 5'10" and 175 pounds and VERY fit my BP was marginally high.
Over the past year, I've been working with my doctor to get my BP lower as it had begun to creep up a bit. I was taking 20mg of Lisinopril twice a day. I even started using a CPAP machine a couple of weeks ago to see if my sleep apnea could be elevating it. (Boy, does my wife love the CPAP!) But nothing has really been all that effective.
For reference, blood pressure falls into the following categories:
- "Normal" blood pressure is systolic pressure (top number) less than 120 and diastolic pressure (bottom number) less than 80.
- "Prehypertension" is systolic pressure of 120 to 139 or diastolic pressure of 80 to 89.
- Stage 1 Hypertension is a systolic pressure of 140 to 159 or diastolic pressure of 90 to 99.
- Stage 2 Hypertension is systolic pressure of 160 or greater or diastolic pressure of 100 or greater.
So I come downstairs to take my BP and - hold onto your seats, folks - I registered at 173/119! I thought I was dying. I took it again using the other arm: 183/120! I immediately called my doctor. I gave them my BP and indicated that I was dizzy but did not have a headache, was not sweating, nor was I short of breath. The nurse advised me to lie down and relax for half an hour and take my BP again and call her back. If I developed any of those other symptoms I should go to the ER, but if not and it was still high, I should come into their office. This time I was down to 175/108 - about what I'd been running since before starting CPAP. The nurse advised me to come into the office. I called Lesli at work and asked her to come home. This set everyone at HEBISD into a panic, from what I understand.
Lesli came home and drove me to Dr. Kurz' office where he took my BP again and it was back up to 170/117. He was very good at setting me at ease. He said that, essentially, what we were trying wasn't working. He gave me a two-week sample of Diovan to take at bedtime each day and to check my BP 3 times daily and follow-up with him in two weeks. He also gave me a prescription for Clonidine which he said I should only take as needed if/when my systolic pressure gets over 200 (which it never has) or if my diastolic pressure gets above 100 (which it ALWAYS does.) In the meantime, take it easy over the weekend.
The next morning (Friday,) my BP registered at 153/103. I didn't take the Clonidine yet because I was so close to the mark. But by noon, I had gone up: 164/113. I took the emergency pill. Less than an hour later, I could barely stay awake long enough to take a reading, but it came in at: 144/98. Another hour later: 125/76! That's damn-near close to normal! I've never had that before! Of course, I could barely stand up because I wasn't used to my BP being that low. I slept most of the day and Lesli took excellent care of me.
Saturday morning: 133/88. Saturday afternoon: 160/110. Took the emergency pill: Back down to 124/85.
Sunday morning: 123/75. Wow! In fact, I didn't take an emergency pill all day yesterday as the highest I got all day was 126/94 for an average BP of 121/81 for the entire day!
This morning: 116/78.
So I get it. It's time to make a change. I'm having fruit for breakfast and snacks followed by a small lunch and sensible dinner. I went for short walks yesterday and this morning. I hope to go further as I get used to this lower BP and as the heat wave ends (IF it ends.) I may have to cut back on my daily Sonic Diet Vanilla Cokes. (My apologies to Sonic. I hope you won't have to face any lay-offs as a result.)
Oh, by the way - I've lost 6.6 pounds since Thursday! I hope to be a skinnier Scrooge this Christmas. Or at the very least - a healthier one.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Week 16 Weigh-In: Milestone Achieved!
Starting Weight: 262.4
Last Week's Weigh-In: 237 (-1.8 lbs.)
This Week's Weigh-In: 236.2 (-0.8 lbs.)
Total Weight Lost: -26.2 lbs.
Almost lost a whole pound this week, but still surprised I lost considering the fact that I had a few bumps in the road this week with food. We had Chinese after a long hard day of shooting video at Lesli's school. And yesterday, I went to the dentist's office and somehow managed to come home with a double cheeseburger from Sonic. How that got in my car, I have NO IDEA! However, when dinner time came around, I wasn't hungry thanks to the cheeseburger - I'm starting to pay attention to when my body is really hungry - so I only had a small snack before heading off to the theatre for a performance.
All that being said, not only did I still lose after all that but I achieved a milestone - 10% of my original body weight is gone!
Last Week's Weigh-In: 237 (-1.8 lbs.)
This Week's Weigh-In: 236.2 (-0.8 lbs.)
Total Weight Lost: -26.2 lbs.
Almost lost a whole pound this week, but still surprised I lost considering the fact that I had a few bumps in the road this week with food. We had Chinese after a long hard day of shooting video at Lesli's school. And yesterday, I went to the dentist's office and somehow managed to come home with a double cheeseburger from Sonic. How that got in my car, I have NO IDEA! However, when dinner time came around, I wasn't hungry thanks to the cheeseburger - I'm starting to pay attention to when my body is really hungry - so I only had a small snack before heading off to the theatre for a performance.
All that being said, not only did I still lose after all that but I achieved a milestone - 10% of my original body weight is gone!
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