Friday, July 21, 2006
Reality
Sometimes things just hit me from the side and I don't even see them coming, or I have been running from them so long I don't notice when it has finally catches up with me. Either way I am still shocked to hear that my blood pressure and cholesteral and triglycerides are up at high levels. I know since Jennifer's accident I haven't taken time to care for myself but I think I just kept telling myself I am fine and she needs me. Now I have to face the reality that my health is at risk if I don't stop and care for myself. Its such and easy thing, neglecting ourselves. I think as moms we are just used to sacrificing for the good of the family. My fear of who will take care of Jennifer if something happens to me is all too real in my life and sometimes is all consuming. I am not grossly overweight or do I eat bad, I just think its years of stress and neglect and lack of excersize. So I am going to be good and take my medicine and try and get healthy again so that I can be around and strong for a long time. Take note all you caregivers, take the time for yourself. OH it sucks getting older!
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6 comments:
If you decide to take something, I can recommend some herbs. About a year and a half ago, I was hit with a bad cholesterol that was about 100 points too high. Yeah, the walking dead! I started taking red yeast rice, which I got from GNC. Two every morning, which is only half what it says to take. 18 months later, I'm down 70 points from that high, and looking forward to another test that's normal in about 6-8 months.
This spring, when I had the cholesterol test repeated, my BP was at hypertension levels. Yes, lots of stress. Walking wasn't really helping enough, so I started taking one Guggul (odd name, eh?) and one Hawthorne Berry capsule each morning. Again, about half the normal dosage. I got those from Alternative Herbs online.
Yesterday's blood pressure was right on normal for my age, for the first time since I started weekly checks 3 months ago, after a little over a week of taking them.
They are much cheaper than the high priced drugs usually prescribed and they worked for me. May not for everyone. Worth trying, though.
Yeah, I was wondering what meds they put you on. Myself, in my mid-30s I had the blood lipids of a 60 year old man who had already had a heart attack. Nothing worked but the meds. (but we have prescription coverage, so it's not too bad). Now (post menopausal and 25# overweight because of it), my lipid profile is at 1/2 risk with the minimum dosage of Lipitor.
High triglicerides are caused not by fat but by a high carb intake or insulin resistance. So try to increase the fiber, and add a little protein or good fats (olive oil) at every meal. That will help to even out the digestion.
Yes, it is difficult when you are caring for someone else to make the time to take care of yourself! It is a tremendous responsibility. You are responsible for the lives of two people. Even your "golden years", when reached, must be healthy ones!
Good luck Dianne, hopefully you will soon be back to healthy medical numbers!
Sorry, that's Arcadia Herbs. How are you doing? I keep checking your blog for an update.
Hi all, thanks for all of your concerns, I am taking my cholesterol medicine like a good girl and excersising like I used too. I go in 5 weeks for another blood test to see how my numbers are. Susan- I would prefer to do a herbal suppliment but decided to get my numbers down for awhile, as I get healthy and drop 25lbs then try to keep it down on my own with diet and excersise and herbs. It has been high for awhile. Unfortunatly I see so many young people in the rehab hospital recovering from strokes due to blood pressure and cholest levels only slightly high! So I don't want to take any chances with the added stress etc. I am so happy to hear your levels were lowered by 70 points! I feel better now that I am trying to take back the control over my health. I really was shocked when I started journaling what I eat, and I thought I was being so good! Thanks for checking in, I will keep you updated.
My husband always says that getting old is not for sissies. =) I read Robert Heinlein as a young person, and I keep harking back to the book where Lazarus Long figured out how to put himself in a new body. I want a new body for the old me!
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