I'm doing OK these days. Today had some sad emotional thoughts for my bro and kids... for me, too.
No nicotine. Period.
Funny... I've had thoughts of leaving work for a few minutes to buy junk food. I don't ever think of sneaking away from work to get cigarettes. I just don't have the desire.
My current life has no room for tobacco. My current life has no room for another addiction. My current life is full - my cup runneth over in so many good ways.
I'm still hovering around 207 pounds (in the "healthy" BMI, according to the US gov't). I wish that the belly jigglies weren't there, but I'm in great shape and don't get winded unless I'm really very physical.
Roll with me. Stay free of nicotine. Listen to your MD. Eat well and make sure you have the right mix of supplements, sunshine, and fresh air.
Move more. Eat less. Don't use nicotine.
Pax everyone.
Showing posts with label healing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healing. Show all posts
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Friday, September 30, 2011
Regrowing the heart with health, then love
Radio frequency ablation (RFA)
Atrial fibrillation with rapid heartbeat
Tachycardia
Stroke
Heart disease
Mortality
Death
The above words filled my ears for a long time. And my soul's heart, too... I suffered from decades of stress and insufficient sleep. I ran a business and a full-time job at the same time, sometimes with other part-time work on top of them. I learned and worked and worked and fulfilled my family's needs, often without regard to my body and my soul's health.
A little more than a decade ago, all the stress and work and sleep-deprived nights caught up with me. I began to have periods of time where I felt lightheaded and had a great deal of pain in my rib cage, arteries, and heart region. Doctors' visits ruled out clogged arteries and indicated that I was not having heart attacks or myocardial infarctions. The doctors told me to quit smoking (I did just that, just less than 5 years ago), I all but gave up caffeine, I took medicine to lower my stress and anxiety, and I took heart regulation medicines like amiodarone and atenolol.
I still had periodic episodes of heart problems, primarily with severe atrial fibrillation and rapid heartbeat. The pain, anxiety, and light-headedness were stunning and completely impossible to ignore. Or, for that matter, it seemed (past tense) impossible to treat.
No matter the medicine, no matter the rest I got, no matter the food or diet I changed, it was to no avail. The problems I had just increased over the years. The severity increased. My tolerance to the pain and the inability to think increased. And, unfortunately, the frequency increased.
This year, I had many severe events in rapid succession - despite the fact that I am happy, healthy, I get plenty of sleep, work only one job, and I care for myself. These severe events were a new wake-up call. I started frequenting the offices of different cardiologists and talking about my mortality. I was told that stroke and heart failure were imminent, and that something would have to happen soon to turn this issue around.
My mortality loomed and scared me and my mate to death. We both struggled with the fragility of a body that was once so very strong and could endure so very much. She was scared of losing me, I was scared of dying and leaving my family behind. The family was strong about this issue, but it was still an enormous drain on all of us.
I ended up seeing a new cardiologist in my hometown and finding that he knew of RFA cardiology treatments for people with my issues. In short, a day-long visit to the hospital and surgery changed my body's life forever. The operation was a total success.
I still take a very limited amount of heart medicine, but only as a precaution. The cardio RFA procedure was nothing short of a miracle. I have not had a single episode of any kind of heart issues - once I passed the ten day mark (The first ten days would make a great additional post, once I have the time.)
I have a new lease on life. For the second time in only about four years, I have a fresh start and an outlook that truly warm and optimistic. I'm quite blessed.
I know that the same medical treatments don't work with everyone... Please take the time to talk to doctors about your health, and don't be afraid to ask more than one doctor about important things...
Smober? Still am!
Down from 237 lbs in 2007 to 207 lbs now.
w00t.
Atrial fibrillation with rapid heartbeat
Tachycardia
Stroke
Heart disease
Mortality
Death
The above words filled my ears for a long time. And my soul's heart, too... I suffered from decades of stress and insufficient sleep. I ran a business and a full-time job at the same time, sometimes with other part-time work on top of them. I learned and worked and worked and fulfilled my family's needs, often without regard to my body and my soul's health.
A little more than a decade ago, all the stress and work and sleep-deprived nights caught up with me. I began to have periods of time where I felt lightheaded and had a great deal of pain in my rib cage, arteries, and heart region. Doctors' visits ruled out clogged arteries and indicated that I was not having heart attacks or myocardial infarctions. The doctors told me to quit smoking (I did just that, just less than 5 years ago), I all but gave up caffeine, I took medicine to lower my stress and anxiety, and I took heart regulation medicines like amiodarone and atenolol.
I still had periodic episodes of heart problems, primarily with severe atrial fibrillation and rapid heartbeat. The pain, anxiety, and light-headedness were stunning and completely impossible to ignore. Or, for that matter, it seemed (past tense) impossible to treat.
No matter the medicine, no matter the rest I got, no matter the food or diet I changed, it was to no avail. The problems I had just increased over the years. The severity increased. My tolerance to the pain and the inability to think increased. And, unfortunately, the frequency increased.
This year, I had many severe events in rapid succession - despite the fact that I am happy, healthy, I get plenty of sleep, work only one job, and I care for myself. These severe events were a new wake-up call. I started frequenting the offices of different cardiologists and talking about my mortality. I was told that stroke and heart failure were imminent, and that something would have to happen soon to turn this issue around.
My mortality loomed and scared me and my mate to death. We both struggled with the fragility of a body that was once so very strong and could endure so very much. She was scared of losing me, I was scared of dying and leaving my family behind. The family was strong about this issue, but it was still an enormous drain on all of us.
I ended up seeing a new cardiologist in my hometown and finding that he knew of RFA cardiology treatments for people with my issues. In short, a day-long visit to the hospital and surgery changed my body's life forever. The operation was a total success.
I still take a very limited amount of heart medicine, but only as a precaution. The cardio RFA procedure was nothing short of a miracle. I have not had a single episode of any kind of heart issues - once I passed the ten day mark (The first ten days would make a great additional post, once I have the time.)
I have a new lease on life. For the second time in only about four years, I have a fresh start and an outlook that truly warm and optimistic. I'm quite blessed.
I know that the same medical treatments don't work with everyone... Please take the time to talk to doctors about your health, and don't be afraid to ask more than one doctor about important things...
Smober? Still am!
Down from 237 lbs in 2007 to 207 lbs now.
w00t.
Monday, September 28, 2009
980 Days, and still no Nicotine, no smokes
As I sit and work (listening to The Alan Parsons Project's Some Other Time), I realize that it has almost been a thousand days since I last smoked.
Despite topsy-turvy world, smoking doesn't even figure into my life any more. The rare thought of smoking usually is the vaguely occasional far-off call of nicotine - like whispers at a seance. The thing is, I'm not listening.
Back to work. There are more important things in the world than nicotine. So there.
Despite topsy-turvy world, smoking doesn't even figure into my life any more. The rare thought of smoking usually is the vaguely occasional far-off call of nicotine - like whispers at a seance. The thing is, I'm not listening.
Back to work. There are more important things in the world than nicotine. So there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)