Someone Understands

Posted on September 23, 2009 by mydiabeticheart

While perusing through the Rest Ministries and HopeKeepers Sunroom, a social networking website run by Rest Ministries, I came across an article written by organization founder Lisa Copen.

In her article, Copen discusses what she went through after being diagnosed with an invisible chronic illness at the age of 24.  Lisa was diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis, and was constantly hearing people say things like “you’re too young to have that”.  As you might expect, hearing such things didn’t make her feel any better.

Having faced the same things since I was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure in December, at the age of 24, it was refreshing to hear someone else say that they have felt the same things I am feeling now, and talk about how they handled the reactions/comments of other people.  It helps to know that someone understands.

Read the article now:   You are Too Young to Be That Sick! by Lisa Copen.

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Latest A1c 6.3

Posted on September 3, 2009 by mydiabeticheart

So I went to see Dr. Cabe (primary doctor) for my 3 month check up.  She had the results from the A1c and other blood tests that were done earlier in the week.

All of my results came back good.  My A1c has not changed since it was checked 3-4 months ago; it’s sitting comfortably at 6.3.  Not bad at all.  That’s really good considering where it was when I was diagnosed 9 months ago.

Since everything was good, there were no changes to any of my medications, thank God, and I go back to see her in 3 months for another re-check.

In other news, I’ve been unfortunate enough to have picked up that 48-hour stomach bug that has been going around.  The strangest thing is that there was no nausia or vomiting with this one.   I’ve still spent a lot of time in the bathroom though, if you get my drift.  I’m so glad this is just about over.

Time for a nap before I go back to work.  Rock on!

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Quote of the Day: 8/17/09

Posted on August 17, 2009 by mydiabeticheart

“Life’s battles don’t always go to the strongest or fastest man,  But sooner or later the man who wins is the fellow who thinks he can.” – Unknown

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The Gym routine

Posted on August 13, 2009 by mydiabeticheart

I mentioned in a previous post that I had joined a gym, and had started going a few days a week.  So, today I thought I’d share a little more about that.

After consulting with my cardiologist and getting his approval, as well as the required referral for the program I wanted to get into, I joined the Parkview Health and Fitness center near my home.  It’s a great facility located within a mile or so of my place; the staff and trainers are all very nice, and the amenities are pretty nice too.   It’s been a month since I joined, and so far I think I like it, and I can feel a bit of a difference in how I feel.   I try to go about 3 times a week, sometimes less depending on how I’m feeling that day.

On the days that I do make it to the gym, I follow a fairly structured cardio routine that was devised by the trainers based on recommendations from my doctor.  That routine consists of 3 stages: a warm-up stage, a work out stage, and a stretching/cool down stage.

My warm-up routine is pretty simple.  It’s just 3 to 5 laps around the indoor walking track to get my heart rate up and my muscles ready to workout.  Once I’ve completed the warm-up, I move on to the real workout.

As I said, the routine I follow is strictly limited to cardio only.  We are focusing on strengthening my heart, and getting it working better.  Walking, bicycling, stair climbing, etc… are all forms of cardiovascular exercise.  And not surprisingly, are the three main components to my routine.  I start out walking on a treadmill for 10 minutes, then spend another 10 minutes on a recumbent bike, and finally another 10 minutes on a step machine.  It’s a pretty simple routine, but it does the job.   Finally, I finish the session with a little stretching and cool down period.

Oh, I mentioned that this is a “monitored” program.  Let me explain it a little bit.   Part of the program that I’m in involves monitoring my heart rate and blood pressure before, during, and after my workout.   The gym sends that information to my doctor every so often so he can evaluate my progress.  That’s what I meant when I said “monitored program”.

So yeah, that’s one of the many activities that seem to take up all of my time these days.  Just keep rolling right along.

Until next time, Keep Fighting It and Rock On!

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Hey, I'm a busy man

Posted on July 14, 2009 by mydiabeticheart

It’s been a little while since I last posted anything on here, and it hasn’t been for a lack of wanting to write.  There’s just been too much going on in my life, and I haven’t had the time to devote to writing.  Hey, I’m a busy man.

This past Friday, July 10th, I went for the first part of a sleep study that my doctors ordered.  The reason being that I have several symptoms of Sleep Apnea, and the doctors wanted to confirm it and determine just how bad the problem really is.   If you don’t know what it is, sleep apnea is basically a condition in which you stop breathing while you sleep.  It is a very dangerous and potentially life threatening condition; it is a pretty common condition that, unfortunately, often does undiagnosed and untreated.  A sleep study is the primary means for accurately determining whether the condition exists or not.

So, I went for the study, and frankly it sucked.  It involved being wired for sound, and trying to sleep.  Imagine, if you can, having about 30 wires and electrodes attached to your head, face, chest, and legs, and then trying to go to sleep with all of that.  In a strange environment, with a camera recording it all.  How well do you think you’d sleep with all of that?  As you might imagine, I didn’t do much sleeping at all.  Amazingly, they were still able to get a great deal of information out of it despite all of the problems I had.

As I expected, the results showed that I do have sleep apnea, and that my case is pretty pronounced.  The results indicated that I stopped breathing about 66 times an hour; a rate of roughly 66%.   And my blood/oxygen levels dropped significantly as well.  Needless to say, this is a real problem.  It basically means that over 50% of the time that I’m sleeping, I’m not breathing at all.  That’s scary.

So now the next step is to return for a second night of testing called a CPAP Titration.  Through this they will determine the level of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure will be needed to help alleviate the problem.  Once that is determined, I’ll more than likely visit the doctor again, and will be setup with a CPAP machine and everything I need to use it at home.  Should be interesting.

The other interesting change that has taken place in my world is that I now have a gym membership, and have started going to workout about 3 times a week.   I finally got all of the clearances, referrals, etc… from the doctors to start that.  I’m doing mostly cardio stuff right now, you know treadmills, bikes, etc… and will be slowly working my way up to more difficult stuff.  I’m kind of starting to enjoy the work outs.  Definitely a great way to start my day, and an awesome stress reliever.

So yeah, that’s about it for now.  There’s a lot more than that going on, but I can’t really talk about the rest.  Don’t feel deprived of  details, you really aren’t missing anything.  Until next time…

Keep Fighting it, and Rock On!
Mike

Posted in Exercise, Health, Life | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day: 6/27/09

Posted on June 27, 2009 by mydiabeticheart

“When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.”  – Kahlil Gibran

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Quote of the Day: 6/20/09

Posted on June 20, 2009 by mydiabeticheart

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” – Mahatma Gandhi

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Migraines and rude doctors don't mix

Posted on June 19, 2009 by mydiabeticheart

I’ve had a migraine headache from hell the last two days, with the worst of it hitting me late last night/early this morning.  I swear I’ve felt like I was kicked in the face by a horse or something.  The pain has been so intense I’ve hardly been able to function, let alone tolerate the rude people at the Neurologists office this morning.

My girlfriend has noticed on several occasions that I have stopped breathing while sleeping, which scared the hell out of both of us.  The first time she noticed was a few years ago, but it was not checked at the time.

During the last six months, the topic has come up several times during discussion with my doctors, and last week the cardiologist finally decided that he wanted me to see a specialist and be tested for Sleep Apnea, which is basically a condition that causes you to stop breathing while you sleep.  This is a potentially fatal condition, and could well be contributing to my heart problems.  So it’s something that really has to be addressed.

So I went to see the specialist for the first time this morning, and I really wasn’t impressed with her at all.  Her whole attitude and that way she spoke really put me off.  I don’t deal with rude or condescending doctors or nurses very well anyway, but given that I was battle a migraine and had not slept well, I really wasn’t in the mood to deal with them this morning.

Now I realize that my weight is a contributing factor in all of the health problems that I am battling now, and I’m taking action to lose some of it.  Hell, I’ve lost 30+ pounds in the last 6 months.  But for the doctor to just flat out look at me and say that I should have bariatric surgery to help me lose weight, with out any regard to the fact that I have Congestive Heart Failure and a laundry list of other health problems, and might die on the operating table, is just out of line in my opinion.  And given that it’s my life we are dealing with, my opinion DOES matter!

Anyway, I go for my sleep study on July 10th, and once they confirm the sleep apnea, I will be treated and will have to sleep with a CPAP machine.   Basically, I’ll be wearing a mask of some sort, that will provide continuous positive airway pressure to keep me breathing while I’m sleeping.  I’m so not looking forward to that, but if it will help, I’m willing to give it a shot.

Now if I could only get this headache to go away.  Good night.

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Quote of the Day: 6/19/09

Posted on June 19, 2009 by mydiabeticheart

“Anyone can give up, it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength.” – Unknown

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Quote of the Day: 6/18/09

Posted on June 18, 2009 by mydiabeticheart

“I learned from the example of my father that the manner in which one endures what must be endured is more important than the thing that must be endured” – Dean Acheson

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