Heart Month: February 2016

Since I hae high cholesterol I find this information really importat and I think that the idea of this month is great. We not always know what to do or eat to be healthy, we not all had the chance to be raised on a family which took care of that, me mama used to cook whatever to feel our tummies, but know I understand the importance of eating healthy and excersising 

My wife has had three heart attacks but the specialists did not realise until the third one that they were heart attacks. They thought it was her COPD or Asthma, the GPs simply asked her to keep doubling her meds for chest problems. What they chose to ignore was her constant high blood pressure, very common for GPs. Finally she was diagnosed with Bechet's Disease instead of Lupus which causes heart problems as part of the symptoms. So weight and smoking had nothing to do with it but poor diagnoses by GPs and specialists for 30 years or more.

So look to blood pressure for a long term indicator and short term pain signs but apparently not all suffer them, my wife had no pain at all. Nor high cholesterol, my wife is overweight but never had a high reading in her life.

There seems to be no straight lines in life and it seems luck that you see the right GP or specialist or indeed a decent A&E.

I will say the paramedics do a good job but getting that priority is hit and miss in these modern days of the NHS depending you say the right trigger word enter into the computer.

My wife has a heart monitor in bedded in her chest, down loaded every 3 months for long term monitoring. She has daily measurements of heart beats, blood pressure, SP02, weight plus a few questions to answer on her general health and breathing. Downloaded each day to the heart nurse for close monitoring, we also have our own versions including a basic ECG.

Useful for me also because I have mistaken chest pains with the help of the NHS helpline and ended up in A&E through pulled muscles in my chest. Basic medical equipment is available for pennies off EBay or the local chemist so if in doubt check it out! 

Having numerous health issues including heart. How do you keep active when your physio. has to move you from a good exercise regime to less than 1/2 hour once a week? After about 10 mins. Of light hoovering am done in, sit down or fall down. Having been t.total, none smoker and don't eat fat lifetime. 

Which just leaves eating healthy, I can say hand on heart (No pun intended) but trying to eat good healthy diet is difficult. I have recently bought a Nutri Juicer. Including large packets of nuts dry fruit ect. I am not upto having both a microwave meal for 1  (Although tried meals for 2. not even opened, just binned) and glass of nourishing juice. The micro. meal wins with sometimes piece of fruit. Which my best friends take me for my shopping every other week!