Author Topic: (off topic) HEALTH CHALLANGE (Read 2999 times)

Cat Whisperer · « **on:** January 12, 2007, 01:20:30 PM »

OK, at the first of the year my blood pressure was 135/84. (120/80 should be tops.)

Then came the CHEST PAINS! Out of pure fear I started back to walking 20-30minutes each day.

Today it was 107/74.

PASSED the stress today as well! NO sign of any blockages! (That means the chest pains are not from clogged up arteries but from something else like reflux - MUCH less life-threatening!)

HERE'S the CHALLANGE: Get your blood pressure checked, and if needed get it lower! I'm celbrating, but there were a few days where I was in FEAR.

Graybeard · « **Reply #1 on:** January 12, 2007, 01:34:21 PM »

Mine was checked first time in '97 when a nasty fall from a ladder onto a concrete floor sent me to the hospital to get put back together. It was 212/112 as best as I can recall or somewhere really close to that. NOT GOOD. They told me I was a stroke waiting to happen and refused to let me leave until some med they gave me got it back down to a more reasonable firgure. I was told to go see my doctor.

I'm now on five different BP meds to keep it under control and it's working. Mine is often as low as 110/65 and hardly ever reaches 120/80 anymore.

BUT I too had those chest pains and I too went for the stress test. I flunked it cuz I couldn't even stay on the treadmill long enough for a valid reading. They had to tote me back to a bed to lay down from the treadmill. They then stressed me chemically and said I needed a heart cath rat now. So I got that and was told I had one 20% blockage which they don't even bother with and several very minor blockages. My heart muscle is thickened greatly from the years of high BP but not really damaged.

I still can't breath and have low oxygen levels when I stand or walk compared to normal and compared to when I sit. I've had tens of thousands of dollars worth of tests done on both my heart and lungs and even a few for other parts of the body they suspected and todate the doctors have no clue why I have the shortness of breath issues. Walking even 50 yards takes all my breath away and at times just walking to the bathroom from the living room does.

I also tend to black out and hit the floor at times when I get up from sitting and still tend to fall off if I climb ladders so mostly I don't do that.

Getting old is tougher than I thought it was gonna be.

Powder keg · « **Reply #2 on:** January 12, 2007, 01:36:23 PM »

Glad to hear All's good with you. Keep walking.

Wes

Rickk · « **Reply #3 on:** January 12, 2007, 01:48:47 PM »

I had chest pains 5 years ago... they were stress induced (although I could probably loose a few pounds and eat better as well).

Anyway, this little middle-eastern nurse-practicianer dude was hookin up all sort of electrodes to me to do an EKG.

He slid up my left pant-leg ( this was my first EKG... i didn't know here would do that )....

He got a stress test himself when he saw the colt .380 in the ankle holster. He went for a walk for a few minutes while I stuck it in my jacket pocket.

Mental note... leave gun in car when going someplace where they might see it.

How much weight did you loose by walking for only a month, and did you change eating habits as well?

From what I have been able to gather, you have to walk about a mile to walk off a single M&M candy (not a bag... just one M&M)

jeeper1 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 12, 2007, 02:52:30 PM »

Greybeard wrote

Quote

I also tend to black out and hit the floor at times when I get up from sitting

I had that problem for a while, it turned out that my blood pressure was too low and standing up caused it to drop even more.
At my age (59) my doctor says that 140/90 is acceptable, he also says the lower number is more important then the upper. You should have your DR. check your BP as you stand up to be sure that's not the problem.

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #5 on:** January 12, 2007, 04:01:28 PM »

My brother made an observation when he was in the Marine Corps - the older members were runners (the non-runners didn't get to those ages).

As I hear it most doctors now are saying lower is better, lower than what was thought to be OK a few years ago.

Guns - stress? While on the EKG and waiting for the doc to come back (required attendance) I was playing with it - watching what my blood pressure at various points would do when in the standing rifle shooting position - checking out the three deep breaths and letting 1/2 of the last one out before squeezing the trigger. (Explained it to the nurse - & she shared what pistols she shot.) Then the doctor came back and the converstation shifted to the pistols he shot!

Weight - that's next. I'm 6'4" and weigh in at 260-265. Too much. Working on it, but it's going to be tougher than just walking (FAST) for 20-30 minutes each day. Haven't lost much. Weighed 275 before Christmas. Dropped the blood pressure in 14 days of walking.

GGaskill · « **Reply #6 on:** January 12, 2007, 05:32:48 PM »

Isn't old age (I turned over 60 last December) great?

Rickk · « **Reply #7 on:** January 12, 2007, 05:43:57 PM »

I hit 50 two days after CHRISTmas

Graybeard · « **Reply #8 on:** January 12, 2007, 06:12:02 PM »

Quote

At my age (59) my doctor says that 140/90 is acceptable, he also says the lower number is more important then the upper. You should have your DR. check your BP as you stand up to be sure that's not the problem.

The monitors for the most part don't react fast enough to tell and all he has is a pressure cuff anyway. Basically his thoughts on it are that if I get up too fast too much of my blood is in my lower body and legs and not enough in my brain and since I have the problem of oxygen starvation when I stand versus sitting anyway it's lowing the oxygen to my brain not so much my BP and that's what's laying me out. His solution is to NOT get up fast. Also I'm bad about stretching when I rise, bad move, as if I do I tend to black out every time.

Quote

Weight - that's next. I'm 6'4" and weigh in at 260-265. Too much. Working on it, but it's going to be tougher than just walking (FAST) for 20-30 minutes each day. Haven't lost much. Weighed 275 before Christmas. Dropped the blood pressure in 14 days of walking.

I'll be 62 in March, I'm 5' 8" and weight about 260. I really can't do much walking and no fast walking because of my shortness of breath issues. It's tough for sure. If I were able to drop about 100 pounds I think a lot of my problems would go away.

Because of all my previous HBP problems he doesn't want my BP to even get close to 120/80 anymore.

GGaskill · « **Reply #9 on:** January 12, 2007, 06:18:54 PM »

If I were able to drop about 100 pounds I think a lot of my problems would go away.

Here, here! Even 50 would help me a lot but it's a lot easier talking about than doing.

Double D · « **Reply #10 on:** January 12, 2007, 06:40:23 PM »

I was having chest pains a couple of years ago, drove myself to the emergency room--wife is still mad over that-- got hooked up to everything and rolled out a typical 100/65 BP. They hooked me up to an IV. My wife warned them that my blood pressure was going to drop when they did that and I would pass out...sure did. All the alarms started going off and the machine appeared to flat line---well not really but turns out, my heart slowed down so much that the machine wouldn't read the heart rate that slow--the ekg paper showed it though.

They kept me in the hospital over night and tested me every which way they could. Sent me to a heart specialist, more tests and xrays and scans. Finally the Dr. came in and told me that I was vaso-vagal reactive--that has to do with he nerve that controls the heart. That caused me to pass out during invasive procedures--IV's, dental work, local antihesia surgery. He also told me the I had arthritis where the ribs connect to the sternum--the chest pain, Then he said I needed to add more salt to my diet to get my blood pressure up. I had been desalted for years--never used the stuff. He also told me he wasn't going to tell me thart I needed to loose weight but it wouldn't hurt.

I will complete my 60th year of life in November. I have set a goal of 25 more years of life after which time I will re-evaluate the goal. I also asked my wife if she would like to try for 75 years of marriage, we'll need 35 more years for that goal, but are over half way now so are going for it.

Blaster · « **Reply #11 on:** January 13, 2007, 06:30:27 AM »

Wow, it's a treat to see that I'm not the only senior/mature shooter out here on the BP mortar/cannon site. I just turned 70 last month and still feel llike I'm around 40. I go for a complete physical every year and so far, the only prescription med that I take is 2.5 gr of Crestor. My Dr. was amazed at how my former borderline chlorestorol problem disappeared with such a tiny amount of the drug. Two months ago, the wife and I removed about 40 medium sized ponderosa pines on our property, that had died due to a disease. We cut em down, blocked em, loaded and hauled off a ton of branches, did the splitting (with a hydraulic splitter - I am not nutz) and then the Mrs. stacked the entire huge pile. We just had two blizzards, one after the other, and had paths to shovel that were 4 to 5 foot deep. LOTS OF SNOW, yuck!! Never got winded, dizzy or had any problems other than getting a little wore out from work that we weren't used to. Hey, I'm still here so the old ticker must be in tolerable shape still. Now, let's ALL stay healthy for 2007 and succeeding years.

jeeper1 · « **Reply #12 on:** January 13, 2007, 07:09:45 AM »

When my brother died on Dec 27 2006 I inherited his two cats by default. These were my mothers cats and when she died my brother got them, then he died and I got them. My sister has a cat and my last brother 1300 miles away already has a zoo at home. Last night while talking to my sister she ordered me to outlive the cats. Since they are only 8 and 2/3rds years old I guess I am going to have to last at least another 10 years. I hope I do.

Rickk · « **Reply #13 on:** January 13, 2007, 12:18:46 PM »

Blaster, I heat with wood, and I loose 10-25 # every year during "firewood cutting week". We burn a lot of pine because we have a lot of pine. It takes about 8 cords of pine and a couple cords of hardwood to make it thru the New England winter.

When one accepts wood as the primary source of heat, a 72 CC Husky saw and a massive home made hydraulic splitter are justafiable toys. So was the Mig welder needed to make the splitter. The Farmall tractor fit in there someplace as well. Those are somehow justafiable perkes of heating with wood, right?

Interesting that your wife does the stacking. Mine usually does too.

She stacks it neat. I would just heave it all into one big pile and consider it done.

does this sound familiar?

AndyHass · « **Reply #14 on:** January 13, 2007, 12:51:39 PM »

My whole family is overweight, and I was as a kid. Now I run at a pretty high level and that's all that keeps me thin as I still don't eat all that much (I ran 126 miles in one week while off work for Christmas).

As I recall, my BP is like 105/60, resting heart rate is 38-42 when I'm in peak shape (45-48 when not training hard), and my cholesterol was 106 last year. A buddy in the same shape as me almost got hospitalized by an ignorant doc who thought he was having heart failure due to his low HR and enlarged heart (normal in runners).

I may get too busy to try and win marathons, but I'll run unless my legs fall off. It's easier to keep problems away starting early than it is to fix them once they happen. My mother would love to lose weight and solve some issues but her knees won't allow any exercise, and neither will the breathing issues, which makes it hard to lose weight with any speed.

Walking burns 70-100 calories per mile (that's more than 1 M&M...maybe 10?). A lb of fat is around 3600 cal....a lot of walking.

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #15 on:** January 13, 2007, 02:37:21 PM »

Quote from: AndyHass on January 13, 2007, 12:51:39 PM

...
Walking burns 70-100 calories per mile (that's more than 1 M&M...maybe 10?). A lb of fat is around 3600 cal....a lot of walking.

Andy - sounds like you've got a grip on it. As I hear folks with your blood pressure might have problems if they need surgery (to low BP).

Hmmm 36 miles per pound of fat? Sounds well worth it!

Don Krag · « **Reply #16 on:** January 13, 2007, 07:48:00 PM »

Two years ago I was a complete stressed wreck. Reflux to the point of vomiting in my sleep, bleeding ulcers, insomnia, periodic chest pains, racing pulse, etc. I was only 35 at the time!

A new job, slightly better diet and 15 "permamnent" pounds later and I'm doing fine other than just a little reflux and being generally out of shape. I started getting back into the medieval armoured sport combat and have been slowly losing weight. I had to do a ton of tests when my new company was setting up life insurance plans. My BP was fine...which is great since I have high BP and diabetes on both sides of my family... but my liver enzymes were off a bit. Probably a remnant of all the chemicals i was around as a radiological and haz-mat responder for the previous 6 years! My goal is to get back down to 210 by the end of May. I'll be 38 in four weeks and I'm planning on going to at least 138!

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #17 on:** January 14, 2007, 12:43:55 AM »

This thread has been an eye-opener for me.

Let me repeat the challange: walk EVERY day (20-30 minutes - work up to it if you need to) and measure your blood pressure every day.

Build from there. Start from where you are, push yourself a LITTLE and repeat. It's the habbit that counts.

103/74 this morning. Averaging 108/74 now. It peaked at 114/77 the day after the stress test - I didn't walk that day!

copdoc · « **Reply #18 on:** January 14, 2007, 02:45:06 AM »

I was trying to get away from work here but......

An unremarkable EKG and a negative stress test does not mean you do not have a blockage. If you have chest pain with exercise be sure you tell your doctor again,(and again) especially if you sweat, have arm or neck pain, nausea. or difficulty breathing. Other bad things cause chest pain also. Be sure he/she has a diagnosis.

In my patients I try to get the blood pressure as low as they can tolerate it with 120/70 being the goal. If your blood pressure is low and you are very overweight ask your doctor to check your thyroid. Age does not have any effect on BP goals.

Exercise seems to be protective for almost all disease states. Not that you can not be thin and exercise and die young running but if you look at the overall picture it appears be a major benifit. (I always here a story about a young health nut that died young) I need to improve on exercise myself.

A lot of people seen to have increased liver funtion tests, but I work all of them up and track them. Obesity can cause them to be increased but I like to be reasonably sure.

Quote

He got a stress test himself when he saw the colt .380 in the ankle holster. He went for a walk for a few minutes while I stuck it in my jacket pocket.

My nurse will ask if you are carriing before getting your weight, then I would ask for your Colt for your copay. A lot of my patients are cops, gun collectors and machinists. Are you surprised?

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #19 on:** January 14, 2007, 03:14:52 AM »

CopDoc -

Thanks for deviating and getting back into your field of work!

In addition to the EKG the doctor did the nuclear immaging before and after the stress test to see if he could see anything. There was nothing to be seen out of the ordinary. There are, of course, other tests beyond this more that can be done to determine if there's a problem.

Rickk · « **Reply #20 on:** January 14, 2007, 03:17:01 AM »

My Wife's uncle "Henry" died a 102 years old. He ran 20 miles a day while he was still in his 90's. He was on the thin side... guess that exersize stuff does do good things.

He had to give up skiing at 96... not because he couldn't handle it, but because he couldn't see well. The ski slope people wouldn't let him in any more because he kept running slower moving "youngsters" over.

copdoc · « **Reply #21 on:** January 14, 2007, 04:33:25 AM »

CW I hope you are not having the chest pain anymore.

Quote

He had to give up skiing at 96

Genetics is prob your best protector. You have some good genes. Exercise will really improve quality as well as quantity of life.

Also, you never see and active 90 year old that says I smoke 1-2 packs a day. Put em down. They also can set off the BP by mistake Er.... black powder not blood pressure.

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #22 on:** January 14, 2007, 02:11:41 PM »

CopDoc - Thanks, I don't know - at this level of HEIGHTENED sensitivity to chest pain - if I'll ever be the same again. The all-day tightness is gone - took a week of fast-paced walking. But I am now atuned to every little feeling - where before I exercised my skills in IGNORING pain. Walking is good, work up a sweat, get tired and do another block or two further than yesterday.

Thanks, Tim K.

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #23 on:** January 14, 2007, 02:39:04 PM »

One last post, as we've been down the road a ways on this one -

I am continually impressed with the quality of folks here and around on the net. Here are a couple of exchanges with 'Robert' on another board - his by-line caught my eye and I asked him about it (re-posted here with permission) –

What about weight? Have you been overweight? We all have a few lbs we want to shed. When I was in the workforce I hovered around 200lbs. At 6'3" that is a good weight. Now that I am office bound (8 years), I have slowly crept to about 225 but my bp has been higher. I will admit that the exercise has been much much less. My 43rd b-day is in a few weeks. Maybe this year I will give myself a better present than gunstuff: start a exercise routine....
Sometimes people say stuff in passing not meaning anything by it. This is one of those times for me. You have said something that has opened my eyes to something I have seen all the time but never recognized. I need to exercise so I can see my 3 girls through life.
Robert
NRA Life Member
Gateway Rifle and Pistol Club Life Member

"Enjoy life like there is only 6 weeks left"

SO, I asked him what the by-line meant:

The by-line came about because a good friend of mine (25 years) found out he had cancer in aug of 05. He did chemo for a while and it went into remission. In Feb of 06 he stopped calling or answering my calls. He found out the cancer had come back even stronger. I continued calling him almost everyday but he never answered or returned my calls. Finally I called his wife in mid-July and ask what was up. She told me he had given up so I told her I was on the way. I showed up the following Friday. By then he was pretty much bed stricken and on heavy meds that he had to take every 4 hours. She said it was like having a baby all over again since she had to tend to him every 4 hours and she was getting very little sleep and it was causing her job to suffer. I offered to come every Friday, stay the weekend and give her a hand. By then he was in a hospital bed that was located in the middle of the living room, I would show up on Friday and sleep on the couch waking when he called to me then go home Sunday evening. We spent a lot of nights talking about life, god and what would happen when he left. One Sunday I went home and on the following Tuesday she called and said he had passed. I bailed out of work for the rest of the week, left for Charleston again ( this was a 300 mile drive one way) and stayed the week. The funeral was on a Saturday. We got thru that and I went home. She called me every day for support and now about 16 months later she is a lot stonger. In fact she came down for this weekend to relax with my me and my family. I must thank my wife for being just as strong as my friend for allowing me to do all that. Anyway, that time span that was left that I was able to spend with him was about 6 weeks. I tried to cram a lot of friendship in that time but I missed a lot more. That is where my by-line came from. I am sorry for the long ramble and thank you for your inspiration.

Robert
NRA Life Member
Gateway Rifle and Pistol Club Life Member

"Enjoy life like there is only 6 weeks left"

Will Bison · « **Reply #24 on:** January 19, 2007, 10:24:42 AM »

Sounds like many of us are getting "over the ridge", my BP has always been OK but I shot up on weight and cholesterol. Walking and dumping about 50 pounds got things under control. I'm 61 and I guess it's time to start watching the health issues.

I just lost a good friend who had chest pains for about three days, he refused to see the Doc, he woke up dead two days ago. He was 63.

Bill

jeeper1 · « **Reply #25 on:** January 19, 2007, 11:34:41 AM »

Quote

he refused to see the Doc

My brother was the same way. That independent stubborn streak cost him his life.

Blaster · « **Reply #26 on:** January 19, 2007, 03:10:40 PM »

Quote from: Rickk on January 13, 2007, 12:18:46 PM

Blaster, I heat with wood, and I loose 10-25 # every year during "firewood cutting week". We burn a lot of pine because we have a lot of pine. It takes about 8 cords of pine and a couple cords of hardwood to make it thru the New England winter.

When one accepts wood as the primary source of heat, a 72 CC Husky saw and a massive home made hydraulic splitter are justafiable toys. So was the Mig welder needed to make the splitter. The Farmall tractor fit in there someplace as well. Those are somehow justafiable perkes of heating with wood, right?

Interesting that your wife does the stacking. Mine usually does too.

She stacks it neat. I would just heave it all into one big pile and consider it done.

does this sound familiar?

Yeah Rick, that does sound familiar. I am using the lap top right now and the wood stove is going strong about two yards away from me. Feels great but makes me very sleepy while sitting here in the recliner. Bob

Michael Az · « **Reply #27 on:** January 20, 2007, 02:26:02 AM »

Glad it has worked out for you CW and glad some of you other fellows are losing weight and getting in better health. Here's my story but please do not pay any attention to the irony involved.
Don't know if anybody has noticed or not, but I haven't been here for a month. It seems that after quitting smoking three packs a day thirty years ago and losing 40 lbs this last year, that I got sick before Christmas. Dr and I thought it was pneumonia but wouldn't respond to treatment. Tests revealed very rare lung cancer called mesothelioma. Yes, the asbestos one. They did surgery right away, but not much else can be done.
I had just got interested in building cannons and had only made two golf ball mortars but hopefully there will be time left for building some more.
I really waited to go to the doctor, like a lot of men do, not a good idea! My cancer isn't treatable, but if it were some other type it could have made a difference.

Double D · « **Reply #28 on:** January 20, 2007, 03:05:46 AM »

My friend I am really at a lost for words. You will get our prayers....I suppose you must just live each day as it's own. You are still here and we will look forward to you continuing to post with us.

Graybeard · « **Reply #29 on:** January 20, 2007, 12:01:25 PM »

Mike, I hear what you are saying BUT there might be a cure. I'm not totally convinced of this but Matt is and if you want a hope to hang onto contact him for details as I don't have them.

He assures me that research has indicated cancer cannot live in an alkaline environment. The normal human body is somewhat acidic and ONLY in that acidic environment can it live. His girl friend was diagnosed and I think told it was hopeless. She took the chance and did what his research had indicated and when she went back it was totally and completely gone with no surgery.

He did once explain to me what was involved and it's basically just a diet change but wow what a change it would be for me. Still when it seems hopeless and the end is near such a change might not seem so bad considering the alternative. Do not sluff this off. It has worked for several folks. He's not asking one red cent and isn't selling you anything. He will just point you to the plan that he is certain has saved several that weren't supposed to come back.

At least ask him. You can PM him or contact me and I'll give you the e-mail address or phone number if you want to talk with him more on it. It's your life and all it involves is a diet change to change your body's pH.