Heart Healthy Living

Found another good web site to keep your heart healthy -
  Heart Healthy Living!    (click & check it out)

The article I read was - Food Swaps to Lower Tryglycerides

Here are some of the switches:
Instead of: Bagel with cream cheese 
Choose: Whole wheat English muffin with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter


Instead of: Cheese omelet
Choose: Egg-white omelet with spinach, onions, peppers (or any vegetables you like), with or without one slice of whole wheat toast


Instead of: Sugar-frosted, honey-dipped, or chocolate cereal
Choose: 100-percent whole grain cereals, such as shredded wheat, Total, Kashi, or oatmeal; fat-free milk; and 1 tablespoon of chopped almonds


Instead of: Soda or fruit drinks
Choose: Flavored seltzers, diet sodas, fat-free milk or low-fat soymilk, tea


Instead of: Cookies
Choose: One handful of unsalted nuts (about 10-12 nuts) with a cup of tea, fat-free milk, or water


Instead of: Potato chips
Choose: 10 Soy Crisps crackers or carrots with 2-3 tablespoons hummus


Instead of: Spaghetti and meatballs
Choose: Whole grain pasta primavera with broccoli, onions, carrots, and peas lightly sauteed with garlic and olive oil


Instead of: Ice cream
Choose: 1/2 cup fat-free frozen yogurt with 1 teaspoon chopped walnuts


Some good ideas - I have a sweet tooth and if any cookies or ice cream is in the house I will attack it!  Need to try the frozen yogurt & a better replacement for cookies.  The "sweet" hunger drive is hard to beat!  And I tried some of the whole grain pasta, but did not like it.  One trick I have for the sweet hunger drive is sugar free hard candy.

Worst Food for High Cholesterol

Time to focus on the diet again.  Found this article about foods that have HIGH cholesterol.  Take a look:

Worst Foods for High Cholesterol (Click and take a look)

Avoid Trans Fats!

Foods to Avoid!

1 - French Fries!

2 - ANYTHING battered or fried!

3 - Grain-Fed Beef! (Grass-fed instead)

4 - Stick Margarine

5 - Eat less BAKED GOODS

6 - Avoid - Doughnuts

7 - Avoid Soft Drinks

I do love many of these foods, but I love my "HEART" more!!!  Of all the things on this list, "BAKED GOODS" are the most difficult for me to avoid - Shoo Fly Pie, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Sticky Buns, are just a few!!!

New Game Plan - Fighting PVC's!

It is October 12th, my next meeting with the cardiologist is January 10th.  I have 3 months to begin my new experiment.  The use of ablation to solve my PVC's does have some risk, so the doctor wants to try everything possible before this procedure.  Here is the new med list for the next 2-3 weeks:

Stop taking the Imdur - Isosorbide (did not change anything)

Still taking my regular medication for my other issues:
Singulair - 10 mg - 1 per day (this is for my allergies & asthma)
Aciphex - 20 mg - 1 per day (this is for my stomach issues)

Now the heart issues:
Bayer (lo dose) Aspirin - 81 mg - 1 per day - (was taking this before my open heart surgery)
Lipitor - 40 mg -1 per day - (was taking 10 mg before the open heart surgery)

Plavix - 75 mg - 1 per day - (new after open heart surgery)

Amlodipine - 5 mg - 1 per day - (new after open heart surgery)

Metoprolol - 25 mg - 1 per day - (new after open heart surgery)

So, for the past 10 months, the drug we have tried to use the most for the PVC's has been - Metoprolol.  I started at 25 mg, went to 50 mg, then to 100 mg, back to 50 mg, and now down to 25 mg per day!  We may also introduce a new experiment - Potassium.  This will be introduced after 3 weeks of the new dose of Metoprolol.

The new experiment begins today!

Understanding PVC's

OK. I had my latest check-up with my cardiologist about my PVC's.  Here is the Game Plan!

1 - No Ablation.  Dr. Worley wants to try a few more med changes.  The ablation does have some risk, so the meds will be the safer plan for now.  He said if the ablation is on the left side of the heart, we would have a slight chance of a stroke.  This side of the heart feeds the brain and the chance may be 1 in 100, that a stroke may occur.  So, will will not take those odds right now.

2 - Stop using the Imdur.  This drug did not change a thing.  Here is where the doctor listened to the patient.  I suggested trying to lower my beta blocker, Toprol.  So, the decision was made to go from 50 mg per day to 25 mg.  We will try that a couple weeks.

3 - Next, if we have no change,, move the Toprol back to 50 mg and add more Potassium to my daily intake - twice a day take 20 meg.

The results of the second 24 hour heart monitor were very interesting!  The first time I had the monitor I had 1621 PVC's that day.  I also exercised that day & got the heart rate up to 100.  This time, I had the heart monitor I only had 168 PVC's!  I did not exercise and had my heart rate up to 84!

So, I think the Albright experiment is working - with exercise 1621 PVC's, without exercise 168!  THAT IS 10 TIMES THE AMOUNT OF PVC'S WHILE EXERCISING!!

The theory is as I exercise, my heart is not getting enough oxygen.  So, the experiment continues.  I will start the new med routine on Wednesday - Oct 12th.

Questions for the Doctor

Here we go - questions for the doctor!!

What were the results for the halter?

           

            How many beats?                              How many PVC’s?

Medications?                          Can I remove some?  Or cut some??

Aspirin EC Tab                                   81 mg              1 per day                     AM

Lipitor(Atorvastatin)                            40 mg              1 per day                     PM

Amlodipine                                          5 mg                1 per day                                 AM

Plavix(Clipidorel Bisulfate)                 75 mg              1 per day                     AM

Metoprolol(Lopressor, Toprol)           50 mg              1 per day                     AM

Isosorbide (Imdur or Isotrate)             30 mg              1 per day                     AM

Ejection Fraction?  What percent?

PVC Ablation??  What is the plan??

           

Where in the heart are the PVC’s?

Danger of the PVC’s??

PVC Decisions This Week

This week is a big week!  Decisions will be made on my directions for PVC's.  So... for the next few days I will continue to gather information for questions for my cardiologist!

PVC Ablation - what happens?

Ejection Fraction - What Percent?

Area of the Heart for PVC's- what location in the heart?

Most PVCs originated from scar tissue.   Is that my issue?

In various doctors’ offices, and at various points in history, PVCs have been regarded as either harbingers of impending death or as completely benign phenomena that require no attention whatsoever.  What is my danger?