My latest health scare was an irregular heart beat. My cardiologist seems unsure of the cause. He said that it can be an electrolyte imbalance, lack of sleep, stress or other causes. In response, he prescribed a higher dose of metroprolol and scheduled my next appointment two months away. He mentioned that my labs were normal in November/December of last year but didn't order new labs.
This was a very frustrating appointment because I don't feel like I left knowing much more than I did going in (more on this later). I will admit that while I was there, I didn't ask the greatest questions because I didn't feel great, I was upset and had a hard time focusing. When I got home, I tried to do research but there are so many different irregular heart beats that I didn't know where to start.
Most of the possible causes are things that I can change or at least try to change. I started to research the causes of an electrolyte imbalance. An electrolyte imbalance is when there isn't the right amount of certain nutrients in the blood such as, calcium, potassium, phosphate, magnesium and bicarbonate. I've already spent some time talking about sodium and I highly doubt I am lacking sodium because even though we rarely cook with salt at home, I still eat out and most of those meals are high in sodium.
I take a prescribed potassium supplement and sometimes, but not often, use salt substitutes that are high in potassium. I doubt my issue is a lack of potassium but since my medication strips potassium, its a possibility. I want to spend some time going through what I learned about potassium. First of all potassium is vital for the function of the heart, kidneys and other organs. It is important to eat foods that contain potassium, especially for those of us with heart issues because potassium can lower your risk of high blood pressure, kidney stones, stroke and remove excess sodium. High potassium is very dangerous, therefore, it is best to get potassium from foods and not from supplements (unless prescribed). An adult should consume 4,700 mg of potassium a day.
I don't know about you but 4,700mg seems like it may be difficult to reach each day so I've made a list of potassium rich foods that can help get you there.
Sweet potatoes - almost 700 mg in one
Tomato paste - 660 mg in 1/4 of a cup
Tomato sauce - 550 m in 1/2 of a cup
White beans - 600 mg
Plain nonfat yogurt - 580 mg
Carrot juice - 500 mg
Tuna - 500 mg
Edamame - 500 mg
Banana- 400 mg
Milk - 380 in a cup
French Fries - 677 mg
Alright you might be thinking what I'm thinking. Do I have to eat these potassium rich foods everyday to reach the recommended daily amount of 4,700 mg or can I eat what I normally eat with 2-3 adjustments that focus on potassium? Well lets see. Here is a daily meal plan with only 2-3 items focused on getting additional potassium (noted with **).
Breakfast
Toast 47 mg
1 grapefruit 166 mg
Orange juice 496 mg**
Lunch
Romaine lettuce 240 mg (2 cups)
Grilled chicken 220 mg
4 grape tomatoes 160 mg
1/2 avocado 485 mg
Ranch dressing 40 mg
Shredded cheese 28 mg
White beans (soup or chili) 600 mg**
Dinner
Spaghetti and meatballs 510 mg
Garlic bread 45 mg
Side salad (half of above without chicken) 475 mg
Snacks
yogurt 290 mg**
almonds 208 mg
The total comes to 4,010 milligrams which is a little lower than the goal but not too far away. Some small adjustments and we can easily get an additional 700 mg. Maybe add a banana, tomato juice, spinach, oranges or some combination.
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Supplement Time - Coenzyme Q10
After diagnosis, I decided it was important for me to research "alternative" treatments for heart failure. There are many different vitamins/supplements that pop up when searching online. Even though I shouldn't have to say this, I am going to add a quick disclaimer. I am not a medical doctor and this information is not intended to be medical advice. If you are interested in any supplement shown here, consult your doctor before taking. Also, supplements should be taken in addition to prescription medications and in no way replace those medications.
One of those is Coenzyme Q10 (Co Q10). Some people have reported that taking this supplement did not help them at all, others have had improvement in their EF, while others report a surge in energy when taking them. One symptom or effect of heart failure is fatigue and lack of energy which I definitely experience.
There are many articles online that talk about the benefits of Co Q10 especially for those interested in maintaining heart health. Not many of those articles recommend a brand or even which formulation is best. Initially, I didn't realize that there were multiple options. I started by taking a Co Q10 product that I purchased from Walgreens. I believe it was the Walgreens brand. Some of these can be expensive so I bought them when they were on sale. I took these for over two months and I didn't notice any difference so I decided to do a little more research.
This is when I read that Co Q10 as Ubiquinol is better for heart failure. I read reviews on Amazon and compared prices based on milligrams and decided to buy the Jarrow Formulas brand. I took for several months and I was starting to feel better. My EF improved and I had more energy. As with all vitamins/supplements, I stopped taking them. Recently, I have been having complications and I have been feeling tired. I decided to start taking these again as supplements in addition to the prescription medicines that I have.
If you are interested in trying Co Q 10, please click here. Let me know your experiences with Co Q10 by leaving a comment or sending a message.
One of those is Coenzyme Q10 (Co Q10). Some people have reported that taking this supplement did not help them at all, others have had improvement in their EF, while others report a surge in energy when taking them. One symptom or effect of heart failure is fatigue and lack of energy which I definitely experience.
There are many articles online that talk about the benefits of Co Q10 especially for those interested in maintaining heart health. Not many of those articles recommend a brand or even which formulation is best. Initially, I didn't realize that there were multiple options. I started by taking a Co Q10 product that I purchased from Walgreens. I believe it was the Walgreens brand. Some of these can be expensive so I bought them when they were on sale. I took these for over two months and I didn't notice any difference so I decided to do a little more research.
This is when I read that Co Q10 as Ubiquinol is better for heart failure. I read reviews on Amazon and compared prices based on milligrams and decided to buy the Jarrow Formulas brand. I took for several months and I was starting to feel better. My EF improved and I had more energy. As with all vitamins/supplements, I stopped taking them. Recently, I have been having complications and I have been feeling tired. I decided to start taking these again as supplements in addition to the prescription medicines that I have.
If you are interested in trying Co Q 10, please click here. Let me know your experiences with Co Q10 by leaving a comment or sending a message.
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Wow 9 months
I realized recently that it has been 9 months since my last post. I've written a couple posts over the last few months but none of them are ready in my mind for posting. I am not sure what they are missing or what it is that keeps me from posting. I think the reason is that I wrote my first posts when I was learning about PPCM and I thought it was important to share so that others know about this disease because I had never heard of it.
I wanted to continue to write so that there is one more resource for those that are recently diagnosed to read and know that they aren't alone. This sounds good but in reality, that means that I have to write about me and that isn't always comfortable. There have been plenty of times where I write and then decide that no one is interested in that topic or I don't want to come across as complaining when there are people worse off.
Like a few months ago, I started writing about my parking garage at work. We were blessed not to have any damage to our home from Hurricane Harvey. However, the parking garage near my job, which is underground, flooded. I waited about two years for a contract at this garage. While I waited I paid $15 for daily parking, I took the public bus to downtown or I bummed a ride with Sean. Finally, in March of 2017, when I returned to work, I got a parking contract.
Fast forward to fall of 2017 and I could no longer park in the garage because it flooded during Harvey. The garage found parking for those with contracts in other garages, and provides a shuttle to bring us closer to work. Unfortunately, the shuttle stop was about 2-3 blocks away from the office. For any other normal person, this is a small inconvenience and ordinarily I wouldn't complain when there are people who lost everything. But then I decided that this blog is my space and this is about living with PPCM and the truth is that the situation SUCKS.
I parked 8 blocks away. I would get on the shuttle (with an oversized laptop bag). Ride to a shuttle stop 2-3 blocks away from where I used to park. Walk to work. Some mornings by the time I arrived at my desk I was out of breathe and needed some time to regroup. Other mornings, I felt fine. Then I would work all day and do it all in the reverse to get home. Once at home, you feel like you can't do anything else, but your day isn't over. Dinner needs to be prepared and the kid(s) want all of your attention. The really terrible days are the ones when you really can't do anything else. The days when I hear "up" from love bug and picking her up feels like lifting a ton of bricks. Or the days when I am so exhausted I feel like I can't even carry her up the stairs.
Like I said before, when I typed it, I decided no one wants to hear your whining but this isn't being written for just anyone. Its for a mother with PPCM that finds it difficult to do daily tasks and maybe that one little inconvenience just sets her back a little more than she felt like she was the day before. Some days "regular" activities feel like too much and the purpose of this blog is to let someone else with PPCM know they aren't alone. Yes, we get winded after walking a mile on some days and after a block on others. Yes, we need breaks when other people don't. Yes, we can't do the things we are used to doing and often times we don't want to or can't admit it. Just know that although everything becomes harder but we still keep moving forward, even if its not at the same pace we are use to.
I wanted to continue to write so that there is one more resource for those that are recently diagnosed to read and know that they aren't alone. This sounds good but in reality, that means that I have to write about me and that isn't always comfortable. There have been plenty of times where I write and then decide that no one is interested in that topic or I don't want to come across as complaining when there are people worse off.
Like a few months ago, I started writing about my parking garage at work. We were blessed not to have any damage to our home from Hurricane Harvey. However, the parking garage near my job, which is underground, flooded. I waited about two years for a contract at this garage. While I waited I paid $15 for daily parking, I took the public bus to downtown or I bummed a ride with Sean. Finally, in March of 2017, when I returned to work, I got a parking contract.
Fast forward to fall of 2017 and I could no longer park in the garage because it flooded during Harvey. The garage found parking for those with contracts in other garages, and provides a shuttle to bring us closer to work. Unfortunately, the shuttle stop was about 2-3 blocks away from the office. For any other normal person, this is a small inconvenience and ordinarily I wouldn't complain when there are people who lost everything. But then I decided that this blog is my space and this is about living with PPCM and the truth is that the situation SUCKS.
I parked 8 blocks away. I would get on the shuttle (with an oversized laptop bag). Ride to a shuttle stop 2-3 blocks away from where I used to park. Walk to work. Some mornings by the time I arrived at my desk I was out of breathe and needed some time to regroup. Other mornings, I felt fine. Then I would work all day and do it all in the reverse to get home. Once at home, you feel like you can't do anything else, but your day isn't over. Dinner needs to be prepared and the kid(s) want all of your attention. The really terrible days are the ones when you really can't do anything else. The days when I hear "up" from love bug and picking her up feels like lifting a ton of bricks. Or the days when I am so exhausted I feel like I can't even carry her up the stairs.
Like I said before, when I typed it, I decided no one wants to hear your whining but this isn't being written for just anyone. Its for a mother with PPCM that finds it difficult to do daily tasks and maybe that one little inconvenience just sets her back a little more than she felt like she was the day before. Some days "regular" activities feel like too much and the purpose of this blog is to let someone else with PPCM know they aren't alone. Yes, we get winded after walking a mile on some days and after a block on others. Yes, we need breaks when other people don't. Yes, we can't do the things we are used to doing and often times we don't want to or can't admit it. Just know that although everything becomes harder but we still keep moving forward, even if its not at the same pace we are use to.
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