Sunday, July 27, 2008

Various Things

Hello all. Not much of a knitting nature to report. DH's sweater was blocked and sewed up and he was happy with it. The sweater I was making for myself is coming along nicely and the socks for myself (formally known as the cursed socks) are nearly done.

Got a bit of a scare healthwise. I went to the doctor because I had been complaining of a post nasal drip to DH and he wanted me to see the doctor as I also felt a tightness in my throat and a heaviness on my chest and thought it might be my asthma rearing it's head again. Well I got to the doctor and told him my symptoms. He checked me over and then said he wanted to do an EKG. I was kind of surprised but had no problem with it so consented. When he had read it he told me that there were subtle changes in my EKG and he had arranged for the cardilogist to see me after I took a chest x-ray. (it's a multi-specialty medical group so they are all in one building). Well I was a little worried but went along with it and saw the cardiologist who also took an EKG and found subtle changes in it. I had had a cholestrol test a few weeks back and they pulled it out. My cholesterol was way elevated, (231 to be exact) and he immediatly wrote out a perscription for a cholesterol lowering drug as well as something to "help my heart" I also had to make appointments for an echocardiogram and a stress test. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I was surprised to say the least because I'd never had trouble with my heart before. Was I scared? Not really, just pissed off in the extreme that I'd let this happen to me.

Well I've taken this to be wakeup call. The medication for my heart has gotten rid of the tightness in my throat as well as the feeling of heaviness in my chest which I now know are symptoms of angina. I've started walking again and have been closely watching my diet. Got a great book called the New 8-Week Cholesteral Cure. It's got all kinds of info on how to cut down cholesterol and strenghten your heart. I've never been really sick, always a healthy person but I've kind of taken it for granted in the last few years. I've put on way too much weight and haven't been at all careful over what I ate, hardly exercised. That has to change now I no longer have the luxury of sitting back and doing nothing. I've been distinctly told by the doctors that I have to take this into my hands and do something about it. Wish me luck.