foxgloves

Foxglove contains chemicals from which the prescription medication digoxin (Lanoxin) is made. These chemicals can increase the strength of heart muscle contractions, change heart rate, and increase heart blood output.

my medicine chest

And medicine for my chest, as well! 😉

My used-to-be self only took one piece of Panadol when I had a headache . . . .

This is the medicine chest Florence Nightingale took to the Crimean War, I'm told.
It included a mix of medicines and herbal remedies: from bicarbonate of soda,
essence of ginger, to powdered rhubarb.

Here's a recap of what PH is:

Pulmonary hypertension is a rare, progressive lung disorder in which the arteries that carry blood from the heart to the lungs become narrowed, making it difficult for blood to flow through the vessels. As a result, the blood pressure in these arteries -- called pulmonary arteries -- rises far above normal levels. This abnormally high pressure strains the right ventricle of the heart, causing it to expand in size.

The most common symptoms of IPAH include:

• shortness of breath when physically active
• tiredness
• dizziness
• fainting
• swelling in the extremities, including legs and ankles
• chest pressure or pain
• racing pulse
• hoarseness - most likely due to the compression of the left recurrent laryngeal nerve between the normal aorta and dilated tense pulmonary artery (Ortner's syndrome)

To manage these symptoms, these are my must-takes:

Sildenafil

1/2 tablet, three times a day.

What it does:

Sildenafil is a vasodilator anti-hypertensive medication. It relaxes pulmonary smooth muscle cells, which leads to dilation of the pulmonary arteries. It also eases the pressure in the pulmonary arteries, helping with blood flow to the lungs. 

Sildenafil is also more commonly known as Viagra. 

Side effects:

• Nose bleeds
• Headache
• Upset stomach and heartburn
• Flushing of the skin
• Difficulty sleeping
• Worsening shortness of breath
• Nasal congestion

Digoxin

1/2 a tablet, in the morning.

What it does:

Derived from the foxglove plant, digoxin can improve symptoms by strengthening the heart muscle contractions, and slowing down the heart rate.

Side effects:

• Dizziness
• Changes in mood and mental alertness, including confusion, depression and lost interest in usual activities
• Anxiety
• Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea
• Headache
• Rash

Spironolactone and Frusemide

1/2 tablet, of each, in the morning.

Both are diuretics, and they serve to remove extra fluid from the tissues and bloodstream, which reduces swelling and makes breathing easier.

Side effects:

My two diuretics cancel each other out in the case of increasing/decreasing potassium levels - which is a side effect of diuretics.

But, their other side effects are:

• low sodium levels
• headache
• dizziness
• thirst
• increased blood sugar
• muscle cramps

Water

PH patients are instructed to restrict their total fluid intake to less than two liters per day. Reducing fluid intake helps prevent swelling and fluid retention. More importantly, it also helps prevent an increase in blood volume - easing the load on the heart.

Ezetimibe

1 tablet, at night

Ezetimibe is a drug that lowers plasma cholesterol levels. It acts by decreasing cholesterol absorption in the small intestine.

Side effects:

• numbness or tingly feeling
• mild stomach pain, diarrhea
• tired feeling
• headache
• dizziness
• depressed mood
• runny or stuffy nose, cold symptoms
• joint pain, or back pain

Seretide

1 puff in the morning, and 1 at night.

The inhaler has two medications that help prevent lung inflamation, and/or an asthma attack.

Side effects:

• Hoarseness
• Headache
• Soreness of the throat or tongue
• Muscle cramps
• Increase in heart rate

Avamys

1 puff in each nostril, in the morning

Since I have multiple allergies, I have been prescribed this to help ease these symptoms: stuffy, runny, or itchy nose; sneezing; and red, itchy, or watery eyes. Simply delightful!!!

But, here come the side effects:

• back pain
• cough
• fever
• nose irritation or pain
• nosebleeds
• sore throat
• stuffy nose

Disflatyl

1 tablet - to be chewed - whenever I need it.

This medication is used to ease the symptoms of gas build-up in the stomach - leading to discomfort and pain. Simethicone helps break up gas bubbles in the gut.

I've always had a somewhat delicate stomach. An avalanche of medicine poured into it, every day, doesn't help it any. So, it is a delicate balance of taking my meds, eating just enough to keep my stomach happy, and trying not to tip the balance and invite a gas build-up. Some days, it is easy-peasy. Other days, I think walking a tightrope in the Andes would be easier.

There really aren't any side effects for this, but there might be an allergic reaction:

rash, itching/swelling (especially of the face/tongue/throat), severe dizziness, trouble breathing - none of which has happened to me. Fingers crossed!

in resting mode, today

easing the load

At the end of July, last year, my blood pressure was soaring. I finally gave up the fight, and began taking medication for it. Never mind that the medicines didn't quite work, and that they gave me a host of side-effects, and left me feeling miserable.

If you read about high blood pressure online, every article will say: Lose the weight, and lose the high blood pressure. I decided that that is what I was going to do: Lose the weight. At the time, I weighed 73.7 kg.

The technical term for that is fatso : especially for someone standing barely 5-foot-no-inches tall.

I went online and tried to find something that would work for me. There is so much information out there, and a lot of it pure drivel.

I'd already stopped eating wheat: I am allergic to it. Wheat makes my stomach ill. And, when there is wheat in my stomach, all the other food there doesn't get digested, and I get painful bloating. So, wheat-out was already in place.

I'd also extended to no-no's to carbohydrates, except for a bit of rice for lunch and dinner. Time to stop eating rice, as well.

Now, I eat only vegetables and meat. Occasionally, I may eat some rice. But, it's mostly veggies and meat.

Very little fruit.

No sugar.

I try not to eat sweet stuff, but I chocolate makes me melt. So, I often have some, after dinner, as a treat. I might eat a few grapes - frozen bullets, Chuan calls them - sometimes. If I am 'bad' at all, it's usually after dinner: When I might eat more sweets than I should. But, if I stuff myself silly, I pay the price: Bloating. Bloating is not fun.

Being on so many medications necessitates eating. I've to take medication three times a day, each time, I needing something in my stomach, for buffering.

The other thing I do is fast. It's called intermittent fasting, and for me, it goes like this: After dinner at night, (and, a little dessert), I stop eating. Until I wake up in the morning.  Then, I have about 400 mls of water. After a bit, it's time for my morning cup of coffee, with a little milk. no sugar.

I fast again - water is allowed - until lunch. Then, dinner.

No tea. No snacks.

And that is all there is to it. I am not usually hungry, and never starving. I might get a little hungry before lunch or dinner, but some water usually eases that until I sit at the table to eat. On days when I feel that there's a hole in my stomach, I may have a small piece of fruit. But, most days, water is enough. Especially if I'm doing my art, or reading. If I'm out, I seldom feel hungry until it's lunchtime. Just shows that if my mind is busy, my stomach shuts up!

Since 28 July 2016, I have lost 14.1 kg, weighing 59.6 kg when I last stepped on the scale.

I am happy with the weight-loss, and there is still some more to lose: in the belly area, especially. But, I'm sure it will happen slowly. I'll take my time.

note to self: the heart-rate factor

Resting seems to be my superpower! An old joke of mine, I know, but it helps me to laugh about how often in a day I need to just lie down, and rest! That's because I often feel tired. Sometimes, more tired than other times. And I never can tell the why of it all.

But, I've been having a look at my Fitbit history, and I have had a few insights. Fitbit tracks my steps. But, it also tracks my heart-rate. And although I thought there'd be a correlation between steps-taken and tiredness, Fitbit has helped me see more than that.

Some examples of readings from recent days:

  


 

  

What got me looking at the stats was this: On July 8, I ended the day feeling awful. My head ached, my body felt sore and my joints ached. And I was beyond tired. I was so sure I was going to get the flu, or something.

BUT, I had felt that way before. On days we'd gone out, and had a bit of a walkabout; on days when friends or family visited, and I was up and about . . . .

So, even though I felt so awful, I knew that I'd wake up on the next day and feel all right. And, I was right: I did feel better, but I was still a little hungover from the previous day.

What had caused this?

I checked my steps taken, and it hadn't even reached 3k, as you can see above. Pathetic. And my feeble goal is to hit at least 3,500 a day. (Btw, this has been upped from 3,000 which had been a tough call when I first got my Fitbit in November '16!)

What I didn't think to do was look at my heart rate. Which I did, this morning.

And then, I tracked it back, and found other days like this one.

My resting heart rate is now around 66, on average. It has come down from the high 80s since I was put on digoxin.

There are days when my heart rate sky-rockets, but the number of steps taken for those days remain low. Either I was sitting up more; or, doing something that didn't involve steps. Even slowly strolling around a mall increases my peak heart rate! Even then, the steps are usually only marginally more than I usually record.

In the evenings, or just before lunch - if I'm feeling all right - I'll have a bit of a walk. For about 10 minutes or so. Sometimes, longer. I'd record about 1,000 to 1,500 steps. If I look at my heart-rate chart on those days, there is a peak at those times. But, because I'm not over-doing it (whatever over-doing it might mean, I am still trying to find out!) I don't feel tired or washed out, at night.

I am trying to up my daily steps to 4k. I do hit it on some days, but most days, I don't. So, I've not revised my setting to say 4k steps. It is so demoralising for me to be unable to do it. As it is, not hitting my 3,500 steps kinda pisses me off. Often.

But, I have to keep telling myself that Fitbit ONLY records steps taken. On days that I spend doing my art, when I've been up and about doing stuff - but not necessarily walking about all over the place - those days record low step-readings.

The next time I feel gawd-awful, and like I'm going to get a fever, and be down with the flu - I'll remember to take a look at my heart-rate readings for that day! If it has climbed much, much higher than I am used to, I'll know that that's why: My body is tired from all that heart activity. I've pushed myself too much. All I need do is rest, and I will be fine tomorrow. That's my note-to-self.

And that's why resting still remains my superpower! :)

my blog name: amorPHous

Nice name, huh? Hahahaha.

A play on PH, of course: Pulmonary hypertension. Because I do have Pulmonary Hypertension. Or, more precisely, IPAH - idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. What a mouthful. And how difficult to fully understand what it really means.

And I wanted something that would suggest the utter newness of it all; the not knowing where it will lead; the nothing-good it makes me feel.

It made me think of this word, and what it might mean:

o without clearly defined shape or form
o vague; ill-organised; unclassifiable
o lacking a structure or focus

So describes my life now perfectly!

Every day is something new. Something different. Sometimes, it is good. Sometimes, not-so-good. But always, it makes me stop and think about how much I do not know about it, at all.

I think 'amorphous' describes the limbo of my life quite brilliantly.

I cannot predict how things will be, and so I take it as it comes, and try to dance to the music each new day brings.

And here, I'll write my story . . . .