This morning I had to run (well, you know, "run") a very short part of the way to school and felt surprisingly OK doing it, a stark contrast to when I had to "run" for a train earlier in the week and thought I was going to expire permanently. After the school drop-off, I headed straight to the gym and felt amazing throughout. I really enjoyed my workout and I added in a bit of extra cardio (I've gone back to the vario, the machine that nearly killed me!) and increased some of my weights. From the gym, I decided to go for an extended stroll round the nearby charity shops and enjoy the novelty of the blue sky. When I got home, some quite considerable time and 12,000 steps later, I put on a load of washing, tidied up a bit and prepared tonight's dinner, full of the joys and still reasonably energetic...
And that's when I realised I'd forgotten to take my tablets this morning. Aaaargh!
It's always frustrating to see how much easier life is without my medication, although I know life wouldn't STAY easier if I were to stop taking the medication altogether. I guess I just have to look at happy accidents like today as a wee treat and think of the bigger picture the rest of the time. And on that note, I'd better go and sort out my tablets for the week ahead. Ha!
PS The energy didn't last all day and I had numerous involuntary micro-naps after school pick-up, when I was (or should have been) listening to toys singing improvised songs about how to get through a lengthy prison sentence and escape from crocodiles... Or did I dream that? Nope, that really was my afternoon 😂
PPS Was this whole post really just an excuse to brag about going to the gym...?
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laura_dropstitch
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You are perfectly entitled to brag about the gym - don’t think I’ve seen the inside of a gym for about 10 years! I’d just be happy to be able to walk from the car park to the office without getting breathless, but warmer weather should help that.
Running! I remember it well! In the words of Johnny Cash:-
Of those who wait for me.
I cannot move a mountain now
I can no longer run.
I cannot be who I was then
In a way, I never was.
I doubt that I will ever run again (too many other issues) but hope post-surgery I will be able to at least two flights of stairs effortlessly (half a flight and I need to rest) and walk a mile or two instead of struggle after 100yds (worse in cold weather).
I've never been one for running, so have no fond memories to recapture! Here's hoping the surgery and the warmer weather work wonders on you. Good luck!
Wow Laura that was a full on exercise regime. And sounded like you really enjoyed both the gym and your run in the sunshine.
Would it be possible to relay this to your doctors to see if there could be any possibility to slightly change your meds so you can have more of these days?
You definitely are getting yourself back to healthy you.... back in the gym go you. 😁
And glad you also had some nap time too.... so all in all a great day, xxx
Should clarify that my run in the sunshine was 20 metres max and my micro-naps were each around 3 seconds long 😂 But yes, I did REALLY enjoy my day. I was wondering about tweaking medication (again!) but am happy with my doses in other ways, not sure I could feel much better now without sacrificing long term benefits. It's the age-old dilemma, I guess. X
Hey.... just the word " run" is amazing. I was in London with my son today ( went to see Bryan Cranston at the theatre.. . Amazing) anyway on way back my son shouts let's run for the train ...... er yeh right! I walked quickly ... and we just made it.
I know what you mean 're meds and long term benefits. If overall they work for you .... then maybe stick with. You do fabulously well re your workouts when on them. 😁 and fa ha i liked the nano nods.... when I nod it's a good half hour snooze lol. X
I have actually been going to the gym at least twice a week, you know! I only took a break from bragging, not from the exercise 😂 I found new leg muscles this morning. My daughter was actually frightened of them. Result?! Ha ha!
Wow go girl. Amazing. Nothing better than blue cloudless skies morning's in Scotland. I was out enjoying the sunshine too, managed to get up a wee hill without stopping, admitted very puffed at top. Very pleased. Nice not to need to wear hat and gloves !
It's good for us to get a wee bit puffed now and again, though not always enjoyable. It really was a beautiful day today, I think the blue skies worked wonders on everyone. I am EXHAUSTED tonight but just about to go to bed and am looking forward to a great night's sleep! X
I'm well impressed with your efforts! Maybe it's all the winter Olympics stuff on telly that's given you inspiration, but please, please don't be tempted to "forget" your meds for the day to display your athletic prowess. Keep up the regular gym stuff though you have earned the right to brag about that.
I’ve done that before now, forgot to take the tablets and go on a fairly long walk. When you realise a little panic sets in but then you realise I haven’t felt this good in a while.
Sounds like you had a very busy day and it’s given you a lift so why not brag.
Well done Laura, but don't overdo it! By the way, I can't get on to the Fit bit group at the moment, not that I've done very much to celebrate, I've had a bad cough which has set me back a bit. Love Margaret x
Last night I was wearing a Fitbit on each wrist! Ha! My husband's Fitbit isn't picking up his sleep properly so I said I'd try it on me, but didn't want to take my own one off. The certainly felt like overdoing it Hope you get back in the group soon. x
PS Feeling like I did overdo it, shattered today, but sure I'll recover soon
It did work for me, the two readings were almost identical. He only got his a few weeks ago and it claims he's never asleep before 2am. He is always tired and has problems with restless leg, so I wonder if he's not getting real sleep in the early part of the night, although he feels like he is. It said I was asleep from 11. Very mysterious!
I'm not seeing the members showing up when I look at it today, mind you. Wonder if there is a glitch with it? I can still see you in my friends list on my own dashboard. I'm not an expert with technical stuff, but will try to help if you think I can, just ask x
I think there must be a glitch as it still isn't working. Not to worry, my achievements have been totally inadequate in comparison to yours, mind you, I am old enough to be your Mum! Love M x
Laura, serious question here. How do you know you need all those tablets?
I came out of hospital after two HA's on the standard NICE protocol. Over the two years since various tablets have been dropped because of adverse reactions.
Now I only take Amlodopine, Isosorbide and Aspirin.
I had an exercise ultrasound yesterday and was told by the Cardiologist reviewing it (not my Cardiologist) that if he couldn't see the HA's on my notes he wouldn't believe I had any heart issues.
He said that he was pretty certain my exercise regime had helped to strengthen my heart.
I am not suggesting anyone just stops their drugs, that would be foolish. But I do question how much NICE leaves us overmedicated and suffering unnecessary side effects?
Well, I have wondered the same myself on many an occasion. Ultimately I've chosen to go with the research and take all the medication my cardiologist recommends (though I'm not on maximum doses for them because the side effects at those levels were unbearable) and hope that gives me a longer life. If I was older, I might prioritise day-to-day energy levels/wellness, but I'm only in my 30s and was diagnosed a day before my daughter was born, so my main goal is to be here until she is an adult, which is still a long time off. So I take all the tablets But, as any doctor will tell you, exercise is also incredibly effective as a treatment and days like yesterday show me how much easier it would be for me to do effective exercise if I wasn't on all the drugs. It's definitely a balancing act, but there's no way of telling what the best balance is for the long-term.
It's great to hear that your efforts are paying off. I've stopped having such frequent exercise tests (my results had been consistent/stable for ages, so my consultant decided there was no point doing them six-monthly anymore) so haven't got any lined up at the moment. I might ask if I can have one towards the end of this year to see if the gym has done any measurable good. Hopefully it will have and that will further motivate me to continue. What sort of exercise do you do?
I totally understand your imperative for following all the rules. If I had a young daughter, I would most certainly be doing the same.
I think the question of my drug protocol was triggered in my mind by 3 repeat readmissions in the months following my HA's. All due to adverse drug reactions.
On each occassion the offending drug was removed and not replaced with anything else.
I started to do a lot of research and very quickly realised that my original drug profile was just the standard NICE protocol for my condition. I then started to question whether we all need exactly the same drugs and also whether the doseages were my issue. I am quite small, but appear to get the same doseage of a drug as someone twice my size.
Eventually my research led to discussions with my GP and later Cardiologist, which resulted in two further drugs being discontinued and one being reduced in doseage terms.
Now, I am much more comfortable and experience very few side effects.
In exercise terms I walk about 5 miles a day, do some high intensity exercises and some Pilates. All an improvement on my previous desk bound lifestyle. I have also switched to a no sugar, low saturated fat, pescatarian diet.
However, having seen your Fitbit count, I suspect you do a lot more exercise than I do !!
Thanks for the reply. I think the approach to my medication has been quite similar. I started on a standard "package" (just slightly tweaked so I could breastfeed safely) and then over the years it has changed quite a lot, mainly based on side effects. I'm on a slightly lower (though still quite close to maximum) dose of beta blockers and my two water tablets have been hugely reduced ever since my kidneys nearly failed. I now take one of them every other day and one of them just once a week, plus I have my kidney function monitored very closely with regular blood tests. So in theory my medication is tailored to me and designed to balance optimum effectiveness with as few side effects as possible, but I guess it's not possible to eliminate side effects altogether, especially as many of them are caused by low blood pressure, which is the desirable outcome of taking the tablets in the first place. It does get me down sometimes, but life's not unbearable on tablets and hopefully it means I'll be around for a long time yet.
Today I took my tablets before I went to the gym and my workout definitely felt like much more of a slog than the medication-free session earlier in the week, but I still managed to complete it and (kind of!) enjoyed it overall. I'm quite jealous at how effective exercise has been for you, especially since it sounds like we are quite similar in the activity we do. I try to remind myself that I don't know how much worse my heart would be if I was an inactive person, so maybe it is helping, but it's hard to stay motivated when nothing I've done has ever made any discernible difference. Though, as my consultant always likes to remind me, STABLE IS GOOD, STABLE IS GREAT! But, on the other hand, it's not that exciting
Being very conscious of how important it is to find motivation to exercise from somewhere, I'm trying to remind myself that losing some weight can only be good, helping to reduce how much work my heart has to do, which should hopefully make it last longer. Exercise should help me achieve this goal. I'm also quite focused on the resistance training in order to build up my strength. I might not succeed in making my heart function improve, but strong muscles will surely make day-to-day life easier regardless? And there are other benefits to exercise, it's not all about heart failure, e.g. I feel like I'm sleeping really well at the moment (whether that is through lack of booze or increase in cardiovascular work) and am feeling the benefit, especially in terms of mood and appetite.
Do you find your pilates helps? I'm quite keen to give it another go (haven't done it in years and years) but it would take a concerted effort to fit the classes in around childcare etc. Is it worth it?
I am so sorry your exercise hasn't given you the outcome you were hoping for.
I think you are right though, that the situation could be a whole lot worse if you weren't exercising.
I have a long history of activity. Running in my 20's and road cycling through my 30's and 40's. Everything seemed to go wrong for me when I stopped cycling in my early 50's (my Husband died in a cycling accident) just as the Menopause hit. If I had known I had Familial hypercholesterolemia I would have upped the exercise. Instead I focused on work and ended up with two Heart Attacks 😱😱
It might be that the positive effects from the exercise I have done over the last two years is building on the work I did in my 20's, 30's & 40's
So please keep going on the exercise front. Every minute counts and builds on the work you have done before.
Do you know why you developed Heart Failure and has anyone offered advice on how much improvement you can expect from your exercise regime?
I am assuming it is the Beta Blockers that are causing you to find your exercise sessions quite a slog. Have you asked if the doseage needs adjusting as your exercise increases?
I think you are right on the weight front. My weight fluctuates between Winter and Summer and I definitely struggle more when I am not at optimal weight.
The Pilates helps me in a couple of ways. It is incredibly relaxing and mood lifting. It also addresses the fact that I have border line Osteoporosis. I cannot afford to break a leg or hip and Pilates helps by strengthening my core, so that I can prevent myself from falling. In addition it protects my back and spine from deterioration.
Nobody knows why I have heart failure. It is unlikely to have been caused by my pregnancy (more likely worsened by it) and there's no family history. I have a big scar on my heart, maybe caused by a heart attack or virus but I have no knowledge of either. It's been filled away in cold cases, I think 😂 Because I can't do anything about the scar, I guess improvement is limited, but the side that is stretched out and saggy (that I've been told flaps about like washing on a line!) could still improve. I've asked my consultant about exercise and he pretty much just says that people with active lifestyles tend to have better outcomes, but there's no guarantees, just don't play squash or run marathons! So it could make no real difference, then again it could. My feeling is that it must help and has plenty of other benefits anyway, so I'll keep going and try to stay positive and motivated. Meh.
Sorry to hear about your husband and all the other bad luck that descended all at once, that must have been a really tough time. X
I have read a lot of research material from the US about Heart Attacks in women and it seems that our experience is often very different to the way men experience such events. I believe it is quite possible to experience a HA without any of the normal pains and for it not to show up until much later.
It may be that your Pregnancy has lengthened your life by highlighting a problem.
Don't give up on the exercise. I would be quite happy to support and help with the motivation if you start to struggle. I am not a gym bunny but get my exercise out on the Moors close to where I live. That can be grim somerimes in the Winter (think thick fog, snow and ice) so I do understand that motivation can sometimes slip.
You have opened up a real conundrum with this post and one which I believe is crucial to us all on Heart meds.
I think I agree with you on the age aspect, at the end of the day it's about Quality of Life.
I now do as I like on food intake but try to keep sensible !!! No packets with 3 reds like Sausage Rolls etc. Only occasional !!
Sometimes I wonder about the pills.
I take, some to Slow it Down, Some, to Decrease blood pressure, Some to Open arteries, Some to make you Pee, Some for Potassium levels, Some for Cholesterol , Some to stop Platelets sticking together. Not forgetting the GTN should you need it, should the others not be working LOL
I just run that past my Wife who said
"Do you not think you should maybe ask to stop the Meds and then start again "
I sometimes wonder then think mmmmm dare I risk it and I tend to answer myself No I daren't. A real conundrum.
The Sunshine over the past couple of days has been a real Psychological Boost maybe I need some pills to create some sunshine.
It's a conundrum I visit time and time again, usually when I'm reminded how good I feel without the meds. My HF nurse is famous for being something of an alchemist when it comes to balancing the dosages, so I think I plan to stay as I am and hope the increased exercise helps too. Maybe one day I'll exercise my heart to a state where I can reduce some medications. Unlikely, but we can dream!
I have friends who moved to Scotland from the Netherlands in September. Yesterday their 18-month-old kept pointing at the sky, but there were no planes in sight. I think he was just shocked to see it was blue, probably a first for him! Maybe we should try those daylight bulbs in our houses?
That sounds like an amazing day! I know what you mean about those days when you feel almost back to your now-mythical old self, only to realise you've forgotten to take a tablet. Like you say, you know the tablets make sense in the long term, but it's nice to get a glimpse of your potential.
It is nice to see your potential, isn't it? That's a good way to think about it. Maybe one day we will have medication without side effects and that potential will be realised
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Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
But, as any doctor will tell you, exercise is also incredibly effective as a treatment and days like yesterday show me how much easier it would be for me to do effective exercise if I wasn't on all the drugs. It's definitely a balancing act, but there's no way of telling what the best balance is for the long-term.
Thanks! X
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