Saturday, January 01, 2011

New Year's Resolution

It's pretty easy - I've found that resolving to do things like lose weight seem to be a losing proposition for me. I used to drink quite a bit of diet pop, mostly Diet Pepsi. It used to be no big deal, but in the past couple years it has apparently affected me more than I realized.

Furosemide - generic Lasix. I'm supposed to take it in the mornings. However, it and driving don't mix. When the drug hit's it's stride, I can go every five minutes. This does not work well while driving. OK, so why don't I take it in the evening?

It can last over five hours. Let's say my day is done at 6pm. I ingest my dose. It hits in an hour or so. I can't sleep until after eleven or twelve. I get up at four or five. This, too, does not work.

So, by the end of the week, my toes looked like sausages and my feet and ankles were swollen. Enough to feel uncomfortably tight in my shoes. Clothes didn't fit well. My hands were puffy. For some reason, more on my right side than the left. Can we say COPD? I'd feel pressure on my chest - big time. I'd double down on my doses on weekends - two in the morning and maybe even another during the afternoon. Which meant my weekends are spent doing just what it sounds like, and lots of it. Not much else got done. Sometimes two days wasn't enough and I'd have to take off some work to get drained down.

Perhaps it was the sodium in the pop causing me to retain water? I decided to switch to tea so I'd still get my fix of caffeine over the Christmas break. I was gonna be at Sis's place, where tea is the primary beverage.

I can now report that I've been able to see the large veins in my hands all week.  My feet look bony as in the past - even the right one. Even my ankles are smaller. The pressure in my chest - greatly reduced.

And just as an aside - I always feel pressure in my chest, so don't be telling me to get help immediately if not before. I also have frequent chest pain. You wanna know why? Get your brisket chopped in two and pasted back together. Even after it all healed, it still hurts. My cardiologist admitted that would affect me for the rest of my life - it was normal. Especially if I do something strenuous. I drive a specialized flatbed rig. I deal with boomers, chains, strap ratchets and a cheater bar every day. Massaging my scar helps.

But there is no sense in retaining all that water. I feel better already. This resolution is gonna be easy.

3 comments:

threecollie said...

I am glad you are feeling better. Doctors don't seem to understand that working people have to cope with the side effects of the medicine they prescribe. I was once given blood pressure medicine that made me so weak I could barely raise my arm off the arm of my chair. Worked great for the bp. Not so hot for my lifestyle. Take care of your self...you have fans here in blogland.

MorningGlory said...

This sounds like an easy one to keep, Jeffro. I know from personal experience what diuretics do to you. I've also heard that diet drinks can actually raise your insulin level, which makes you want to eat. In other words, diet drinks help make you fat...another good reason to avoid them.

Happy New Year!

Lorrie

Anonymous said...

Good luck. I quit coffee years ago when told I was allergic to it. Went to real strong tea. Now I drink very little of it and drink diet pop. Maybe I just need to drink water and take caffeine pills? Man I love caffeine.
And tobacco.
And horses.
And wimmens! ;-)