And when the magic happens anyway.....

Well, I've found my sweet spot and have lost about 5 lbs in 5 days!

After about a week of not really understanding how the NEW Atkins WOE worked (due to contradictions, thank you very much), I decided to go with what Dr. Atkins had originally designed...and it's working.   Goes to show you... if it aint broke, don't fix it... is still the best course of action.

(stop staring at the woman with the cat already!)

As for anything else I can note today:  On the down-side.. I've been waking up a couple of hours after sleeping and not getting back to sleep for an hour or two or more.. ugh.  Not sure what that's about, except that I'm suspecting it's stress-related.  Oooooh, but I'm sure it's that!

Energy, despite the lack of decent sleep, is on the rise a bit.  Improvement is definitely something to celebrate, right?  Right!  So I will continue with this WOE and keep plugging along.  So far I'm pretty happy with the result.  It's early, so there will be much to tell as the days pass.

At this point I'm not sure what plans I have as far as how long I'll remain on Induction, but we'll see.  I'm just happy with what's going on right now.

Yay!

Now...if I could just get the rest of my life to sort itself out, that would be awesome. ;p

Slow but sure in this low-carb world

Plugging along and thinking that I could have done better without all of the conflicting information!  Thanks, whoever decided to change the way Dr. Atkins was doing things!  If it aint broke, don't fix it!  Hey, some cliches are still worth reciting and remembering!

For starters, I wasted money on the new edition of the Atkins book.  No joke.  Too much changed, and conflicts out that wazoo!!!  I mean, seriously??!!???  What in "High fat, low calorie" makes sense on ANY planet???

You should have seen me struggle to make THAT work.  No.  Really.  You shouldn't have.  8  days was enough.  Sheesh.  After coming to my senses I ordered the 2002 book and will use that from now on.  Hindsight and all that junk.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

I'm winging it and trying to adjust a few things to make it work.  Not easy, but not that difficult either.  Just takes a little perseverance on my part, and a whole lot of asking questions from the group I belong to.  One must never underestimate the power of such resources, trust me.

Feeling crappy overall, but after being stupid and using salt the way I did... hopefully I'll feel a little better over the next couple of days.  Heart isn't behaving as erratic since I've backed off the salt and upped the water, so that's good.  And I think I need to start taking my Vit-D again (5,000 mcg daily).  I tend to get deficient easily, so that could be one reason I'm feeling low.  Also ordered multi-vitamins that are sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free... basically crap-free.  Those will be here soon.

Begun using more of the pure virgin coconut oil in place of the olive oil, backed down my protein servings by 2 oz each and upped the fat/oils a bit.

So with all this said and done, we will see how things progress from here.

I'm tired and am way late for lunch.

Laters non-taters! lol ;p

Such erratic behavior!!!

Nothing to worry about.  Just uncomfortable.  VERY uncomfortable.  And I'm hoping it will be also short-lived, though I supposed there is a better way to word that given what the issue is.  The feeling of my heart speeding up out of nowhere and staying elevated.  The erratic beats and resulting anxiety, that isn't emotional but physical in nature, and it waking me up, and keeping me up at night.  The weird pressure in my throat...  all I could very well do without.  It's what's kept me absent from here for a few days (for the most part).

It's the salt, I think.  Having given it up for the most part, except for the occasional smidge added here  and there in a salad or something prior to this (except during juicing), I've maintained a low-sodium diet.  But.. I fell off the rails on that over the past couple of weeks, and REALLY derailed completely over the past week.  Yeah.  Not one of my brighter moves.

Still hurts, though.  Not bad.  Just so uncomfortable.  At least it's not lasting, these episodes.  They come and go.  Not terribly persistent, except they've been happening now for a couple of days.  I'm worn out.  Thought I was done with this brand of fatigue.  Body feels heavy, a little dizzy, arms aching... that sort of thing.  I'll get through it.

The above image was at one point today.. 137 bpm.  Ugh.   Haven't seen that in a while, and certainly not much since my ablations (for AFib, Atrial Flutter, and SVT.. for those who don't know).  And not at all in a few months.  But again, these are thankfully short-lived as far as duration.  Now if they would just stop.  That would be nice.

A cough.  A lump in the throat..that feeling like there's something stuck in your esophagus or just at the back of your throat, maybe a lump in the upper part of your chest... just a few of the fun things that go along with arrhythmia(s).  Not 'everyone' gets these, but they are super common.

The pic to the left...this was my heart, I guess, trying to get itself back into NSR.  Slowly but surely.  Down to 101 at this point.  Still looking erratic.

These episodes make me cough, too... which I don't like.  Not long coughing fits mind, you.  It's usually when my heart converts there's just enough pressure to make me cough like once.

This definitely puts a damper on things, I have to admit.

I'm using this time to drink more water and use a lot less salt and just take it easy.  Our house closing is this week and we have a bit to do in and around that--need to get a couple of estimates on getting the deck refinished, the floor of the sunroom included, most of the rooms painted, and possibly the carpet removed from the hallway and master bedroom removed and replaced with wood flooring.  Nothing wrong with the carpet, we just don't LIKE carpet.  We'll leave the other two bedrooms and the formal dining area carpeted for now.  The breakfast nook and kitchen have ceramic tile, and the living room has wood flooring so those are good.  And there are a couple of other things. Then there's the new bedroom set to be delivered in about 5 weeks.  But packing and such... oh boy.  I really need my strength to deal with that.

The pic at the left is when it came back into NSR (normal sinus rhythm), and boy was I glad.  Thing is, after these episodes... I still feel spent and achy.  Even the short bursts take so much out of me.

So anyone who prays, say a little prayer for me that this resolves soon. :)    It will.  I just want it resolved NOW... because it sucks.

Anyone reading who has an arrhythmia, or anyone who's had an ablation... please go easy on the salt if you're not already!  I'm pretty sure this is my issue.  "Could" be my MVP is getting worse, sure, but.. I think it's the salt.

It's worth it to cut back.  Salt makes things taste good, but really... not THAT good! lol

Be well everyone.  I'll post more 'interesting' things soon.... ;p

It's been a rough few days

Atkins.  Day 3.  Okay.  Easy.  No cravings.  Going through carb withdrawal is fairly east as well because I wasn't eating much in the way of starchy carbs or sweets (only once or twice in the past month really).  Smooth sailing so far.

I'm going to give it a few days and see what happens with the carb withdrawal symptoms.  Not giving up or anything like that, mind you.  It's different than the way I'm used to eating, and it's also very weird for me as well.  Just a wait and see situation for the most part.

Life is weird as well.  Weird.  Weird.  Weird.  Most days I feel like I've woken up and found myself on another planet and have NO idea why the hell I'm here.  That's another talk show.

And those damn dreams.  STILL freaking weird.  WTH is up with that?

Odd.

MacroWHAT? Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.

Just a quick check-in as I've an appointment to get to.  But the bottom line is this, really:  Macrocytic Anemia (aka megaloblastic anemia, depending on what doctor you're speaking with).  Translation... "It sucks a$$."

Long story short as possible.. a couple of years ago I was in a situation where I was forced to go on the proverbial 'Ramen Noodle diet."  Needless (Noodless?) to say, it really didn't end well.  All guesswork on the doctor's part is that I ended up with Macrocytic Anemia.  Basically, this is not like iron deficiency anemia where your blood cells get very small and larger in numbers.  This is where your blood cells become very LARGE and fewer in numbers.  Most of the time it's due to a B12 deficiency, but not in all cases.  Many times it can be brought on by malnutrition... which they believed was my case.  I wasn't getting much in the way of anything other than, well, Ramen noodles.

Skipping all the symptoms etc. etc. etc. of the anemia part, since it's not the topic here... I will say that sublingual drops weren't doing that much good.  BUT, once I began eating a normal diet again the anemia began to slowly resolve itself.  Blood work I had several months ago showed signs of the blood cells enlarging, but the MCV (mean corpuscular volume) wasn't coinciding with that.. so the doctor wasn't worried.  There are actually 3 things that show Macrocytic Anemia.

Also, and unbeknownst to me.. I was also vitamin D deficient as well and remained so up until a few months ago.  I only barely came out of THAT one by taking 12,500 mcg of Vit D for 30 days (emulsified), then 5,000 mcg per day from thereafter.  I stopped the ongoing because I didn't like the idea of taking that much for so long, or.. forever.  Anyhoo.....

Now, going to an all plant-based diet does have it's complications, and you DO have to supplement.  It's not a 'perfect' eating plan for humans as much as most vegans would have you believe.  It's moral,  it's ethical, but... when it comes to vitamin D, B12, and even calcium... you have to supplement.  And if you have an issue, it may not be the best time to make the switch.

Weight loss.  There are many ways to do that, and since I'm doing gluten-free either way... I'm leaning towards Atkins... and choosing fish as my main protein.  My doctor will have a fit and tell me without red meat in my diet I'm going to get myself in trouble.  There is a lot I'm facing, especially since I really could take or leave meat and am not that big of a meat eater.  Even as a meat eater I would eat everything else first on my plate, saving the meat for last.  Well, except for salmon.

Morally... when it comes to animals... that's another story, and not the basis of the topic here in this blog.  I will only say I love animals, have my share of rescues, and am against unethical practices with regards to animals.  But that is all I will say on the matter here in this blog.  Again, this blog is about health, diet, weight loss, etc.  There are a ton of wonderful blogs out there for all the other topics regarding animals.

Time to run.  But I'll be back later on all the other stuff....

Oh. My. GOURD!! It costs HOW MUCH????!!!

Day 17 and it's the end.  Yes, the end.  But not completely the end.  But don't break out the tissues and start playing Taps just yet!  Let me explain what made me decide to change up the fabric of what I'm doing...

No worries about juicing itself, because everything was fine.  It's a great experience that I am continuing, but not 100% as a juice fast!  And there's a damn good reason for this choice.

Cost.  Plain and simple.

At the beginning of this journey the cost was estimated to be somewhere around $120/week, roughly.  In that estimate certain factors were considered such as what was in season, not in season, local purchases (which would make things less expensive), and buying organic (which means more expensive).  All T's were crossed and all I's were dotted.  But what we didn't consider were shortages, and for any such shortages to include one of the main staples of juicing---kale.

Well damn!

While doing a bit of research yesterday I discovered a few threads on folks who had given up their juice fasts due to cost.  And I found as many discussions on those who chose to suck it up and continue despite the cost.  While this whole cost thing concerned me I wasn't all THAT worried.  But then, T insisted on doing the shopping since he wanted to use his credit card that gave this awesome cash back incentive for shopping at grocery stores.  Okay.  I'm down with that.  And what this translates to is this....

I had NO idea what juicing was costing us until last night!

OH.  MY.  GOURD!

So, how bad could it be, you ask?  $180.00 to $200.00 per week!  YES!!  I know!!!  OMG!

I asked, "WHY didn't you tell me it was costing this much??!!!"  And T's reply was... "I didn't want you to worry, and I knew it was helping you."  *sigh*  Super sweet, yes?  Of course it is.  Still, we have a lot going on and really, a Reboot doesn't HAVE to last 30 days to receive great benefit from all the micronutrients you take in!

I said... "It's time to Transition out."  And so last night I had lentil & veggie soup (vegan, gluten free, organic), and began my transition back into solid foods, and I feel great about my decision.  :)

I had 17 awesome days where my body was flooded with pure, fresh vegetable and fruit juice, free from packaged food, fried food, sugar, gluten, and any other form of garbage that most of us humans put into our systems on a regular basis.

I sleep better than I have since I don't know when, my hair is growing faster, my nails as well, and my skin looks great!  And... I don't crave junk food or sweets!  And trust me, I used to LOOOOOVE sweets.  Not that I wouldn't eat desserts, mind you.  They're just not a temptation anymore.  Also, the allergies that have plagued me over the past two years are GONE!!!  I couldn't breathe before this cleanse, and now I can breathe normally!

And it took only 17 days.  Actually, it took less than that, but I continued my cleanse for 17 days.

What's next?  My next goal is to go vegetarian/vegan.  I didn't grow up this way, and I didn't have this environment ever in my life.  So it's not going to be a "cold turkey" situation (no pun intended).  At least I don't think so.  I still have weight to lose as the prednisone monster and subsequent effects will take some time to correct, but it's okay.  I've come this far and have lost 17 lbs during my Reboot.  :)  I'm good.

So this is really where the fun actually starts!  Phase two is where the works begins, and "the work" IS the fun part, because the journey is going to be fun...  because nothing's really changes, has it?  I mean, all we really want is to look good naked, so... having said that... let's get to work!

Day 14 - Wake Up, Kick Ass, Repeat

Day 14 -  I tried standing like that and I think I pulled something and scared my family.  And my dog.  But the good news is that I've lost 14 lbs so far and I'm one day away from my first 30 day goal!  30 days of juicing, and I'm half way there!  Yay!

Funny ad, but I have to say there's a little truth in it.  These days people are shallow, and unless your significant other truly loves you, he/she will hit the dusty cow pie trail and you'll be left in a fatigue-laden, dust-clouded aloneness.  But then, maybe that's for the best.  Either way, this goofy ad speaks about a "vegetable compound," so there IS a little truth in this advertising, after all.  They just didn't tell the whole truth.  Of course, they were just trying to sell something.

Juicing is still the best way to get an abundance of the good stuff into your body.  Plain and simply put.  And... you'll be peppy too, for yourself, your family, your LIFE!

Life.  My life.  That's really what it's all about anyway.  I have to wake up every day and face myself, who I am, where I am, no matter what, and tell myself that I am okay!  :)  Now, if you're like me you may know you're a bit on the 'not-so-normal side,' and that's even better!  ha!  So go with it. I do, and I plan to keep doing so.

I embrace my not-so-normalness!;p

So today I got out of bed and I told myself that I'm going to take it easier than I did the last few days.  I over extended myself a bit and now I'm paying the price.  But that's not a bad thing, because it just means that my energy is up and that my body is in a state of "WTF??!" lol

Now it's just about taking it a step back and easing into things a little bit at a time and deciding not to conquer the world in one day.  Dang it.  I was so hoping to do that in a day, too!

Another thing I need to remember is to stop being so impersonal about things when I'm making my entries here.  As I was typing I realized I was going down the road of disassociating myself, personally, from my entries (for the most part) and had to go back and change some wording, phrasing, etc.  Old habits, I guess, not wanting to expose myself too much.

Bad habits are meant to be broken, and I'm going to make that one my bitch.

So, what bad habit are you going to make your bitch today?

Noodles!

Day 13 - Big Girl Panties OR Action Pants? Which are you?

Day 13 - and not one f**k shall be given today.  Ha!  Did I just say that? ;)  Yes I most certainly did, and I save that kind of talk for special occasions, honey! lol

Bad mood?  No way!  Just feeling ornery is all.  I do find myself wondering how many more layers of 'skin' I have to grow to be able to handle the smell of cooking food and all those spices!  I still don't have cravings, and I'm not ravenous.  But I miss spices.  I really do.

My tongue is unhappy.

Then... I look at the juices I have to make for tomorrow and see the dreaded.. "Celery Root" recipe!  EGHADS!  NOOOOOOOO!  Seriously, that stuff leaves an aftertaste in my mouth like... oh trust me.. you really don't want me to say that word.  Do you?

I'm not kidding.  And I won't use that word, because I'm really not sure who can or cannot handle it.  I don't know who's wearing their big girl panties, or if any guy who stumbles upon this is wearing his "Action Pants." lol

I mean, 16-20oz of ice cold after-taste of "THAT" in my mouth was too much for me to take, my friends... and it was ALL I could do to gag it down.  ((( shivers )))  Some things should not be cold or in that large of a quantity when you swallow it.  That is all I will say on the matter.

Needless to say I promptly set about looking for an alternative for that particular juice.  Luckily, so far I've come across only two I've disliked.  And "dislike" is far to weak a statement to fully explain my, er, distaste for that particular recipe.

So now what is one to do after learning of that particular unpleasant experience?  Well, my dears, you simple go out and juice yourself a glass and taste it for yourself. lol

Enjoy! ;p

till next time!

Noodles!

Day 12 - And the UGLIEST Juice Award Goes to.......????

Day 12 -  And here it is, ladies and gentlemen!  The UGLIEST juice award!  Joe Cross's "Red, White, Blue (and GREEN!) recipe!

(((( Applause ))))

No.  No applause.  Unless it's for taste and nutritional value. ;-)  And I have to admit the "before" was gorgeous (see photo left).  It was the AFTER that had the visual appeal of what I would imagine 10 year old dirty motor oil would look like, blended with both raw and cooked liver.  No seriously.  I wish I could say I was exaggerating, but I'm not.  I'm really not kidding.

As for taste?  It actually tastes pretty good!  How can you go wrong with all that watermelon and blueberries?  Now, as for those blueberries... it took 4 cups of those babies, and after spinning in the blender on liquify for a bit they began to resemble tar, with only a hint of purple.  Add that to watermelon, and you don't get much change, but add that to ANY large pile of greens (in this case chard) and PRESTO!...intant F'UGLY!

As you can see, it has absolutely NO visual appeal compared to the other juices (shaken, of course, because they do separate when they sit).  But DANG that is ONE seriously UGLY juice!  Tastes good, though, and is really healthy.  Joe's recipes are usually really good.  This one I think is a real winner, even if it won't win any beauty contests anytime soon. ;p

Day 12 -  So far so good, no real cravings.  Though I do miss eating.  T had burritos last night for dinner.. which the smell of the spices drove me a little nuts as I sat there slurping my Mean Green juice.  *sigh* lol  No real hunger triggered from it, though, which was really nice.  I know I'll be eating again one day, and I'll be eating real, healthy food made from scratch that will taste awesome.  It's all worth waiting for in the meantime.

Only real issue I'm having is something that caught my attention yesterday, something unrelated to juicing but is affecting me hugely at the moment, something I'd previously thought might be gallbladder issues.

I'd had right, front quadrant pain that coincided with indigestion, and it went right through to my back...so naturally I thought "gallbladder," as did my dr.  HIDA scan and ultrasounds all came out fine.  Pain persisted.  I began transition for juicing and the pain persisted.  I began juicing and pain persists.  I'm on day 12 and the pain is getting worse...

But something else I discovered yesterday...

I rubbed the area that hurt, for the first time really... and found an odd swelling on my rib.  Not only is there a swelling there, but it is HELLA painful!  This explains why the pain is worse when I sit up straight and when I stand.  What is it?  NO idea.  But the pain is getting unbearable, so I guess it's time to make yet another appointment.  Super duper.  Not!  Grrrrr.

Day 11 - and the 'Other me" living in danger

Day 11:  It's been a really busy few days, so I've not had much spare time to check in.  I'm hoping I'll be a bit more on top of things and this won't happen too often.  So bear with me as I play a bit of catch-up this morning.

As far as busy goes, I'm finding that part of the busy is just getting used to all the juicing prep and cleanup.  I've chosen to do all the next day's juicing at once, rather than juice and drink right then and there.  Seems juicing on the fly would be a lot more cleanup, whereas simply rinsing certain parts of the juicer before the next batch makes more sense when it comes to time-management.  I'm also not 100% yet, so this will get better as "I" get better.  Which brings me to an important point I never really cleared up from the get-go... where I was/am coming from, and the "other me."

NOTE:  Understand that this is long, but it's the real "why" as to my reasons for juicing, and for taking my health into my own hands.  The 'fast forward' sections are my attempts at trying to make this long story as short as possible, while still getting the facts in.

My health a few years back was pretty good, and growing up I was in fabulous shape, pretty much living the lifestyle of an athlete.  I taught dance, performed dance (bellydance), and I spent pretty much most of my life involved in some form of dance.  I also was an avid gym-goer and hit the weights and cardio pretty hard.  Fast-forward.. then one day about 12 years ago I couldn't do it anymore.  ANY of it.  My gym sessions shrunk in time/duration.  I had to go lighter and lighter on the weights, and I left the gym pale, cold, and so tired that I had to go home and take a 3 hour nap.  My once 3 hour dance practices shrunk to that final practice that barely lasted 20 minutes before I crumpled to the floor and cried.  I knew it would be the last time I would dance.

My fatigue grew, as did my weight.  I became weaker, sluggish, you name it.  I tried diets, supplements, and I just finally gave up when nothing worked or made things better.  No health insurance meant spending money on doctors that I didn't have, doctors that didn't help.  Bare minimum of tests, and no answers.  In a year's time I gained 100 lbs.

I gained one hundred pounds in about one year!

Fast forward...I eventually got a handle on things and used Weight Watchers and lost all of the weight.  But I never felt right, never got my energy back, and never felt good.  I mean, how could someone lose that much weight and not feel like a million bucks?  More doctors, no answers, same ole same ole.

Life blew up and bad things happened and I began to feel even worse, energy crashing out of nowhere, feeling sick, etc.  The heart arrhythmia I had since I was a young girl was getting worse, but no doctor, even at the 'cheap clinic' I was going to would help.  Cardiologist, a young, arrogant one who was unwilling to look into things thoroughly, shrugged me off and sent me on my way, missed something critical.  Very critical...

In January 2013 I went to the ER with chest pains, hospitalized for tests, underwent a heart cath after failing a stress test.  The plumbing looked fine, they said.  Meaning, no blockages.  They mentioned 'electrical,' but no one was willing to help with that, and I couldn't afford to pursue it because I was alone, no health insurance, and my income couldn't afford the cost of seeing an electrophysiologist, much less the study to find out about my arrhythmia and why it was worse.

I have Mitral Valve prolapse with moderate regurgitation.  I've had Supraventricular Tachacardia (SVT) my whole life, but if they told my mother that's what it was called.. no one EVER told me that's what it was called.  No one told me I should have gone to the ER when my heart raced for more than 15 minutes (mine would go as long as one HOUR at 155-250+ BPM).  No one told me that was dangerous and that I should have my heart "cardioverted" to get it back into normal sinus rhythm.

After being released from the hospital in January, not sure exactly what date, my heart started racing again while standing in line at the grocery store.  I tried to count the beats, but this time it was far too fast for me to do so.  I'm guessing this was between 25-300 BPM.  It converted on its own after about 30 minutes.  These episodes had gotten worse over the months, maybe the last couple of years, and they lasted longer, and they caused pain.  This particular episode was no exception.  But I went home and went about my business.

Over time I began to have dizzy spells that I thought might be from my doing too much, because I had been taking all the overtime at work I could get, which meant I had 3 months of no days off.  My job was EXTREMELY stressful as well, and I was up very very late most nights talking to my boyfriend at the time and not getting much sleep.  My relationship with him was very rocky, to say the least, and I spent a lot of time crying, on edge, miserable, you name it.  I was stressed to the max almost 24/7.

April 23, 2013... just 3 months after I was hospitalized with chest pain.  I woke up that morning with severe dizziness.  I went to give my ferrets treats that morning and looked at my hand and didn't recognize what I was holding.  After a moment I thought I was holding my vitamins, then I realized I had my ferrets' treats... it was unsettling to say the least.  I called in to work and thought maybe I was just overworked and needed a day to rest.

The dizzy spells came and went that day, as did the odd confusion.

Approximately 10:30 pm that evening as I was watching a movie another dizzy spell hit.  And by "hit" I mean, it came on with the force of a mack truck going 80 MPH hitting a brick wall.  The room rocked (not quite spun), my heart began racing like crazy, I was violently sick, shaking.  I didn't know what to do but sit there and wonder what was happening to me.  I think I cried out, but I don't know for sure.  I think I did, though.  My thought was that I was having a stroke.  But the nausea made me wonder about my heart.  I just didn't know.  All I did know was that 'something slammed into me.'

I knew my phone was next to me on the table, but it took me a minute to get to it.

Fast forward...  I was hospitalized and diagnosed with a TIA, Transient Ischemic Attack, or "mini stroke."  By the time I was released, after all the tests, etc, five days later, they still didn't know "why."

"Stress triggers..." They said.  And they were right.  But only partially so.

Fast forward...  I now have health insurance, thank God!  In 2014 I found out that I not only have Supra-ventricular Tachycardia, but I also have Atrial Fibrillation and Atrial Flutter!  The reason I underlined the last two is that they are responsible for stroke!!!!!  And I was EXTREMELY lucky to  not have had a full-blown, massive ischemic stroke, according to my cardiologist, as well as statistics.  My best friend is paralyzed on one side of her body and lives in a assisted living facility with her elderly mom because her AFib caused a massive stroke so big that it almost killed her.

I will be on a blood thinner the rest of my life, and thankfully not on one that is affected by eating greens! lol  But my point is this:  You have to take care of YOURSELF!!!!

Be your own advocate, do your own research, arm yourself with knowledge!  And NEVER let any doctor make you feel like you're crazy for knowing your body and knowing when something is wrong!  That could be VERY dangerous.

I felt it when my heart wasn't acting right.  I knew my body well enough to know something wasn't right.

I had a nurse practitioner tell me that my chest pains (CAUSED BY AFIB and Atrial Flutter!!) were all in my head!  No joke!  She told me that I wasn't really feeling these 'palpitations' and that I was most likely imagining it because I was overly sensitive about it.

She said, "You're doing all this reading and research online and it's causing you to think you're having these symptoms."  She was telling me I was a hypochondriac.  She would tell me this every time I went there for a test or whatever.

After I obtained health care I was put on a 30 day event monitor by my new cardiologist (my first REAL cardiologist), and it took 10 days for them to catch the AFib!  When I went into his office he showed me the EKG strips and told me what it was, then told me I would have to be on 2 different types of heart medications, and a blood thinner (that I would be on for the rest of my life due to the TIA and the presence of AFib).

I sat there looking at the computer screen as said, "So I'm not crazy?"  And he laughed and said, "No!  You're not crazy.  You have a very dangerous situation here," and went on to tell me this was causing blood pressure spikes, and that I was at a dangerous risk for stroke and heart attack...

I sat there and cried.  I cried because, for once... someone believed me.

Fast forward... the medication for my 3 heart arrhythmias weren't working to manage the symptoms, etc., so my cardiologist referred me to an electrophysiologist in Birmingham, AL for EP study and radio frequency cardiac ablation(s).  This was near the end of July, 2014.  He had to burn a lot of the inside of my heart due to there being 3 arrhythmias to correct and pierce the septum in order to reach the pulmonary vein (where they cauterize for AFib), but it was worth it.  So far so good.  :)  Takes about a year to know how successful ablation is, but I'm confident that is was a great success.

Back to juicing...

Juicing isn't a magic bullet.  But it is a major step in helping you get healthy and take control where you have it.  Because...you may have a wonderful doctor.  Or you may not.  Do what you can on your own (duh! lol).

My cardiologist has made a career move and is no longer in this state, but my current one is okay.   My current GP is rather lazy, so... I have to do this in order to take control over my health.  Because I can't wait and let someone who's not invested in helping me get well to have control of the reigns.  It's up to me.  And once I have enough energy and vitality back, then I'm full-on looking for a better doctor who will be on board and plugged-in when it comes to his patients.

Whew!  Well... was that making up for a few days missed or what?!

I'm tired now. ;p

Noodles!  Off to drink some juice!