I am normally pretty healthy. This is something I REALLY appreciate because my parents died when I was a teenager. My mother had high blood pressure and died of brain cancer/stroke. My father had congestive heart failure (in a time before valve replacements), and died of a stroke/heart attack. He actually had his first stroke while driving a car between two cities and my tiny mother (who died three months later) saved all of our lives by somehow managing to get her feet over to the pedals and taking control of the car. If she had not we would have all gone over the side of a deep ravine.
For this reason, my health has always been closely monitored. I had very high blood pressure and cholesterol when I was younger, and took medication for it between the ages of 25 and 33. When I moved to Sweden, both my cholesterol and blood pressure somehow dropped to normal and I was without medication until about 5 years ago, when my cholesterol started to rise again. I don’t have problems with my weight, I don’t smoke, and I hardly ever drink alcohol. I limit myself to two small chocolates a day and drink a maximum of one cup of coffee a day. My big problem is that I eat too few vegetables and probably eat more meat than I should.
I had a complete hysterectomy at the age of 33, have had my wisdom teeth out, and I grind my teeth badly. Those are the only health problems I have had, apart from PTSD, OCD, insomnia and depression after my parents’ death, which is now under control except when I am extremely stressed. Since my diagnosis though, I recognise the signs and have coping mechanisms to work through the triggers and restore balance.
I was happily on 10mg a day of statins for my cholesterol for about five years. That was increased to 20mg at the beginning of this year. In September that was doubled to 40mg and last week it was doubled again to 80mg, which is the maximum dose. In three months I will have another blood test and they may have to add another type of medication because my cholesterol is now uncontrollable.
In September when I was at the doctor my blood pressure was also very high so I had to monitor it four times a day for a week (I didn’t want to wear one of those 24 hour monitors as I would have had to travel quite far to have it fitted and then again to have it removed). Luckily it then dropped so I didn’t have to start medication for my blood pressure. The combination of high blood pressure and cholesterol can lead to strokes so I was pretty relieved I was not heading into my parents’ territory. I have always been terrified of dying the same way as my parents.
In addition, I picked up a stomach bug in South Africa in January which affected me for about five weeks. I then got another stomach bug at Easter (only the fourth time I have ever had bad stomach problems), and influenza followed by a throat and chest infection in June. Probably due to all of this I have been suffering from extreme fatigue for about five months. The perpetual gloom in wintertime Sweden certainly doesn’t help.
So I have tried to get a grip on the matter. I have been eating better, and have started taking vitamins. I have an OMRON blood pressure monitor that I use to check my blood pressure regularly and, so far so good.
I use two pill containers, which can be configured for daily or monthly use. This one (size medium) has my cholesterol medication and the last of a vitamin B12 supplement I started taking when I felt so tired.
This one (size large) has multivitamins, vitamin D (which I take in the darkest months here in Sweden), and a hair supplement. I keep these separate because I have to take them with food or I feel nauseated.
I would so welcome any suggestions for supplements or diet changes. I am so used to being healthy that this bump in the road has left me rather discombobulated.
These are my small travel pill containers, which can also be used for three-times-a-day or once-a-day for a month. These ones are well-used and due for a replacement. I then repurpose them as chain and earring holders for travelling.
A great resource is the you tube videos from nutrition facts.org, Dr Michael Gregor. He also has books about the benefits of eating less animal protein. The movie Forks Over Knives is wonderful too.
I had a mini-stroke in 2015, which I think was the result of the high stress levels I experienced in the South African work environment. Since then I have had to take Statins and Ecotrin (half a disprin) daily. However, what have made a major change for me was taking up regular exercise which greatly reduces the level of stress that I experience. I try to take a brisk walk for an hour 4 or 5 days a week, and am feeling healthy and strong. I don’t get migraines anymore, which I experienced regularly before the mini-stroke.
Thank you for this reply Erica. I am so sorry about your stroke and your stress. I am going to try to be more active from now on. I have been walking much less now that I work so much from home.
That’s a challenging start to life. Well done for surviving and taking control and thank you for sharing it all with us. Hugs.
I’m not overly keen on medication if at all possible to avoid, so as soon as it was permitted by doctors (aged 30 and married, *sigh* ) I got myself sterilised, and for the past 3/4 years I have managed my perimenopausal symptoms through reflexology and soy isoflavones (working for myself and from home is of course hugely helpful here). MrG and have also both been taking plant sterols to assist with reducing blood press for the past couple of months which seems to be working. We also have a predominantly plant diet, (we grow most our veg at municipal allotments) and I insist on buying organic. I see someone else has mentioned an exclusion diet to check for intolerances. I did one in my 20s to support my mum who had terrible gastric pain. Turned out that the tinnitus I had lived with my whole life without realising it was abnormal was sugar related and she has an allium intolerance
Such a useful tool, and little known.
I hope you are able to reduce your medication and the side effects. Sending love.
That sounds really interesting. I hope my cholesterol and blood pressure stay the same but if they don’t, I will make sure to check this diet out. I’m also not a big fan of taking medication and I only take it when I really need it. I’ve had horrendous IBS all my life and it took me decades before I finally discovered that paying attention to what I eat is the way to go. It’s incredible how important diets are. I even heard of a very strict diet that can help reduce and even eliminate epileptic attacks. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Pleasure, best of luck.
Thank you!
I have been eating AIP (Auto immune protocol). My bp and cholesterol came down drastically! You will learn to eat veggies (I juice mine). Best method of intake for me! I can’t stand veggies. I am doing it! Using cassava flour to make breads- it is the best food eating regimen out there. There is a group on Facebook I joined. She taught me!!!! It is called the best you by Tracie’s fancy. She is also a furniture painter. She has it at specific times during the year. Eight weeks of eliminations – she will give you a healthy substitute- your body will heal itself. I never ever thought it would work. Or you can do it yourself – I need guidance. It won’t hurt to try. 🤷🏼♀️
Thank you so much for this. I am also not a fan of veggies, though when I do eat them I enjoy them. Juice sounds like the way to go. I really appreciate the recommendation.
It’s really great that you manage to stay on top of things. I wonder if your improvement when you arrived in Sweden was not due to a change of diet. I was always extremely sick when I was living in England and everything changed when we moved to Germany. I am keeping my fingers crossed that your cholesterol and high blood pressure don’t worsen.
I am hoping things will improve with the new medicine. The problem with statins is that they have side effects like muscle weakness, which I am really noticing on the higher doses.
I think my cholesterol and blood pressure improved when I moved because of a higher standard of living and the knowledge that the national welfare system would look after me if I became ill or lost my job. Things I had worried about since my parents died. Plus I had way less stress. In South Africa I taught journalism at university but I was also the department’s network manager and IT specialist. This included three student computer laboratories and all staff computers. I was not cut out for IT support, I can tell you!
Stress can cause so many horrible things. While England has the NHS, if you want to go see a specialist, it can easily take a year for that. First, the GP must agree that you need to see a specialist, then you need to wait for six month to get a letter from the hospital telling you that your appointment is in 6 months time… In Germany, you want to see a specialist, you open the yellow pages and make a call. You’ll be able to see one fairly rapidly. The fact that you didn’t have to worry about healthcare is definitely a big plus. Your work also changed and was less hectic. I really hope they can find a better drug for you. I had heard that statins, while really vital to tackle cholesterol, are a double edged sword (to handle with your right or your left hand!…).