Posted by Pistol Pete
Since the last time anybody heard from me my life has turned 180 degrees.
Sat.,3/9, I passed out in the shower for no apparent reason and didn’t remember a thing.
The next day after delivering the Sunday papers I was having a great deal of trouble breathing,as I had been for months.
DW took me to the ER where after some preliminary tests,I was admitted.For the next nine days I would go from one life-changing event to another.
On Tuesday it was announced I was officially classified as a type II diabetic under the new federal guidelines.I was told they have expanded the classification because of the epidemic of obesity in the country.They tested my blood sugar 4 times a day and for the most part it was pretty much under control.I have a new med that is like insulin in pill form,which I can get by with as long as I control my diet and my blood sugar levels.They started me out on a carb-counting menu then switched to a 2mg. low sodium diabetic diet,which was pretty frustrating because the menu consisted mostly of drywall chunks and lawn clippings.By the time I was released yesterday I had lost 13 pounds and can now appreciate seeing a herd of cattle grazing in a field and know what their world is like.
The dietitian gave us all the information on living on a starvation diet forever and a chart that showed the carb and caloric value of certain food groups.I’m hoping maybe somebody here has some recipes for heart-healthy foods that are at least edible.DW is taking this journey with me,since she has battled high blood pressure and is pretty heavy herself.The plan was to eat sensibly and start walking to exercise as I lost weight.Yesterday I was told if I ever left the house I would have to drag an oxygen tank on wheels,so the walking thing is a moot point.
There was a lady cardiologist whose last name has 29 letters,two of which are vowels.On Friday she came in and showed me part of the EKG monitor where my heart had paused for periods of up to six seconds while I was asleep,which apparently was the cause of my blackouts and why I was fatigued all the time.Monday I received a pacemaker to regulate my heartbeat.The hospital sent an oxygen unit to my home,which I will be attatched to for the rest of my days.I have a smaller tank,which I have to wheel around if I ever have cause to leave the house in the future.This probably upset me worse than anything.No more part time job,no few dolllars each week to get through when you have an unexpected bill come up,just our SS checks.There is usually a three week stretch with nothing coming in to get through.My priorities are changing on an almost hourly basis.
The office lady had us fill out papers and took our financials early on,since we have no medical coverage.There is an agent from the hospital trying to get me on federal aid(Medicaid) and backdate it to March 1. Normally coverage does not include pre-existing conditions.My total stay for 9 days will probably run close to a quarter million dollars.If I never needed medical attention again I could pay $25/month and have the bill paid off in approximately 978 years.
I’m supposed to have a sleep study done in two weeks to tell me I have apnea,which I already know.DW has a cPAP machine,which since her old unit quit working costs us $107/mo. to rent from the medical place since we self-pay.We cannot afford another,so if there is no federal funding it will be simply another exercise in futility.
The one positive thing that I have to say came from this whole ordeal was that I reconnected with my oldest daughter.Her mom and I divorced while she was still young,and after her mom remarried,we kind of went our own ways.She’s now 38 with two kids and two stepdaughters which keeps her pretty busy.She works in the office of one of the doctors there and stopped by a couple times so we had a chance to talk,just the two of us.She asked about great-granny,my mom and dad,and just a whole lot of things we never had time to say to each other as we went about living our own lives.I guess a crisis can bring people closer together than good times can in more significant ways.
In the more than a week I was hospitalized the thing I think I missed most was sharing with my friends here.I know there are a lot of people here with a much tougher lot in life than mine. If we can survive the Obama regime,COPD and diabetes should be a piece of (sugar-free) cake.
polination.blog 
Wow. About an hour ago, I thought … “I sure hope Pete’s just busy, not sick or something.” It’s so rare for you to go so long without visiting here. I know what you’re going through with the sudden financial, disability, diet stuff. It’s tough. It’s already given you a chance to spend time with your daughter. I hope you will also make your enforced monasticism into a blessing by crawling regularly into Our Lord’s lap and letting Him hold and comfort and guide you through this.
As for diet suggestions … Dearest also has apnea and a faulty valve. His mother and aunt had to have open heart surgery for the familiar valve problem. He’s got no insurance and decided to see what he could do to be as healthy as possible. He radically altered his diet, using the suggestions at http://www.draxe.com/ and his cardiologist is delighted with his progress.
He sleeps soundly now with nothing more than some “open breathing” essential oils diffusing in his bedroom – pine, fir, eucalyptus are favorites. If I hear him snoring, we talk about what he did the day before, particularly what he ate. It’s gotten so it’s almost always something he had when he was had some meeting or other.
The better he eats, the better he sleeps and the better he feels, so when he has a “treat” that isn’t really a treat, he feels it and that makes him not want that kind of food again. When he ate crap all the time, he felt lousy but didn’t know why and couldn’t attach it to the foods he liked. Now he can and he finds the healthier he eats, the more he enjoys the healthy foods.
The key is to remember it’s about your overall health and you are more than your blood sugar or your heart. I’ve survived about 20 years longer than I would have if I’d let the MDs manage my care. I turned all that over to the Holy Spirit a long, long time ago; He’s better than any doctors and cheaper as well! LOL Stay in prayer. Tell Him how you’re feeling and let Him talk back. He will if you are quiet and listen.
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Well, dang. Glad you’re okay, but I can understand how that could be pretty rough. I will be praying for you and your family.
The Mayo Clinic website has a page of “delicious heart healthy recipes.”
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-healthy-recipes/RE00098
They do look pretty good. There is even a cream cheese dip, so it can’t be all bad 🙂 I have to follow a strict diet as well for another condition, where it feels like someone said, let’s pick out the most delicious foods ever and have them make certain people very ill when they eat them. Thus, no beans, wheat, garlic, onion, tomatoes, and on and on, which unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) means few packaged foods either. Anyway, my point is that while there are times that all I want is a nice pepperoni pizza (there seems to be no way to adapt that, and even if I could, by that time, what’s the point), after a couple years like this, the difference in my health is so extraordinary and I feel so much better that it makes up for most of the lousiness. Hang in there!
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Once in a while, I used to get a hankering for a pizza and I’d give myself a “treat” day. Then I’d feel so gawdawful after, I stopped having hankerings for pizza.
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What is it in the pizza that doesn’t agree with you?
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The pizza. LOL I’m allergic to wheat, yeast, tomato.
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Can you eat sprouted grains?
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what is your reaction to tomato? In my case I vomit. I cannot have ketchup, no tomato paste etc. If I did have something with tomato paste I would feel queasy afterwards.
Then there is cucumbers and in particular raw egg such as in egg nog or mayonnaise.
I pass all of this off by stating that “I am weird” in what I eat.
If people provide a salad and it includes either tomato or cucumber I simply cannot afford to touch it. I hate vomiting that much!!
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Oh Pete! I’ve been stopping by lately, wondering where you were! *sigh* I have nothing of use to say, except for my prayers for you.
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Welcome back, Pete…you have been missed. I have a very close family member going through a similar type ordeal. She (54) will be on oxygen for the remainder of her life due to emphysema. I am happy to hear that you and your daughter have reconnected. Further proof of the power of the Holy Spirit at work during dark and challenging times. It seems that you are getting enough dietary advice (your remark about drywall and lawn clippings had me cracking up). Honestly, after a while you get kind of used to eating cardboard and sawdust…I promise….and believe it or not, you lose your cravings for sugar and fat. I learned this all on my own, without Michelle Obama’s help or diet plan. May God bless, and keep you and your wife as you begin this new chapter of your life. I have no doubt that you will make the best of it and will discover many things about yourself and our world that you didn’t know previously.
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Glad you’re back, Pete! Prayers and sorrow for your troubles. My only guess about the food question is that you probably need to keep the carb/sugar intake down, like they’re telling you, but I suspect their fat guidelines are bunk. It’s *possible* that you will be able to handle a variety of meats and fats just fine without aggravating the diabetes or hurting your heart, and that could keep you happier. Bob’s been doing a lot of research lately on that. Maybe she can comment.
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Pete, it’s great to ‘see’ you again! I am so sorry to read of your medical troubles, though. The ‘drywall and grass clippings’ diet sounds less than awesome, but how wonderful to reconnect with your daughter, and be able to start down the healthy road with your wife by your side! Take it easy, and be well.
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Wow Pete, you sure know how to throw us all for a loop!
So glad you are okay.
Well, I can certainly identify with having a scary health crisis, but I hope you will take it as a good thing. You survived!
Now it is time to just make the changes that will enable you to thrive.
Food is your best medicine and eating a low glycemic diet is the key to health. The book that got me started on the road to wellness is “Healthy For Life” by Dr.Ray Strand. He gives really solid, easy to understand advice.
Eating healthy is not about eating food that tastes bad. It actually tastes great when you get used to it. Once you do, your health will improve so dramatically that you will never look back.
Cancer turned out to be one of the blessings in my life. By making wiser choices, I have the kind of health I never dreamed of before, and feel better than I did in my teens. If you need some coaching let me know. I would be glad to help you any time. I am working with a 67 year old guy right now, who is very inspiring. Perhaps you two can encourage each other. Sometimes teaming with someone really helps. And check out some of the healthful info I have archived at http://www.preventcanswers.org
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Glad to see the post reappeared.
Here is a free movie that I hope everyone will try to see:
http://www.hungryforchange.tv/free-worldwide-online-screening
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Here is another inspiration-I found this doc while walking myself well, and he is so inspiring. His practice is not too far from you. His show airs on Saturday mornings at 11 on am560.
Everyone can hear Dr. K online and through his archives. I have learned so much about nutrition from Dr. K.
http://www.healthquestradio.com/health-resources/healthy-handouts/
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drat, I just wrote a long post and it disappeared. I guess I will wait and see if it shows up. I will post again to you PP, if it does not.
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Oh, I am so sorry to hear this. I was afraid that you were not well but I never would have guessed all of the misfortune you have experienced. I bet you are glad to be home, even with your “new normal.” I hope you will learn to get outside with that portable oxygen tank and walk, though, once you are feeling stronger. Start out walking around your apartment and try to get some strength back and then venture out around the block on a pretty day.
My dad had COPD and he got so he did really well with the portable tank. He never wanted to miss anything, like the grandkids’ ball games, so he worked hard at it and it got so he really didn’t need the oxygen as much. He also had bypass surgery and lived for about 20 years more after all of that so if you realize in the beginning that you need to adjust to make those quality decades, I think you can do it. You just might be able to deliver those papers again, too, though I know it doesn’t seem like it now.
Hang in there dear Pete! We are all pulling for you and most will be praying, too, I suspect.
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I used to be able to go out with oxygen. I carried “Hank the Tank” in a stylish red and black sling on my shoulder. I was chatting with a fellow once who had lost both hands. Without thinking, he up and lit a cigarette. I had O2 running, so BOLTED to a safe distance. His wife starts slapping him, “Dope! She’s on oxygen!” I hollered, “Hey, we crips have to stick together!” And he thew his claws into the air and hollered back, “You’re right! I’m so sorry!” Then we all laughed. Sometimes it can be fun. You just have to get a little twisted to find the humor. But then … Pete’s already a little twisted, so THAT shouldn’t be hard. {{{{{{{{{{{{{Pete}}}}}}}}}}}}}} and {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Mrs.Pete}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
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You reminded me of a story I read once about a husband and wife who were both disabled, who had a small creek running by their home, which they named “Cripple Creek.” I like that attitude.
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Pete, it’s so good to see you back — we missed you! Like the others, I was hoping you were just too busy, but no such luck. I will certainly be adding my prayers for you to all the others here, and will add you to my church’s prayer list as well. You will probably have to do a lot of research and a lot of experimenting with food, exercise, etc. to find out what works. Don’t get discouraged and don’t give up!
My husband (who is almost 67) recently spent five days in the cardiac care unit, being treated for atrial fibrillation. He has Medicare, so I think the cost of his hospitalization will be taken care of, and fortunately he can still work — when there’s any work to do, that is. But I’m being extra careful what I feed him these days. The most important thing is eating real (as opposed to industrial) food. Don’t eat anything that your granny would not have recognized as food — in other words, don’t eat anything that would not have been available a hundred years ago. Modern industrial food is killing us. Yes, it will take time to adjust. I was raised on industrial food, so real food tasted weird to me when I made the switch. But once you get used to it, you’ll find yourself preferring it, and eventually you will no longer crave the synthetic stuff.
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I like Dr. Axe’s rule of thumb … if you can’t pronounce it, you shouldn’t eat it.
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Good rule!
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Pete, start by checking out websites that give the facts on Diabetes.
Also, make the time to learn about the GI. Foods that are low GI are good. Foods that are high GI are not good.
My husband has diabetes 2. He started with high blood pressure. He also uses the CPAP machine and at least I get some sleep at night. Personally I have mild hypopnea and I am pre-diabetes.
Actually, I think the change of classification is a bit of a joke. Lots of people through history have been overweight. I do not think any of them were diagnosed with diabetes 2. I know I have a struggle because obesity is common for women in my family tree. Telling me to lose weight is just words in my opinion 🙂
Good luck with the continuing diet.
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