My treatment permutations
Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 9:28 am
I had an undiagnosed high blood pressure condition that may have caused a TIA. Following up on that I performed a stress test with echo, and there is an indication of arterial hardening due to heart muscle motion. I don't have any symptoms like chest pain, and I feel good about exercise, for now. The cardiologist wants me to take an Angiogram, with his estimate of 40% nothing wrong, 30% angioplasty, 30% bypass. I haven't decided on the Angiogram, but I have started working my way up on the VitaminC.
My concern is that while the VC therapy may be beneficial, if I continue to take it now I could destroy the baseline for the Angio. Since I don't know for sure where my arteries are, I could then get a clear angio, and then I might weaken, and just assume everything is OK, and go back to my old ways. I wouldn't really have a basis for taking high doses of C for the rest of my life. Except a possible future stress test that was clean, but I can't determine that prescription, it's up to my doctors what I get in the way of tests.
On the other hand if I don't continue with the C now, and I come up clogged on my tests, then I am in for some possibly beneficial, but also dangerous surgery.
If I continue with the C, take an the angiogram in the next month, there may not be enough time for the C to have turned the trick.
There are more permutations here than it is worth listing, but since C isn't a doctor favorite therapy, it is tough integrating the two courses of action without perverse effects. Anyone else face these dilemmas?
To add a third variable, the moment I had this BP problem diagnosed I put myself on a calorie restricted diet, cut out all bad foods, reduced salt (unbelievable how much of that there is in the diet, radical reductions are still hardly "low salt"). Upped all the good stuff, was eating cups of blueberries from our fields during the summer, etc... Talk about an unscientific adjustment of all the variables. Low salt seems to have reduced my double chin! I have weighed a lot less than I currently do, and still had a double chin. Never gone low salt, I was a salt bomb avoider before, but never lowish salt. I still have the possibility of dropping weight about 20%, which is nice to have that variable to play with.
My other problem which I will expand on elsewhere is that I am on some blood pressure meds that require taking in various relationships to meals, plus my C says it should be taken on a full stomach, while my Lysine says take on an empty. I hear of people the C and the L at the same time, is that OK? Currently I am taking 1000 mg doses of lysine in pill form, and C in crystals. I find the C a little acid in my stomach. I am around 2-3mg on the former, and 4mg on the latter, and moving them up. It makes for a full day. I wasn't on any regular meds before the BP problem was diagnosed. In a perfect world I would be off the BP meds if I could swing it.
My concern is that while the VC therapy may be beneficial, if I continue to take it now I could destroy the baseline for the Angio. Since I don't know for sure where my arteries are, I could then get a clear angio, and then I might weaken, and just assume everything is OK, and go back to my old ways. I wouldn't really have a basis for taking high doses of C for the rest of my life. Except a possible future stress test that was clean, but I can't determine that prescription, it's up to my doctors what I get in the way of tests.
On the other hand if I don't continue with the C now, and I come up clogged on my tests, then I am in for some possibly beneficial, but also dangerous surgery.
If I continue with the C, take an the angiogram in the next month, there may not be enough time for the C to have turned the trick.
There are more permutations here than it is worth listing, but since C isn't a doctor favorite therapy, it is tough integrating the two courses of action without perverse effects. Anyone else face these dilemmas?
To add a third variable, the moment I had this BP problem diagnosed I put myself on a calorie restricted diet, cut out all bad foods, reduced salt (unbelievable how much of that there is in the diet, radical reductions are still hardly "low salt"). Upped all the good stuff, was eating cups of blueberries from our fields during the summer, etc... Talk about an unscientific adjustment of all the variables. Low salt seems to have reduced my double chin! I have weighed a lot less than I currently do, and still had a double chin. Never gone low salt, I was a salt bomb avoider before, but never lowish salt. I still have the possibility of dropping weight about 20%, which is nice to have that variable to play with.
My other problem which I will expand on elsewhere is that I am on some blood pressure meds that require taking in various relationships to meals, plus my C says it should be taken on a full stomach, while my Lysine says take on an empty. I hear of people the C and the L at the same time, is that OK? Currently I am taking 1000 mg doses of lysine in pill form, and C in crystals. I find the C a little acid in my stomach. I am around 2-3mg on the former, and 4mg on the latter, and moving them up. It makes for a full day. I wasn't on any regular meds before the BP problem was diagnosed. In a perfect world I would be off the BP meds if I could swing it.