Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Bad Blood...

Today I got some ikky information about myself that I did not want to hear...
For the last few years I have been struggling with issues with my cholesterol. I know it is hereditary and that I got my dads bad blood, but I have always felt to young to be dealing with these issues. I was diagnosed with hight triglycerides when I was 24 and controlled them threw my diet and activity levels. Triglycerides are a type of fat found in your blood. They are a major source of energy and the most common type of fat in your body. Right before I found out I was pregnant I got my blood tested again and they were elevated but before I got the info on medication I could take I found out I was pregnant so I could only control them with diet and exercise. Of course when you are pregnant and in your first trimester you do not feel like working out or eating anything at all. Or at least those were my issues!!! After I had Travis and got my blood tested they were still elevated and the doctor wanted me to try and control them myself before getting on a life long medication. Fun stuff, huh?! When we both decided that this was more hereditary then a life style change I got put on the medication. The medication I take now is called Lovaza, it is 4 horse pills that you have to take daily... full of omega -3 acids and whatever else to lower your bad cholesterol and raise the good. It has been about 5-6 months since I have been on this medicine and I have gotten blood work done 2 times since then. The first time showed great results with my numbers almost back to the perfect range and this second time they have gone up a little but not much. This was concerning to my doctor and that is why I got the call today. After all of my gallbladder junk and getting on weight watchers, I have been controlling my fat intake and have lost weight (YAY!) but ww is a very lenient diet. You can pretty much eat whatever you want within the numbers you are given. I guess that is to lenient for me because it was not helping my blood, just my weight. The nurse pretty much read me my rights today... She reminded me that heart disease is a major risk in living life with high triglycerides. She told me that it does not matter if you are 25 or 85 your risk does not increase or decrease. I was like a deer in head lights... I know I have read all of this but I guess deep down I thought I was safe because I was young. I should have been hit in the head with this years ago considering my grandfather on my dads side died of a heart attack and had bad heart disease and that my father has had heart issues as well. Now I feel like I have dug a hole that I am going to have to struggle to get out of! I mean I do work out 5-7 times a week, i thought I was doing great on my diet but now I am re-considering everything I had thought I was doing right. The doc wants me to go on a solid South Beach diet. Have you tried the South Beach diet? I have and it is torturous! The phases do get easier but the first phase is a beating! Click this link to read about it... South Beach Diet Info.. The problem with this diet is that there is a ton of planning involved! I unfortunately and not a planner, not with food at least. Never have been and don't know if I can be. Can you teach a old dog new tricks? HA! My hubby found out that our insurance will cover a dietitian/nutritionist and so that is my next step. I just need a kick in the right direction! I wonder if they would cover a personal chef also? Do you find it unfair that the super wealthy can hire someone to feed them the correct things and they do not have to even think about it. I hate those people! I am now feeling pretty angry at myself. I mean I have a child that needs me for the rest of his life and I am at a high risk for heart disease... What the hell am I thinking? I should have nipped this a long time ago. Now it seems so hard to do. Being a mom it has become harder to think about myself, i focus mainly on the health and well-being of my son and have let myself get lost in the mix. Please pray for me... I need all the help I can get!

1 comment:

Jennifer (mom of four) said...

Thoughts and prayers headed your way!!