The men in my support group at OSU often "lovingly" call me the Salt Queen. Although they are teasing me, I know they appreciate the salt tips I often find from reading, shopping, cooking, etc. They have been encouraging me to share some of my tips to everyone, so I will try to start regularly putting salt tips and recipes out here.
When talking about salt, I am happy to see such an awareness of salt in our country coming to light. We have a long way to go, but at least companies are beginning to try to cut the salt. (Here is an interesting article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43143369/ns/business-consumer_news/) The article states that companies are hesitant to find a lower sodium product because people think it will sacrifice taste. But I argue, if they spice and cook alternatively, there shouldn't be a sacrifice in taste; however, you can't argue that most people hear the words "lower sodium" and think "lower taste." So, we have a long way to go. :-)
Salt tip #1 - for the cheese lovers out there, buy SWISS cheese because it is significantly less sodium than other brands. Stay away from American cheese at all costs. And if you are in need of shredded cheese, buy the cheese in a block and shred it yourself. Although it is more work and a little of a mess, you will save yourself a significant amount of sodium.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Pain Pills
An article came out last week that I thought was ironic. The title of the article read, "Even a Few Pain Pills May Be Unsafe in Heart Disease." The opening line read, "Some anti-inflammatory painkillers are known to increase heart risks, and new findings from more than 83,000 people suggest that even a couple of days of treatment can be dangerous in people with a history of heart problems."
When I was first diagnosed with heart failure, I was put on the typical regime for heart patients: beta blockers, diuretics, and an Ace Inhibitor. The Ace (many people take this as their blood pressure pill) actually gave me restless legs. So my doctors tried several pain meds but finally settled on having me take Motrin. For those of you that know anything about heart failure, you know one of the worst symptoms is swelling. The Motrin actually caused my entire body to swell up and put me in the hospital. When questioned why I would be taking a drug that made my heart failure worse, my doctors indicated that they needed to treat the pain.
My story has a good ending. They finally took me off the Ace because my heart actually got too bad. Once they took me off, I have never had another problem with my legs. Praise God! Isn't it interesting though that some times we have to use something to treat our problems by embracing another choice that may hurt us in another way... There is a life lesson to learn here. :-)
Here is the link to the article if you are interested: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/18/us-even-few-pain-pills-be-unsafe-heart-d-idUSTRE74H72U20110518
Ray and I have been doing great. I cannot tell you how thankful we are for each day. I get overwhelmed when I think of all the things I would have missed if God would have taken me home last year. I am so blessed for each day with my family and friends.
This week I will be meeting with someone to discuss cardiac rehab. Like every other heart patient, my doctor is on to me about losing weight and exercising more, but not to stress my heart. LOL! So, the rehab may be just what the doctor ordered. But I find any time you start something new, there is an element of fear involved. But as my Pastor said this weekend, fear is man made and keeps us from accomplishing what God has in store for us. So, I will press on. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.
When I was first diagnosed with heart failure, I was put on the typical regime for heart patients: beta blockers, diuretics, and an Ace Inhibitor. The Ace (many people take this as their blood pressure pill) actually gave me restless legs. So my doctors tried several pain meds but finally settled on having me take Motrin. For those of you that know anything about heart failure, you know one of the worst symptoms is swelling. The Motrin actually caused my entire body to swell up and put me in the hospital. When questioned why I would be taking a drug that made my heart failure worse, my doctors indicated that they needed to treat the pain.
My story has a good ending. They finally took me off the Ace because my heart actually got too bad. Once they took me off, I have never had another problem with my legs. Praise God! Isn't it interesting though that some times we have to use something to treat our problems by embracing another choice that may hurt us in another way... There is a life lesson to learn here. :-)
Here is the link to the article if you are interested: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/18/us-even-few-pain-pills-be-unsafe-heart-d-idUSTRE74H72U20110518
Ray and I have been doing great. I cannot tell you how thankful we are for each day. I get overwhelmed when I think of all the things I would have missed if God would have taken me home last year. I am so blessed for each day with my family and friends.
This week I will be meeting with someone to discuss cardiac rehab. Like every other heart patient, my doctor is on to me about losing weight and exercising more, but not to stress my heart. LOL! So, the rehab may be just what the doctor ordered. But I find any time you start something new, there is an element of fear involved. But as my Pastor said this weekend, fear is man made and keeps us from accomplishing what God has in store for us. So, I will press on. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Experimental Procedures
There has been quite a bit of trials and research conducted in the last several years to try to help treat heart failure. There seems to be quite a bit of interest focused around using one's own cells from their bone marrow to create new cell growth. This sounds so logical to me but the research seems to be facing quite a bit of scrutiny. What do you think?
Here is a good article if you would like to check it out: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/741096
Here is a good article if you would like to check it out: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/741096
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