Oh hai...

[JohnHuff]

Thanks!
It's very hard to eat "right". Still experimenting with different types of food. I I'm eating less, that's for sure. But non-starchy veggies are definitely hard to swallow.

Worrying me is my continuing shortness of breath, especially lying down, which the nurse says is a symptom of diastolic heard failure. I've also noticed that my feet (farthest away from my heart) are parchment white, but at least I don't have swollen ankles.

 

[addy1]

Would it help to get the wedge pillow so you could lay slightly upright? while sleeping?

You will get into a decent food flow, it takes time. Learn what you like and it will become a staple, with an occasional diversion..............into bad.
It was harder for us to watch the sugars then the cholesterol in foods, everything has sugars.

 

[j.w]

John it sounds like you have not been a real veggie eating type of person all your life perhaps? It will be harder for you to get used to it as it is myself also. I did find that Cauliflower makes a nice potato replacement. You can cook that up and then mash it and it's pretty much like mashed taters. I do like it w/ butter but guess butter is not on your list. Maybe some kind of seasoning would work.

If the nurse says your shortness of breath is from heart failure is it a normal thing to be happening to you at this point? I mean are they doing anything for you for this symptom or is it something you have to get through since your surgery?

 

[JohnHuff]

Today is a very bad day. The worst day so I've had since I came home. A lot of shortness of breath. Tired, but can't sleep because I can't breathe. Nurse said it was due to edema around the lungs, so I puttered around outside a little and that seemed to help.

 

[addy1]

Did they tell you to cut out salt? My dad was on a diuretic, the doc told me cutting out salt was way more important than taking a diuretic.
He would get fluid overload from his heart issues, cutting salt really helped him. Hypoxia would cause all sorts of mental issues.

 

[JohnHuff]

Ya, they did say no salt.

 

[addy1]

Ya, they did say no salt.

That was hard with my Dad, he lived with us for 6 months before he passed, that is when I quit buying anything that was store made if at all possible. And searching the packages (he loved pickles ketchup chips ) for no salt was a real pita. He would eat jars of bread and butter pickles, with salt, until I took over lol.

The stores sure could help having items better marked no salt low sugar etc. It seems now they are better about marking them, some of them lol.

We bought a salt grinder when we first married, 5 yrs ago, it is still 1/2 full, that is the amount of salt we use, very little. Honeys pressure readings have been great for years now.

 

[j.w]

Too much salt isn't good for anyone. They put it and sugar into everything. Hope you start feeling better John. So hope the nurse said this is all a process of getting through these symptoms and then things will improve.

 

[JohnHuff]

This is not a good morning either. Woke up already with some shortness of breath. But at least I have a doctor's appointment this morning to get it checked out.

 

[j.w]

Gosh John hope you got some help from the doc appt today so you can get rid of that darn shortness of breath and start to feeling better.

 

[JohnHuff]

Shortness of breath seems to be getting better. I've started exercising more. First, one lap around a small park, then 2 laps. Now on treadmill, first 15, now 20 mins. But I think stress is setting me back.

A couple of weeks I had a major episode where I had a dream where I got so angry that when I woke up I was still thrashing around in anger. Then today, I got into a bad argument with my wife that I told her I didn't want to argue, but she insisted and it turned into a full scale argument. Maybe she's trying to kill me, lol. I'm feeling a lot of poking (not pain) around my chest area.

 

[RobAmy]

Shortness of breath seems to be getting better. I've started exercising more. First, one lap around a small park, then 2 laps. Now on treadmill, first 15, now 20 mins. But I think stress is setting me back.

A couple of weeks I had a major episode where I had a dream where I got so angry that when I woke up I was still thrashing around in anger. Then today, I got into a bad argument with my wife that I told her I didn't want to argue, but she insisted and it turned into a full scale argument. Maybe she's trying to kill me, lol. I'm feeling a lot of poking (not pain) around my chest area.

Sounds like you are improving a little Even in my dreams he wife still wins

 

[addy1]

Darn John maybe you need to do yoga, meditation or something like that. When I spend time out in the yard or working on the pond, my blood pressure goes down to 111/65 , it is never high, but it drops to optimal, the calming effect of nature.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

Then today, I got into a bad argument with my wife that I told her I didn't want to argue, but she insisted and it turned into a full scale argument. Maybe she's trying to kill me, lol. I'm feeling a lot of poking (not pain) around my chest area.

You think that was a bad argument, wait till she reads this.

Perhaps you should get a note from your doctor saying you aren't allowed to argue, then you can produce it anytime it feels like you are losing an argument.

 

[j.w]

Maybe you should just let the wife have her way w/ you and stop fighting it

Glad you are starting to feel better