Chest Problems

Lashann1988

Okay, so I went to the doctor today because I have been having pressure and pain on my chest all week and trouble breathing. After running tests and all, they found out that I have inflammation of the muscles around my heart and diaphragm, that I am high risk for heart attack when I get in my 40's. My question is...is it still safe for me to do cardio exercises or is it unsafe at the moment? I still have a lot to lose and I don't want to quit now. Thanks.

DalekBrittany

My answer to these questions is and will always be ASK YOUR DOCTOR. You should never, ever, EVER take medical advice from strangers on the internet, especially when it has to do with your cardiac health. If you have to wait over the weekend, you will live. Call Monday and ask.

Lashann1988

He came to the conclusion after running tests that I have CSS or churg strauss syndrome. So, I will be dealing with it for a long time but a few days into the meds and I am feeling a lot better. I am gonna start back slow with walking 30 minutes a day instead of jogging for right now. Thanks for the advice though..he said a little exercise will actually help but to keep my heart rate low as possible because it's already staying around 115-120 resting.

dietstokes

You are going to want to be consuming as few stimulants as possible with your new diagnosis. We all know of common stimulants such as caffeine (coffee, soda, tea...even decaf still has some), chocolate and sugar. But then there are also other stimulants such as wheat (can be a stimulant for some). You many want to look into cutting these items out of your diet. They will have a multitude of positive effects on the body. A) you are reducing stimulants (woot!) which will help with your heart rate. many of these things cause some sort of inflammation in the body, so by cutting them out, you reduce your overall inflammation. There are other food items that you can cut out on an anti inflammatory diet as well which will help with over all body inflammation. Nightshades are prone to causing more systemic inflammation in some people. Additionally, if you don't already, I would try things such as meditation and yoga. They are calming and bring oxygen to your body which helps again with, you got it, inflammation.

Your recent diagnosis is probably overwhelming right now, but you've got this. Keep us all updated as you progress!

DalekBrittany

He came to the conclusion after running tests that I have CSS or churg strauss syndrome. So, I will be dealing with it for a long time but a few days into the meds and I am feeling a lot better. I am gonna start back slow with walking 30 minutes a day instead of jogging for right now. Thanks for the advice though..he said a little exercise will actually help but to keep my heart rate low as possible because it's already staying around 115-120 resting.

I am so sorry to hear that, and I'm glad you waited until you talked to your doctor because it could have ended badly. Keep in mind if you haven't already that the meds for CSS are usually immunosuppresants, so just pay attention to where you're walking, who you're with, etc. Don't want to catch something nasty on top of that.

Lashann1988

Thanks everyone. I already only drink water, green tea, and ginger ale. I do still eat bread, I have tried my hardest to stop eating it but it is in almost everything.. and I buy it because my daughter eats a lot of it.. Doctor told me also..cut out red meat, caffeine, white flour [anything with white], and no cheese. He told me to try to eat only chicken and fish, lots of berries and veggies, more spices like tumeric, and use flaxseed in some foods. Also, meds are naproxin, prednisone, and cytoxan. What I forgot to mention about the exercise was that I am not allowed to do any abdominal workouts like sit-up or crunches..which sucks because that is what I need to work on most. But, four days into the medicine and I am feeling a lot better..my appetite is back and I have a lot of energy..and my chest isn't hurting, yay! But, this is going to be a lifestyle change for sure..it's that kick to really start getting into shape. I lose all this extra weight and it can reduce my symptoms drastically and I wanna be here 25-30 years down the road to be here for my daughter. Thank you everyone for the support and advice. I appreciate it greatly.

hfox9707

I agree with the doctor. Cut out foods that causes inflammation in the body. Try paleo bread instead if you got to have bread. It doesn't contain any wheat, soy, dairy or yeast. It's either made with almond flour or coconut flour. Fish, ginger, tumeric, flaxseed are natural inflammatory foods.

Lashann1988

I will try the paleo bread if I need to, going to try and cut out bread first.