My LCHF Scare
itsmarcel
Posts: 52 Member
This morning I took myself to the ER because I've been having a dull discomfort in my chest on my left side. This is my 11th day since starting a low carb high fat diet. My food diary is public if any of you would like to check it out. I've had excellent success in both weight loss (down 8 lbs since starting) and fat loss (down 1.5%). My energy level is finally returning back to normal. My general mood has improved. I still suffer from light headedness but this has decreased after incorporating sea salt into my diet.
At any rate, I went to the ER to get checked out. I have a family history of heart disease. My mom passed away from a cardiac arrest and my father has had a quadruple bypass surgery. This might help you to understand my paranoia about heart attacks.
To make a long story short, after blood work, analysis of urine, and chest x-rays, I was given a clean bill of health. I went to see my doctor afterward and he believes that this onset of pain is stress related.
By the way, I'm not the type of person to check my state of ketosis with ketostix. In fact, I've never done it. It was awesome though to see that ketones were reported on the results of my urine test.
So anyway I pray that this discomfort will pass. I write this post in case anyone else experiences the same issue. My suggestion would be to go see a doctor. Don't risk your health or your life. For me I'll be continuing my lifestyle change to living low carb.
At any rate, I went to the ER to get checked out. I have a family history of heart disease. My mom passed away from a cardiac arrest and my father has had a quadruple bypass surgery. This might help you to understand my paranoia about heart attacks.
To make a long story short, after blood work, analysis of urine, and chest x-rays, I was given a clean bill of health. I went to see my doctor afterward and he believes that this onset of pain is stress related.
By the way, I'm not the type of person to check my state of ketosis with ketostix. In fact, I've never done it. It was awesome though to see that ketones were reported on the results of my urine test.
So anyway I pray that this discomfort will pass. I write this post in case anyone else experiences the same issue. My suggestion would be to go see a doctor. Don't risk your health or your life. For me I'll be continuing my lifestyle change to living low carb.
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Speaking as someone who in fact, works in healthcare, I commend you for listening to your body's alarms and getting checked out. Knowing your family history is also good ammunition to prevent anything for your own individual health as well.
Stress is a nasty beast of burden... That witch can do some interesting things... Whether its physical, emotional - its a rollercoaster ride that no one wants to be one... clearly you stopped the ride from going another round!
In any dietary change we willingly take on and focus on, we must still get adequate amounts of sleep (from which I will be heading to bed after I post this).
Staying well-hydrated so the body maintains homeostasis.
Making sure our electrolytes are in balance - especially with low carb intakes!
Getting a healthy balance at all times.
When the going gets too tough to manage, sometimes its ok to step away to get a breather. Finding the calm within helps to tackle that problem so much better!
8-)
And yes, Laura_beau and I will stand by your statement - always consult with your healthcare practitioners who oversee your care. Dont come to MFP looking for medical advice... this is not a medical community staffed by clinicians.
Thanks a bunch and I hope the discomfort eases!!!
CramerNH
Moderator0 -
I'm so glad you're okay! It is so unfair that as we're trying to get ourselves healthier that our bodies betray us and make us thing we're deathly sick!
I was convinced I had appendicitis. I mean, I had a few symptoms pointed in that direction. Low fever, pain on the right lower abdomen, loss of appetite... I told my husband that I might ask him to take me to the ER if it got worse. I slept in my clothes, just in case. YES i know that you shouldn't mess around with appendicitis, but I just wasn't totally convinced that it was real, and had to do with my new eating patterns. It turns out it was just a false alarm; it was just a yet-to-be-realized need to go to the bathroom.
(-‿•) so embarrassing!0 -
I looked at your diary...do you consider sodium in your diet? I see you say you switched to sea salt but your daily intake seems like it'd be high with sausage, cheese, V8, bacon, wings, etc.
I track my sodium and it pretty much just reminds me how much I eat daily, and it sucks, but I still put it out there in my diary just to keep it on the front of my mind.
I could be wrong, tho. It just all SEEMS salty.
Glad you're ok
I get antsy about heart stuff too as everyone in my family - underweight to overweight - has heart problems. 0 -
Good luck with the health, take it easy on yourself, stress does horrible things to the body.
And yeh, good on you for getting it checked-out, it's so easy just to let these things slide (as blokes tend to do
). 0 -
This morning I took myself to the ER because I've been having a dull discomfort in my chest on my left side. This is my 11th day since starting a low carb high fat diet. My food diary is public if any of you would like to check it out. I've had excellent success in both weight loss (down 8 lbs since starting) and fat loss (down 1.5%). My energy level is finally returning back to normal. My general mood has improved. I still suffer from light headedness but this has decreased after incorporating sea salt into my diet.
At any rate, I went to the ER to get checked out. I have a family history of heart disease. My mom passed away from a cardiac arrest and my father has had a quadruple bypass surgery. This might help you to understand my paranoia about heart attacks.
To make a long story short, after blood work, analysis of urine, and chest x-rays, I was given a clean bill of health. I went to see my doctor afterward and he believes that this onset of pain is stress related.
By the way, I'm not the type of person to check my state of ketosis with ketostix. In fact, I've never done it. It was awesome though to see that ketones were reported on the results of my urine test.
So anyway I pray that this discomfort will pass. I write this post in case anyone else experiences the same issue. My suggestion would be to go see a doctor. Don't risk your health or your life. For me I'll be continuing my lifestyle change to living low carb.
I am glad you went! When I started low carb, after 1 month, I went to get all my stuff checked, too. It was AWESOME... clean bill of health! I hope you start feeling wonderful again! 0 -
I looked at your diary...do you consider sodium in your diet? I see you say you switched to sea salt but your daily intake seems like it'd be high with sausage, cheese, V8, bacon, wings, etc.
I track my sodium and it pretty much just reminds me how much I eat daily, and it sucks, but I still put it out there in my diary just to keep it on the front of my mind.
I could be wrong, tho. It just all SEEMS salty.
Glad you're ok I get antsy about heart stuff too as everyone in my family - underweight to overweight - has heart problems.
I remember starting LC and I was so out of whack.. I realized that I need to eat about 3000 units of sodium a day to feel ok. Isn't that nuts? Sometimes friends make comments about the amount of sodium I eat, but then I tell them that sometimes my sweat stops tasting salty and I start to black out... Then again, I sweat more than the average person. I think that whole sodium thing changes person to person. Not to mention that if you don't have sodium issues, you don't really have to worry about how much salt you eat (i.e. if you eat too much, it's ok.) 0 -
I looked at your diary...do you consider sodium in your diet? I see you say you switched to sea salt but your daily intake seems like it'd be high with sausage, cheese, V8, bacon, wings, etc.
I track my sodium and it pretty much just reminds me how much I eat daily, and it sucks, but I still put it out there in my diary just to keep it on the front of my mind.
I could be wrong, tho. It just all SEEMS salty.
Glad you're ok I get antsy about heart stuff too as everyone in my family - underweight to overweight - has heart problems.
I remember starting LC and I was so out of whack.. I realized that I need to eat about 3000 units of sodium a day to feel ok. Isn't that nuts? Sometimes friends make comments about the amount of sodium I eat, but then I tell them that sometimes my sweat stops tasting salty and I start to black out... Then again, I sweat more than the average person. I think that whole sodium thing changes person to person. Not to mention that if you don't have sodium issues, you don't really have to worry about how much salt you eat (i.e. if you eat too much, it's ok.)
This. Sodium, like saturated fat, has been villified by the conventional medical field for no reason. If you eat high carb, then yes sodium can make your blood presure rise. But I, too, tend to sweat a lot, so I need my electrolytes.
OP - also watch your potassium levels, I know I have issues with it getting too low on low-carb. Low potassium can cause muscle cramps/twitches, fatigue, etc even heart arrythmias when it's really low.0 -
What are pottasium rich foods? I'm a low carb vegetarian so I do worry I'm not getting enough of everything 0
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What are pottasium rich foods? I'm a low carb vegetarian so I do worry I'm not getting enough of everything
Non-meat sources are: bananas, sweet potatoes, avocados, zucchini (or any squash), coffee, tomatoes, V8 or tomato juice (low sodium has more potassium than the regular one), nuts. Those are my main sources, I'm sure there are plenty more veggies. Ooooh, broccoli and spinach, too.
It's not necessarily that low-carb means you're not getting enough potassium; it's that insulin helps get potassium into cells, and being lower carb you generally have less insulin floating around in your bloodstream (as this is a big reason to eat less carbs). Especially with it being so hot this summer and I was sweating a lot, I have to pay attention to consume more potassium to keep my electrolytes in check.
http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/endocrine/pancreas/insulin_phys.html Look under "Other Notable Effects of Insulin"0 -
Low sodium was a major issue when I first started LC. I am now eating so wholesome that I wasn't getting the sodium and my electrolytes were off. I refused to add more salt to my plate because I don't want our kids to see me do this. So I started adding a pinch of salt to ea glass of water and I tracked that too and still under my daily sodium.
Adding to my food made me want to add even more. Adding to my water keeps my meals tasting low salt like we like btw, I make a 2 gal jug of my salted water and drink it in a day and a half. I add sliced cucumber, lemon or mint ext to my glass then ice, then the salted water which helps cover the salt taste. It's like my homemade sports drink..I think 0 -
What are pottasium rich foods? I'm a low carb vegetarian so I do worry I'm not getting enough of everything
Non-meat sources are: bananas, sweet potatoes, avocados, zucchini (or any squash), coffee, tomatoes, V8 or tomato juice (low sodium has more potassium than the regular one), nuts. Those are my main sources, I'm sure there are plenty more veggies. Ooooh, broccoli and spinach, too.
It's not necessarily that low-carb means you're not getting enough potassium; it's that insulin helps get potassium into cells, and being lower carb you generally have less insulin floating around in your bloodstream (as this is a big reason to eat less carbs). Especially with it being so hot this summer and I was sweating a lot, I have to pay attention to consume more potassium to keep my electrolytes in check.
http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/endocrine/pancreas/insulin_phys.html Look under "Other Notable Effects of Insulin"
Thankyou........ very interesting 0 -
My wife had issues like you describe for a time, crushing chest pain, blackouts, etc. We thought there was something really wrong with her, but turns out it was stress, she just worked at a horrible job and the issues went away a while after she finally quit.0
