Death or Diet.... So here I am.

mikomarcia
mikomarcia Posts: 10 Member
in Introduce Yourself
So I am not exactly new to dieting or anything, but I recently got very bad news from my Dr. My triglycerides are over 800 and my blood pressure is nearly at crisis levels. All my blood work was bad. Like BAD BAD except my A1C, so although there is a lot going on, I don't have to add diabetes to the list. I am fat. But I'm not SO fat. I eat like my husband who is fit, and we are super active. I don't binge and I have tried every diet in the world with little success. So my Dr decided to run some other tests. Turns out I have Endroconic (sp?) Metabolic Disease. Essentially, my body isn't working. The Dr was surprised I haven't had a stroke or heart attack yet and I need to constantly monitor now. I will be seeing a specialist who comes out from the city once a month to my mountain town on 5/25 and will learn more. Essentially, I can't mess around any more. My diet is supposed to be mostly vegetables and lean meat ONLY and I am now on several medications. I am looking forward to meeting with the specialist to get my body back on track. I would love to meet others (especially those in a similar position) to keep us motivated, although I'll be honest, nothing is quite as motivating as your mortality. Looking forward to taking back control!

Replies

  • Sinisterbarbie1
    Sinisterbarbie1 Posts: 711 Member
    edited May 2022
    First off — Hugs — Scary - But great that you are active and taking steps to address this. You can definitely do it. I did, and many others on this site are doing much harder things than I did every day.

    Second, I think your Dr probably meant endergonic. If so, this just describes what type of energy reaction occurs in a given reaction. Does the reaction release free energy or require an input of energy before it can occur. If you remember biology (or look it up via google or wikipedia!) Metabolism is an endergonic reaction (as opposed to an exergonic reaction in which free energy exits the system). It is a reaction in your body which requires the energy (from food) to be broken down and eventually absorbed in order for the reaction to take place.
    So it might be that your Dr was just throwing in an SAT word to make Metabolic Syndrome sound even scarier, or to help with insurance coverage or referral to a specialist who might otherwise not be available to you. If it is something different I apologize …

    It is scary enough as is IMHO … According to the Mayo Clinic, Metabolic Syndrome is a cluster of symptoms that occurs together including the below:
    Large waist — A waistline that measures at least 35 inches (89 centimeters) for women and 40 inches (102 centimeters) for men
    High triglyceride level — 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or 1.7 millimoles per liter (mmol/L), or higher of this type of fat found in blood
    Reduced "good" or HDL cholesterol — Less than 40 mg/dL (1.04 mmol/L) in men or less than 50 mg/dL (1.3 mmol/L) in women of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol
    Increased blood pressure — 130/85 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or higher
    Elevated fasting blood sugar — 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) or higher
    Having three or more of these traits, including if you are taking medicine to successfully treat it increases your risk of stroke, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

    The good news is that if you are not diabetic or close to it, losing weight can definitely help. I had high triglycerides and increased blood pressure before losing 50 lbs and I am now totally normal and do not have to take any medicine. The blood work came into balance before the weight came down. Exercise and cutting out alcohol significantly helped me on all fronts too.
    I will be thinking of you and sending you positive vibes and strength!
  • mikomarcia
    mikomarcia Posts: 10 Member
    Thank you! Very informative. Yes, it is scary but I think it'll be manageable. The only thing that ever really worked on me was low carb, so right now I'm doing a clean keto. It's having some effect because I'm losing about 2lbs a week. I have to sleep with a heart monitor now and I was told if I had a headache I need to go to the ER. Better safe than sorry. Weird thing is that I feel ok. I mean as ok as I usually do. Being just over 200lbs is bad and I know that. But ever since I was a teenager I've never been below 180. So maybe the specialist can shed some light on it. Maybe there is a medication that can also help. I'm just going to approach it in a positive way and be thankful I'm working on this before a stroke or heart attack did happen! Thank ypu for your kind words!!
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,407 Member
    Wow. That’s a boatload to deal with all at once. Hugs!

    I can’t help you with any of that, but once you’ve had a chance to talk to your specialist, and presumably, a dietician, we’re here to help with food suggestions, site advice, and moral support to make things a little easier.

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