Jeanne and Marilyn are so weird when I try to explain about my health. I will shut up about it. Dementia is a very sad thing and you have to accept that they can never reciprocate in any way. Their life is about themselves. I just read that Happiness is Good Health and a Bad Memory. That is them. Marilyn thinks she is healthy because she golfed all her life. It probably was more healthy than working 16 hours a day as I often had to do. Jeanne thinks she is healthy because she did everything right and I suppose that might be true also. She does eat more than she needs though but except for being chubbier than Marilyn it does not seem to bother her. She wants to be totally independent and not have me wash and change her sheets or do any washing for her and I guess since I am leaving that is best. Marilyn is not aware of Jeanne's needs at all. I guess they will be fine unless they need more attention than they get here but they do have plenty of children to help them and that is really good. Jeanne still has a sharp mind about some things. If I cannot think of the word I want she usually comes up with it. And she can carry on quite a good conversation about many things. Marilyn has stock comments that she makes all the time to impress that she knows something. I find my memory is getting worse. That is a worry.
But I learned something interesting watching two documentaries on You Tube. If you get aortic stenosis after age 70 it is because of the placque in your arteries. You will go into about three stages. In the angina stage you have about 5 years of life remaining. In the dizziness stage your life is down to 3 yrs. But the final state could be an heart attack anytime. Can't remember what that stage is.
So since I was not really having symptoms in 2020 when they were trying to do a TAVR on me I really did not need one. I am currently having angina from time to time so I guess I am still going to live a little while. I need to keep my blood pressure down. I do that with medicine but I also need to stay away from incidents that raise my blood pressure.
I am also not to exert myself too much so I need to monitor how much physical work I do and indeed take take those naps when I need to. The walking with Sadie is excellent and three times a day would not be too much.
I am still not sure why I sometimes have leg aches and other times I don't but I keep trying to eat healthy and not eat too much sugar.
Lately I have been having too much caffeine. Better just to rest and watch a slow tv show. I am finding there are some good oldies on You Tube but the sound is not as good. At any rate with my roku etc I have plenty of good tv to watch without being on the main channels with commercials.
I am having my smoothies most days for breakfast which really made me feel good. I put in the protein powder, berry fruit, pineapple, banana, yeast, chia seeds, spinach and sometimes dates or prunes and always have cranberry juice (half water) with it.
The medications I take are a baby aspirin, oxybutynin 5 mg(2), escitalopram 10 mg, rosuvastatin 10 mg, lisinopril 20 mg. But supplements I take are Biotin, 1200 Citracal, Citrucel tablets, Azo urinary tract health, Multivitamin, allergy pill in am, Benadryl at night. Also Generic Flonase at night. I also occasionally have to use nitro pill for angina. All these medications are up to date and with these medications I can control my bladder, lowered cholesterol, kept aortic stenosis to moderate, lowered blood pressure and been allergy symptom free and do not have stuffed nose at night disrupting my sleep, thus avoiding costly sleep aid machines. I have had occasional knotting in my legs again, very painful and only at night and the raising of my feet way high takes them away. Not sure what would happen without my bed but I remember getting one on my way to Guam on the plane and had several people giving me advice on what to do. I stood in the aisle and what one man told me actually worked. Now I cannot remember what it was. Dr. Serry did check my legs and nothing too bad there.
I also have a face wash and cream to keep rosacea and eczema under control. I seldom eat potatoes or rice, occasional bread and waffle, tangerines, dates, salad, and the above smoothie besides veggies and protein chicken or beef at supper. along with occasional homemade soup. I remain constipation and diarrhea free and have energy and can walk upright and without aid with Sadie. I do not have aches and pains except for occasional wrist pain and neck pain from too long at the computer. and occasional leg pain. I use hearing aids from Costco and love that for listening to books, etc. I watch our ward sacrament meeting online and can hear everything much better than attending church. And I have corrective glasses which should be checked this year. They are special for keeping the double vision away.
I feel the health care I have received this year has been exceptional as was the health care I received from Arch Health in Rancho Bernardo except I was not impressed with my cardiologist here,. When I return to Carlsbad I have a Dr. Pham at Scripps Coastal who will be my internist and have not been assigned a cardiologist or dermatologist yet. So new doctors again, I hope I like them. I have not been to a neurologist since 2019. Can't remember who switched me to an aspirin a day but doctors since have wanted to keep it that way. I am considered to have heart failure as well as other problems which I feel are pretty much under control on the present medications. Not too much, not too little. The rest is up to me. As Dr. Serry said, "Keep doing what you are doing and no TAVR needed yet." Dr. Jones pretty much said the same thing and he wants to see me one more time before I leave so I leave with the prescriptions etc all filled and no 6 month echo till Nov or Dec needed.
No comments:
Post a Comment