A day at the Japanese Botanical Gardens

As a playgroup day during spring break, my friend Ms. T hosted a day at the Japanese Botanical Gardens in Fort Worth. The weather was a great day to be outside. And most of the traffic appeared to be headed out towards the Zoo. We walked admiring the simple beauty of nature and the wonderful feeling of being in it. The sounds, smells and the sights of spring in the air!
After walking around the garden we found a nice spot under the big trees in the 4 seasons area and had a picnic. Bubby climbed (ok I helped him) his first tree and felt like the King of the trees. It was a proud moment for him and he did want it to end understandably. T-Bone ran like the wind with every step looking like he was going to stumble he was moving so fast but only did a few times. As always he wound brush himself on and continues on his journey not missing a beat. All the kids ran around the trees playing tag and having races after lunchtime. Then soon it was time to pack up and head homeward. Surprising no one took a nap heading home. Even me ")

Test Day

Happy dance!!!! Praise God! My tests results from my Echo stress tests from this morning are normal! Even my EKG was normal and he said that I tolerated the stress well. I'm free to move about now! So my plan is eating a heart healthy diet and continue exercising though I will increase my cardio part. I want to age without drugs if all possible. I'm hoping that I can reach that goal and get off my blood pressure meds and lower my weight and get a better lipid panel in a few months. Please feel free to say a prayer for me. I really need to change the way I eat and take care of my self. I have three boys that need me around here! ")

The war wages on in the health front

Well I got some more news from my doctor today. It seems that my Lipid panel that was run in my blood work came back high. Tygliserades are over 400! Since turning forty I've notice a increase in that number when ever blood work was done. That's when I started taking garlic, fish oil and vitamin e supplements. It helped. But I stopped taking them in the last part of January a few weeks before getting the derma filler injections. It seems that they can increase the chance of bruising and swelling if you are taking them. I had a lipid panel ran last November for my Ob check up and the number was more that half that! So a long story made short my doctor wants to put me on another med called Vytorin to see if we can get it lowered. After reading about it I'm not too sure I'm going to give it a try. It can really cause some liver damage and I would need to be monitered every few months with bloodwork. Plus it can do some serious damage to you muscles. I already feel yucky from taking the Diovan for my blood pressure. I really thinking that a serious change in lifestyle is in order instead of doping up on drugs. I believe that with a good diet(something I don't do) and exercise (something that I already do) I can get this stuff under control, that is if my Echo stress test comes back good tomorrow. If it doesn't I'll have some serious thinking to do about my future health.
They say that if the test comes back with good results it's a safe bet that there is no heart problems yet.
You know I'm kind of upset when the doctors never had suggested eating good and getting some cardio exercise to me. Thier first suggestion is medication and I notice that the drugs that are being chosen are the most current kind in the market with samples to try them out. Beware of the pusherman! The story continues......................................

Hypertension meds

I'm on my third day of hypertension meds. I think I'm doing good compared to some.
The first day so far was the worse. Light headed, dizziness and some tingling in my feet. I just felt sedated. My pressure has gone down with each passing day. In some ways I feel better in another I don't. I'm hoping that the side effects will disappear in time as my body adjusts to the lower pressure and medication. I'm still fighting the fact of taking daily meds. I just don't like it. I feel like I feeding the big pharmaceutical monster.
I'm scheduled for an Echo Stress test next Tuesday morning, St. Patrick's day. (Did you know that that St. Patrick was not Irish?) They told me that I will get the results that day after the tests are completed and speak with the doctor.
I had plans to go out and dance with some of my girl friends this Saturday for my birthday. I asked my doctor about it yesterday and she gave me the clear. Yahoooo. I promised not to get too out of breath.
I was joking with Aunt J, one of my friends that is going that I would give her a list of my medications and some emergency numbers when we go out. ")

On second thought.........

After telling him that he HAD to take a nap today Bubby's reply was "Go away Mommy, just go away" followed by " but not too far ok momma?".
Love that boy!

Bringing in 45 years in style

Well today I'm 45. Ugh. I can't say that I was looking forward to this one. I remember doing poorly on my 35th as well. It's like 5 years to 50! What's that about?
I'm young darn it and I'm staying that away too!
And it's also my 13th Wedding Anniversary too. Yes I got married on my Birthday. I have always said he was the best gift I ever got. We eloped in a way. We didn't tell our families just some close friends came to the Chapel. I was 2 hours late to my wedding! We kept getting lost over and over again. My friend was driving and I was a nut case in the passenger side. It was like that dream you can't get where you need to be. What a nightmare. It was like some evil force was at work. By God's grace we made it and my nerves melted the moment I saw Daddy Dude all dressed up in a tux waiting for me. I had NO second thoughts about what I was doing that day. It was an awesome day that brought us to today and I'm thankful.
So are you wondering what I got for my birthday? Well I got some wonderful flowers delivered from my boys today. And I consider my derma injections a gift too. Great 45th present don't you think. I might be asking for the same thing next year. ")
And my dear sweet doctor Paula thought about me too. She gave me a brand new prescription of hypertension pills. How thoughtful don't you think? Yes, I've been battling to keep my blood pressure down for a few years but it's winning so we have to try and do something. I HATE taking meds! Most seem to solve one symptom and cause many more. But I reached a place of a rock and a very hard place. If I don't get my pressure down I'm going not only increase my chance of a stroke or heart attack I'll damage my organs, and I kind of need those. As I stand now I am at stage one hypertension and that increases my chance of stroke/heart attack by 4 times. Yikes. Before prescribing my meds Dr. Paula decided to do an ECG because of some of the other symptoms I was complaining about. Well it didn't come back looking right compared to the one I did in 2003. So I'm off to do a Eco stress test to see if there is any heart damage from loss of blood flow or as they call it heart disease. Of course I'm hoping for good news. She told me to not exert myself until we get the results of my tests. She doesn't know what she's asking of me does she?
I took my first pill this morning. So far it's made me feel tired and I bit light headed. I hope that all I have to deal with until my body gets used to of the lower pressure. I read over 173 reviews for this med and some of those poor people went through some pretty awful side effects. My sister suffers with hypertension too. She started about the same time and very similar symptoms as me. She told me the same thing as the doctor, sometimes it takes a few different drugs to find the right one for you. Hope not for me. ")
So though I glad for been given another year I'm bumming about the getting old part. It's hard to avoid when it's hitting square in the eyes.
And yes I'm having a pity party theme this year. It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!
Yuck.

God's toothbrush

Tonight after brushing his teeth, Bubby said to me "When God's mommy tells him to brush his teeth he has to use a HUGE scrubbing brush because he's SO big a brush like mine wouldn't work".