New Year.. Better ME!!!

Last year was a very stressful year for me health wise.. I went to the doctor more that I think I have been my WHOLE life.. I was diagnosed with Acid Reflux Disease , High Blood Pressure, Arthritis, and Scoliosis.. Did I mention I'm ONLY 25?? Yikes.. Everything has just been so crazy.. But every time I went to the doctor there were no explanations.. It was just "oh this is what you have. I'll prescribe you this medicine, take it, if it doesn't help I'll see you back in 2 weeks." And that was my pretty much my life in a nut shell last year. I seemed to get everything under control.. My acid reflux went from taking 3 pills twice daily and still having symptoms.. To nothing at all.. I haven't had the first sign of heart burn in months and haven't taken anything for it at all.. My blood pressure meds seemed to be working also.. They kept my blood pressure normal.. And we kept cutting the mgs down til I was taking almost nothing.. So I stopped taking them all together.. I felt greater than I had in months.. Then the headaches started.. At first I had no idea where they were coming from.. And nothing helped.. Tylenol, Ibuprofen, didn't touch them.. It got really bad one day and I decided I should have my blood pressure checked.. It was through the roof.. So I went home and took the highest dose of blood pressure meds I had..

I Googled high blood pressure to find other ways to help with lowering it.. I was so over whelmed.. This was the first thing I pulled up and read.. "Persistent hypertension is a major risk factor for stroke, heart attacks, heart failure and aneurysms of the arteries, and is a cause of chronic kidney disease. Even moderate elevation of arterial blood pressure is associated with a shortened life expectancy." WHAT?? I'm 25 years old.. 25 YEARS OLD.. This is not what I should be worrying about.. I have 2 small children, and i feel like I'm 60 years old.. So I decided I needed a change.. Not just some diet and exercise routine. I have to change my WHOLE life style and way of living. I figure.. If I start now, with the kids being so young, it will be easier for them to get used to it and they wont have such the hard time I'm having with making healthier choices.. I grew up salting everything.. I'm what you might call a saltaholic.. So I found the DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension).. And I bought some Mrs. Dash to substitute the salt..

I took my blood pressure meds for 3 days, and my headache never let up. So I called my doctor. My blood pressure had not dropped any in the 3 days of taking the meds.. She put me on different blood pressure pill as well as the one I was already taking and prescribed me something to help with the headaches. I go back in two weeks for a check up.. So far the headaches are still not gone.. But we've started the DASH DIET and so far so good.. I've been very slack with keeping my blog up to date.. But I plan to keep my progress going and I will try to share some of my favorite low sodium recipes!! If I've learned anything at all its this.. High blood pressure is serious.. And it can lead to more serious problems.. So take it seriously and make a change.. I for one plan to be around for a while.. I want to watch my children grow up, I want to go places, see the world, live life a little! So I will try to keep my blog updated with progress and my plan is to get my blood pressure under control with diet and exercise and to completely be off all meds by the end of 2012!!! Wish me luck!

 




Dash Diet


High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)