Lately, past month or two, maybe three, I've been swelling up more than usual. I always did have a bit of a water retention problem. My mother did too. Ok, I do eat pizza, occasional subs and cold cuts, some chips here and there. And I've gotten fat.
- I can't get my boots on without a long-handled shoehorn, and even then it's a tight fit.
- I get winded and no longer take the stairs.
- I get short of breath even just sitting.
- Lying in the recliner is a better sleep than lying flat.
- B.P. today was 140/106.
- I wake up at night feeling like I'm suffocating. I have to get up and walk around or even just stand and catch my breath.
Those are just the highlights. I thought this was all due to having gained weight and gotten out of shape. I was a power lifter until about 6 years ago when my back required a lumbar fusion. I was still taking 3-3.5 mph road walks and weight training. My diet
was pretty good. Maybe around last December my diet and exercise took a jog to the left. I've put on about 30 lbs. I don't know how much of it is water, but I do have a "bear belly". Btw, I'll be 62 years old in 2 weeks.
So I go to Urgent Care because it's a near impossibility to get in to see my regular doctor. The UC doctor examines me, questions me and says he's reasonably sure it's CHF. He drew blood and will get the results in a few days. He gave me Lasix 20 mg and told me to see my own dr. and/or a cardiologist. My dr. gives me an appt. next week! I have the name of a cardiologist that I may just go to, bypassing my dr. He's only going to tell me to see a cardiologist.
I think I caught this early but I'm reading some pretty dismal outlooks for this disease: I don't fear death or dying, for myself... I'm Hindu and have great faith in my beliefs. Rather I worry for those I leave behind. I don't plan to give up, in fact I'll probably go kicking and howling if it ever comes to that. Maybe it won't.