Cardiology update....

...Big sigh, as 10,000 pounds of pressure falls off the shoulders...The cardiology visit is over, and I won't be returning for 6 months. Can I get a "Hallelujah," people?!?!?
I turn 32 next month, and when I told my mother that I had this appointment today, her first words were "Do you want me to go with you? I can come with you!!!" So, off I went today, with my ma in tow. The funniest part is that my mom is younger than most of the people in the lobby, and we're not even there for her. We're there for me. Truthfully, I think she wanted to go so she could hear his verdict for herself, although I don't think she'd admit that. And since we're being honest, going to the cardiologist makes me a nervous wreck, so I was totally THANKFUL that she came with me. By the time I got there, when he checked my blood pressure, it was like, 149/98, which is TERRIBLE for me, so I can't imagine how high it would have been had I been driving!!!!
Although he pretty much pooh-pooh'd the nutritional supplements I've been taking per Dr. Shea's recommendations, Dr. Mazei lauded the weight loss and changes in my blood work that have happened over the past 3 months. 34 pounds gone, and my total cholesterol has dropped over 40 points, putting me at a comfortable 183. My triglycerides have dropped by like, 100 points, and all lab markers for insulin resistance (the precursor for diabetes) have normalized, so I'm looking good from the inside out, literally! :)
Here's the funniest thing he said: I'm under doctor's orders to drink. Ha! No, seriously....my HDL (the good cholesterol) is freakishly low (I must get it from my father), and he said one of the only ways he knows of how to raise HDL, is by having one glass of red wine every night. What he doesn't know, is that I don't drink. Never have been much for it, except the occasional wine cooler (Lindi, haha) or samplings at the wineries once a year. In fact, the glass-and-a-half I had on Saturday about knocked me over. So I'm hoping that grape juice will have the same effect on the HDL? 'Cause really...I'm not a drinker. I'm afraid of the stuff...because I know I like it, and because I've seen what can happen when people I'm related to like it a lot. I just thought it was funny that my doc was telling me to imbibe.
I'm also under orders to work out 6 days a week. Yikes!!! I think I can do it...it's just hard to get out there and hustle it when the weather sucks, and our house is kinda small to work out in here. Think I actually am going to join the YMCA, after a careful review of the budget next month. We'll have to cut a few things, but I'm thinking it's going to be worth it.
As far as my cardiomyopathy goes, my doc is willing to put it in writing, that my heart has normalized. He's reduced my only remaining medication by 1/2, and may reduce it even more; however, he thinks I'll be on that one little pill for the rest of my life, to support continued heart strength, and to keep my blood pressure low enough. High blood pressure actually makes your heart a time bomb, damaging the muscle itself, and causing damage to the arteries and veins of the body. If left unchecked, BOOM--heart attack or stroke. That doesn't sound like much fun to me, so I guess I'll keep taking the darn pill.
So, all in all, everything is good. He didn't order anymore tests, no monitors, no echos, no nothing, and my physical exam shows that outside of my normal mitralvalve prolapse (a valve in the heart doesn't shut all of the way, so there's a gurgle sound and kind of a reflux of blood into one of the chambers of the heart--it's super-common, and I've had both that, and a very tiny arrythmia my whole life), my heart is completely normal with no worries.
The visit went well, and I'm thankful that it's totally over!!!! I won't have to go back for another 6 months, thank God!!!
While I have your attention...please remember that the statistics for women and heart issues are staggering. It's the #1 killer of women in the US, and we don't think about it while we're young. I was 28 years old--say that to yourself: 28 years old. What were you doing at 28? What would you like to be doing at 28? I certainly didn't think I'd be fighting for my life. And 3 years later, at 31 (almost 32), I still stop and occasionally freak out at how close it came for me. I don't know if my pregnancy caused my heart issues, or if they were there to begin with, and the pregnancy brought them to light. What I do know, is that I want to let as many people know about heart health as I can. Start now---not after the damage is done.
And that's my soapbox.
I'm thankful for some time spent with my momma this morning...and even more thankful for continued good reports from my cardiologist! Thank you to you all, for your love, prayers, and support...This is a rough week for David and I, and it's your kindness and encouragement that is keeping me out from under the covers and putting one foot in front of the other! The best birthday gift that I can give my Hannah-girl, is the effort to take better care of myself, and honor her memory in that way...
Love, thanks, prayers, and health to your hearts!!!