Blog Post from My Journey with Familial Hypercholesterolemia and Heart Disease
Another week’s passed and more lessons have been learned. As I mentioned before, not two days are alike anymore. Every day is a new adventure, for sure. Last week was the first week when I worked from the office every day. That’s commuting one way for 30-45 minutes every day. I was physically in the office for 7-8 hours each day, and somehow I made it to the weekend in one piece. It was a good week, and my energy level seemed to carry with me throughout. On Saturday, I did too much, even in my own estimation. We went for a drive around the mountains, above 8000 ft of altitude. Then, we hiked a very easy trail, which was about a mile long, around Silver Lake, UT. If you ever have the chance to stop by, the Big Cottonwood Canyon area is breathtaking. As if the hike was not enough, we went shopping after that, but just at Costco. Then, we came home and because the temperatures “dipped” for the first day in many weeks down to low 90’s, I worked in the yard for about three hours – just pruning my roses, weeding my garden and watering my boxes. I thought for sure I was going to be dead by Sunday, but nope … I was a little tired, but functional. However, I took Sunday off, and just sat around the house, mostly doing easy chores. I was SO grateful for such a full day on Saturday, because I remember days right after my surgery when a shower will exhaust me to the point that I would not want to sit up or climb down the stairs for an entire day. Recovery is real, I tell you, but you still need to give it time. Sunday night was weird, however. I had very hot sweats that started around my lower chest. Just internal sweats, if there is such a thing. And I was very dizzy when I would stand up. Then, today (Monday), I have had zero energy. I did go to work and to the clinic for an INR check, I cooked dinner and did some laundry, but I was kaput after that. I had to lay down and nap for half hour. I guess it caught up with me. My blood pressure was super low today – at 104 over 42. Just weird, I guess, but maybe my Saturday adventures are now making me pay back! I got my own INR checking device last week. After a few struggles to get a good blood sample onto the testing strip (think about 4 failed tries), I finally did measure it on my own and it was within range. After some more greens between Saturday and today, the INR at the clinic was 1.6 – still in range but lower than what I got Friday.
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Blog Post by A.W. About this Blog
In this blog I will follow my everyday journey of living with familial hypercholesterolemia (or FH). I am sharing my own experience with this inherited disorder, and how I manage it daily – from what literature I read on the topic and what my doctors say to how I live my life (what I eat, what medicine I take, how I exercise, etc). This is solely a personal account that might or might not offer some insight on what to expect when diagnosed with this condition. This blog does not offer advice, in any way, to anyone suffering from this disease.