When I found out a year ago that my wonky mitral valve had progressed to moderate/severe regurgitation and the need for surgical repair was "probable," I started on a campaign to get myself in better shape before surgery might be needed. Then I got hit with the ET diagnosis a few months later.
Turns out, most of the things on my self-improvement list (below) are those the Mayo Clinic recommends for ET patients, too.
1. Lose weight (my BMI was 30.9)
2. Eat better (my glucose had spiked up)
3. Get more exercise to combat fatigue and back pain
4. Maintain healthy blood pressure
5. Reduce stress
Taking weight off and getting exercise have proved hardest for me because, let's face it, I enjoy eating sandwiches while sitting on my fanny reading speculative fiction or binge-watching "Breaking Bad" and "Deadwood" on Netflix.
But I did manage to lose 12 pounds in the past year by writing down EVERYTHING I eat in a notebook. (Yes, self-shaming works.) I also plot my intake at the end of the day on a little food pyramid to make sure I'm not overdoing the carbs and fats. My BMI is down to 29.3, not stellar, but steady progress in the right direction. Glucose dropped to normal almost immediately.
Benefit to losing even a little weight is that the back pain is much better. Good for me. Good for others who are in danger of being bitten by me when that gremlin starts jumping up and down on my spine.
I take hydrochlorthiazide, and my blood pressure generally stays about 120/70, but if it goes lower, I feel like I'm going to pass out or fall asleep. Fatigue is a side effect of both ET and my heart problem, so I find myself trying to jack up my energy with half-caf black coffee. This used to make me zippy and euphoric, but increasingly just makes me jumpy and nervous. I ditched the cigs and booze 30 years ago because they weren't fun anymore. Maybe coffee will be going the same way.
I could be doing better in the de-stress department, but some of this stuff is out of my control. I have an elderly mother, who won't take advice, and a teenage son, ditto. I also do a very short yoga routine a few times a day to help detox when I hear bad noise. Like messages from the dean's office that "expectation is that all faculty will complete a Technology Integration Form by week 8 explaining how they have created a student-centered learning environment by effectively leveraging existing technology into interactive assignments that support current student learning outcomes."
Jeez Louise. Just writing that makes me want to go do a Downward Facing Dog.
Anything you've found that improves your quality of life? Share! Be well!
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ET is a serious disease that requires specialist care. Discuss anything you read here with your doctor. No comments promoting "alternative" or "natural" cures (yes, this includes Rick Simpson's Oil) will be published.