Mitral, aorta and bears, oh my.

On November 1, I wrote about some theories I have about my health.  I was having chest pains, and I just thought they were related to stress.  I experienced chest pains on and off for over a decade, so this time, I went to a cardiac specialist.

I initially had an EKG.  That was just a little off, but close to normal.  So then came the echocardiogram, then…  Well, in the end, I learned I have a dilated aorta (4.3 cm).  The physician says 4.0 is typical, and anything over 4.5 is a strong concern.  I also have a slight leak in the mitral valve.  Well, this explains some of the frustration I experienced recently.  This is all followed by a lengthy discussion of options.

The range of options is unbelievable.  Two key points, stress and never relaxing, along with the extra 80 pounds of fat, create issues on their own.   Of all the options suggested, I am taking one that was not the first option but the second.  That is to retest in 6 months after taking steps to enhance the health. These include:

·      Learn to relax—People know this is not possible for me. I have picked up some things using the foursquare technique, but it does not help.

·      Regular exercise: 5-6 days for at least 30 minutes each. I have been bad about getting about twice per week. I have worked 70-plus hour weeks, which is no excuse, but there is little time left for me to work out.

·      Correction of minor lipoprotein abnormalities, e.g., small LDL and lipoprotein(a).

·      Reduce carbohydrate intake by eliminating all wheat, cornstarch, and sugar products. This is an enormously effective way to correct small LDL, low HDL, and high triglycerides.  

·      Normalize the vitamin D to counteract the inflammatory responses in the aortic wall.  I should aim for a blood 25-hydroxy vitamin D level of 60-70 ng/ml.

·      Vitamin C supplementation--Collagen cross-linking for aortic wall strength requires adequate vitamin C.

·      Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil-Fish oil corrects multiple causes of plaque, especially lipoproteins that derive from excessive triglycerides.

So, I have three days of 40 minutes on the bike now. This may seem like little, but this is huge since I have only found time once a week since July. I monitor the heart rate as an extra precaution. 

I still am not sure how to reduce the natural Type A habits.  I will surely learn, as they make it sound like life or death.  Oops…

Carry on, my friends, carry on!