oxdrover's Journal, 22 Sep 20

There’s a lot to worry about, it’s true. But I tell myself there are only certain things that I can control like my diet and exercise, so I focus on that and pray for the what I can’t control. 

Oxdrover— fellow nurse here. I know I am preaching to the choir , but I am going to do it anyway. If you are passing out and have a very low blood pressure I would like to suggest you actually log your sodium intake so you know where you are. Second, log your fluid intake— you may actually be developing a little hypovolemia from too little sodium. Do you take lasix or some other diuretic. I would also like to suggest you wear some type of support hose to help your venous return.. I watch my sodium intake carefully as well for other reasons. I use very little added salt but when I do I use MORTON’S lite salt. It is half sodium chloride and half potassium chloride. Can’t taste the difference. Mrs Dash is everybody’s friend for good all around spice. Keep in touch. I’m rooting for you. 

Thank you for your comment just saw it today, been so busy it is not funny so haven't come on Fat Secret very often. I had a smoke inhalation episode in October and my smoke alarm did not go off, if I had not had on a CPAP to filter some of the smoke out I would have died...made me very very sick. Went to my sleep doc and also had another sleep study, ended up they took me off the CPAP and put me on night time O2 at 2L and I bought one of those recording Pulse ox things that looks like a watch kind of and I would sleep without the O2 and check what the O2 sat went to, then record a night with the O2 and I definitely need the O2 at night, went back to the sleep doc again after 6 months and she liked how I was doing, and also I am noticing that my day time O2 sats are in the mid 90s. I have naturally low BP 104/65 and a normal pulse for me is 60-ish, I picked good ancestors. I also went to the cardiologist and he put me on a recording heart monitor that was the coolest thing. It TAPED to your chest and it radioed your EKG back to some company somewhere that was monitoring it, he also did a sonogram of my heart and vessles and I am clean as a whistle. Again, only eat meat that I raise myself (grass fed beef, rabbit and chicken) and have drank goat milk for a good portion of my life. But now on the diet I am using powdered cow milk NON FAT to make shakes with a banana. I take 20 mg of lasix if I swell but it is PRN and if I feel funky, I put a pinch of salt in my morning oatmeal. I am a lazy cook though I do like to eat. I eat 3 minute steel cut oats for breakfast (heat them in the microwave) with the equalvilent of 1/2 non fat milk, and half a small apple chopped up and a tablespoon of brown sugar (not packed down) my shakes are a frozen banana and a half cup of the non fat milk and ice in a blender with stevia and vanilla flavoring. I consume ab out 3 to 4 quarts of liquid per day. My son was after me about not drinking enough and he was RIGHT....the extra liquid makes me feel a lot better, though I do have to get up to pee at night. I made an excell spread sheet to keep up with my blood sugar which most of the time is ab out 85 to 95 but sometimes I may go higher than that so whatever made it go higher I don't eat that any more (or as much of it at least) I will have a "vacation" day once in a while and he and I will eat a pizza (lots of sodium in cheese) but as long as I keep those vacation days to one at a time, they do not seem to either raise my blood pressure or my blood sugar. My type II diabetes is strictley weight related and I take 500 metformin but when I get back down to 160 or so I probably will be able to drop the metformin. My maternal grandmother had diabetes in her side of the family. When she got fat she had high sugar and in those days the only home test was checking to see if there was sugar in your urine. She lost weight and she got completely off the medication and did fine. In fact, I taught diabetic education at a rural health clinic so it is not like I don't KNOW what to do. LOL One of my favorite sayings is "I can resist anything except temptation" I love ice cream I love whole milk, I love chocolate and I love cereal....I mostly use the No salt, all Potasium chloride, Frontier Spices on the internet sells all kinds of SODIUM FREE spice combos, I even made up a PORK SAUSAGE RECIPIE that is sodium free. It is great. My "bacon" still needs some work but the sausage is to die for. I also get a taco seasoning from Frontier, and there is also a sodium free baking powder, and sodium free baking soda is also available, it is the same stuff my son uses on his hands when he is rock climbing calcium carbonate. The baking soda you have to use 2X the amount the recipe calls for, but the baking powder is 1 for 1. and it rises very well. What very small amount of edema in my legs is nothing like it was when it first started ytears ago. I had made 10 pounds of home made jerky and ate it all, and another 10 pounds of corned beef and ate that. My doc who is a friend as well, looked at me and said "have you ever considered it might be your sodium?" and I assured her it COULD NOT BE...then she said "well have you ever been this old before?" I wanted to smack her off the stool. So I went home and developed my LOW sodium diet and went back 3 months later without any edema and danced around and she started laughing at me. I asked her "what are you laughing ab out now bitch?" and she said I HAVE NEVER SEEN A PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER WHO IS A COMPLIANT PATIENT LOL but I really am. Sorry I took so long to answer you but thanks for caring enough to preach at me. Stay safe!