Enough Already, I’m Taking Control

I am so tired of being tired, of pain that cannot be alleviated, of sleeping

through another absolutely glorious day… and night.  Okay, I’ve been a

bit ill, recently, but that would be no big deal, because it’s only the second

time in going on four years since my heart attack that I haven’t felt well.

Actually, I think it was a bug going around town, and I caught it from a

friend who gave me a ride to my doctor’s office.  Ha!  How ironic.

However, it is a fact that since my heart attack, I have taken it sort of easy,

going on four years, now, and it is time to test myself and become active,

again.  Four years of not getting anything done while I have fought with

and tried to get a handle on this diabetes the cardiologist said I have.  After

living most of my life with a constant low blood sugar that required me to

snack 4 – 8 times a day, just so that I wouldn’t pass out, I now have high

blood sugar that requires me to eat regularly and stay away from carbs and

everything that I love, mainly potatoes in any shape, size, and style.  Yeah,

fat chance.

Speaking of fat, I’ve gotten there.  I don’t know how that happened, like

the high blood sugar, I have gone from a delightfully well distributed 119

pounds to an embarrassing 177 pounds.  Okay, some of it is water retention,

but that doesn’t really account for my waist size that has almost doubled.

And let’s face it, the doctors are no help when they say, You need to lose

some weight, or, You need to exercise more.  Until recently, when it just

got too painful to do so, I was walking 2 – 4 miles a day for exercise, but

now 150 steps outside my door and my hips and lower back start to burn

and it feels as though my thighs want to freeze up, just quit working.  So,

what gives?

Back to the doctor I go, and he pokes and prods and decides it is arthritis.

It’s in my family, I inherited it, and there’s not much you can do about it.

Yes, well, I was diagnosed with arthritis when I was a very young child,

I have lived my life with arthritis, I know what it is, and this is not that.

So, for the charge of a doctor’s visit, I go home determined to do what I

can about this pain.  I go online and I start by looking up all of the meds

that I am taking to try to rule out side effects: heart pills, cholesterol pills,

blood sugar pills, blood pressure pills, pain pills, nerve pills.  Well, that

was educational.

Of all the pills I take daily, I dare not give up my Plavix with an aspirin

chaser.  Apparently, because of the stent they put in, those are necessary.

And until I can get the blood sugar down, I’m stuck with that pill.  I tried

to do away with the blood pressure pill, but my heart went into rapid fire

beating, and the only thing that stopped that was that pill, so I’ll keep it.

The pain pill and the nerve pill I don’t take daily, only when it all gets to

be too much, so they’re keepers.  But that cholesterol pill is an entirely

different matter.

The more I read and understood about cholesterol medications, the more

I determined that it was more harmful than helpful, not to mention that if

you are put on any of the statin meds, you should also be taking CoQ-10

(co-enzyme Q-10), which is a natural enzyme that you produce and is

present in your blood cells, and which statin drugs deplete.  However,

don’t take my word for it, look it up yourself.  I mean, after all, I was

playing solitaire while I was typing this.

Okay, no kidding around about this.  Here’s a brief rundown.

From the Mayo Clinic:

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is produced by the human body and is necessary for

the basic functioning of cells. CoQ10 levels are reported to decrease with age

and to be low in patients with some chronic diseases such as heart conditions,

muscular dystrophies, Parkinson's disease, cancer, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS.

Some prescription drugs may also lower CoQ10 levels.

Levels of CoQ10 in the body can be increased by taking CoQ10 supplements,

although it is not clear that replacing "low CoQ10" is beneficial.

From Web MD:

Other Names:

Co Q10, Co Q-10, Coenzima Q-10, Co-Enzyme 10, Coenzyme Q 10,

Coenzyme Q10, Co-Enzyme Q10, Co-Enzyme Q-10, Co-Q 10, CoQ10,

Co-Q10, CoQ-10, Ubidcarenone, Ubidécarénone, Ubiquinone-10.

  

Coenzyme Q-10 (CoQ-10) is a vitamin-like substance found throughout the

body, but especially in the heart, liver, kidney, and pancreas. It is eaten in

small amounts in meats and seafood. Coenzyme Q-10 can also be made in a

laboratory. It is used as medicine.

Many people use coenzyme Q-10 for treating heart and blood vessel

conditions such as congestive heart failure (CHF), chest pain (angina),

high blood pressure, and heart problems linked to certain cancerdrugs.

It is also used for diabetes, gum disease (both taken by mouth and

applied directly to the gums), breast cancer, Huntington’s disease,

Parkinson’s disease, muscular dystrophy, increasing exercise tolerance,

chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and Lyme disease. Some people think

coenzyme Q-10 will treat hair loss related to taking warfarin (Coumadin),

a medication used to slow blood clotting.

Some people also think coenzyme Q-10 might help increase energy. This

is because coenzyme Q-10 has a role in producing ATP, a molecule in

body cells that functions like a rechargeable battery in the transfer of

energy. Coenzyme Q-10 been tried for treating inherited or acquired

disorders that limit energy production in the cells of the body

(mitochondrial disorders), and for improving exercise performance.

Some people have also used coenzyme Q-10 for strengthening the

immune systems of people with HIV/AIDS, male infertility,

migraineheadache, and counteracting muscle pain sometimes caused

by a group of cholesterol-lowering medications called “statins.”

Coenzyme Q-10 has even been tried for increasing life span. This idea

got started because coenzyme Q-10 levels are highest in the first 20 years

of life. By age 80, coenzyme-Q10 levels can be lower than they were at

birth. Some people thought that restoring high levels of coenzyme-Q10

late in life might cause people to live longer. The idea works in bacteria,

but not in lab rats. More research is needed to see if this works in people.

It’s not only time that uses up the body’s store of coenzyme Q-10.

Smoking does, too.

Coenzyme Q-10 was first identified in 1957. The “Q-10” refers to the

chemical make-up of the substance. These days coenzyme Q-10 is used

by millions of people in Japan for heart disease, especially congestive

heart failure. Coenzyme Q-10 is also used extensively in Europe and

Russia. Most of the coenzyme Q-10 used in the US and Canada is

supplied by Japanese companies. Coenzyme Q-10 is manufactured by

fermenting beets and sugar cane with special strains of yeast.

How does it work?

Coenzyme Q-10 is an important vitamin-like substance required for the

proper function of many organs and chemical reactions in the body. It

helps provide energy to cells. Coenzyme Q-10 also seems to have

antioxidant activity. People with certain diseases, such as

congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, periodontal disease,

Parkinson’s disease, certain muscular diseases, and AIDS, might have

lower levels of coenzyme Q-10.

So, I started out on 50mg. twice daily, and have since gone to 100mg. twice

daily, and I will make a qualified statement that I do feel much better, more

energetic, and have much less pain.  A couple of friends that I told about it

are taking it, now, and state that it has helped them, also.  And while I will

endorse it, one word of warning: it is over-priced.  But then, so is Plavix.

Disclaimer: I have no vested interest in CoQ-10, stock or company holdings

of any of the makers of CoQ-10.  I have interest in living pain free and in

the best health I can try to afford.

Food and snacks are next to tackle, because let’s face it, we all have to eat.

But all evidence would point to the fact that I am not eating properly.  I don’t

Even know what that means.  However, I am going to try to get in to see a

diabetic dietician before I post here.  Once that is done and I can hopefully

understand what I’m talking about, I will post back here.  Yes, friends, I am

going to give you the benefit of my labour (and my insurance) and hopefully

accumulate some real knowledge and power on this blog.