Falling Out of Habit

Lately I’ve become lax in my vigilance of living a heart healthy lifestyle. It started subtly with portions twice the size of what I ate before. Then a few stressors cropped up that I didn’t handle immediately. Add to that, forgetting to exercise everyday and skipping a day or two of meditation.

A couple of weeks ago, I was eating a tuna fish sandwich and the food seemed to stick in my throat. I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with Dysphagia and suggested I get an endoscopy. He then referred me to a gastroenterologist. So now I’m waiting for my appointment. Since my doctor’s visit, I haven’t had any other problem swallowing, but I have been taking Protonix for acid. I know that Dysphagia is a common problem that comes with age, but I don’t think 56 is old. Maybe I’m in a California state of mind where you’re as young as you feel.

As the story continues, I woke up in the middle of the night with indigestion. The pain wasn’t severe and there wasn’t any burning in my throat like the time I ended up in the hospital and was later diagnosed with variant angina, but I reached for the blood pressure cuff. Normally, my BP is around 110/70 but my current reading was quite high. I grabbed my nitro and sprayed it under my tongue. Five minutes later, I sprayed it again then took another reading – back to normal. My indigestion was gone. Hmmm.

So, now I’m wondering what’s happening. For the past year I’ve been religious about my diet, exercise, and stress management. I fell off the wagon, so to speak, and the ol’ ticker starts talking to me again. It’s humbling to think that I’ve come to this point in my life. There is so much happening around me, yet I must stay vigilant about my heart disease. I know what I need to do to stay healthy. It’s so much harder to follow that straight and narrow path, especially with the holidays ahead.

So I remind myself to eat lots of veggies, taste but don’t gobble the stuffing, and have some fresh fruit for dessert. I’ll remind myself to take a walk after my feast. And, I’ll try to stay calm as I get stuck in traffic on my way to Thanksgiving Dinner.

Wishing everyone a safe, heart healthy Thanksgiving.