Statins are Not for Me

I had my first encounter with statin drugs about 15 years ago in Rapid City, SD. I had high cholesterol levels, so the doctor put me on a statin. I was on that one only a few weeks, but my levels were coming down. Then that particular drug was pulled from the market--too many people were dying from it.

The doctor then put me on Lipitor. As time went by I began having a lot of muscle pain and cramps in various parts of my body, and during a routine urinalysis blood was detected. More tests. My bladder showed no problem. My daughter began searching the web and found that these symptoms were common with Lipitor and were caused by muscle breakdown. Not a good thing. No more Lipitor.

A low fat diet reduced my cholesterol levels somewhat, but not nearly to where medical authorities recommend.

After my diagnosis of cardio-vascular disease and the insertion of a stent in my nearly blocked heart artery, the cardiologist wanted me to try a statin again. He felt that Crestor was less apt to cause problems for me. Willing to do what is necessary to help my heart, I started on Crestor.

During my three months of cardiac rehab, I began to feel better and better. I was partway through rehab before the doctor started me on Crestor. I had a couple of physical problems before rehab was done, but they could be easily explained by the possibility that the persistent low-grade fever was caused by a "bug" and that the painful cramp in my right shoulder was caused by adding some new exercises to my routine.

However. . .

In the weeks after rehab, I began having more and more (and more severe) peculiar things happening in my body. When my hands began going numb and numbness and tingling spread to other spots on my body and the fever was back and I had a very severely painful episode with my right shoulder and upper back, it was back to doing a little research on the internet.

And, yes, all of these things can be caused by statin drugs.

I called the doctor's office. When the nurse called back, the message was that another statin was being prescribed. I looked up that drug and found listed the same possible side effects that Lipitor and Crestor have.

I quit taking Crestor and I will never take another statin. What will it profit me to reduce my cholesterol levels if I destroy my body from the inside? Some of the statin side effects can do so much harm to internal organs that it becomes fatal.

Anne Marie found some good research online about recovering from statin damage. I purchased some books on reducing bad cholesterol without drugs. I have some studying to do and some applying what I learn.

I have been off Crestor for six days now. The numbness is almost gone, the fever is gone, the pain in my shoulder and back is almost gone, and the increase in heart palpitations and my essential tremor has stopped. No new cramps, pains, or numbness have appeared.

I will go for another blood test after I have been on a new regime for a few weeks, so that I can track my progress.

Statins are the most prescribed of all drugs in the U.S. They apparently are real lifesavers for many, many people. For some they are the opposite. Unfortunately, I am one of the latter.

Progress Report

A while back I wrote about my weight gain and the difficulty in taking off pounds, while putting them on is sooooo easy.

Why do I write about this? It is a way of keeping me focused and accountable. If I tell others I am taking steps to lose weight, I am more apt to actually keep at it.

Some progress has been made.

My target is a 30 pound loss. At that weight I am comfortable. I no longer even have a goal of weighing what I did in the years from age 20 to age 50. My metabolism and activity levels kept me naturally slim in those years. I can quite happily settle for "medium" at this stage of life, and it should be easier for me to maintain.

So--progress. In the past five months since the procedure to put a stent in my "widowmaker" heart artery, I have lost almost half my goal. I have about 16 pounds to go, but I can already wear some clothes that have been hanging in my closet waiting for me to be able to fit into them again. I had clothes I could wear to church yesterday that were not jeans and a loose shirt!

I am not using any weight-loss program. I've done Nutrisystem in the past, but gained the weight back. This time I am simply trying to eat heart-healthful foods, smaller amounts, and exercise at least a little every day. At cardio rehab the recommended amount of exercise is at least 30-60 minutes a day, five days per week. This is primarily leg exercise, which is what does the heart the most good (walking, peddling, etc.).

The weight is coming off slowly; I hope this will make putting weight on less likely, as my eating change becomes eating habit.

And, now, just for fun, here is a photo of son-in-law Chad and his friend Pip at the Sunday dinner table on March first.

Pip says, "More please."
 

Sorting Out the Past

I have a number of plastic bins that have been in storage under the stairs for years. It is a project of mine to get them sorted out, dispose of a great deal of it, and organize the rest so that I at least know what is there. With that in mind I brought one container upstairs a few weeks ago.

One reason for this sorting is to leave less for my children to deal with when I am gone. I've had a clear reminder of my mortality recently, and, while I am not in the least morbid about it, it is a goad to take care of some things while I can.

While watching episodes of Hoarders with my granddaughter, I was inspired to begin the sorting work!

I pulled out two plastic bags and took them to the living room, where I could watch TV and go through the bags in comfort.

1977 Anne Marie in Cheyenne Wells, CO,
on a visit with Grandma Wales

One bag was filled with letters dating from 1975 to 1978. I began by discarding the envelopes and sorting the letters by author. Some were from people who had been passing acquaintances and the letters had little lasting importance. These I discarded. I read bits of some of the family letters, and was reminded of events I had forgotten. I did not read them all, as I find it more and more difficult to read handwritten items because of my vision peculiarities. These family letters I bagged in their separate categories and gave to Anne Marie. She can go through them and decide if there are any she wants to keep.

Jeremy, also in Cheyenne Wells. Is it just me,
or are his shoes on the wrong feet?

In two letters I found photos that I had not extracted before saving the letters: our children are aged eight (Anne Marie) and not quite four (Jeremy). The pictures were taken by their grandmother, Emma Wales.

The other bag contained items my mother had saved from my childhood and had given to me some years ago. It was fun to look at all these things, some of which were crumbling with age. About a third to a half of these items I discarded, as they would have no meaning to anyone but me. I certainly don't expect my children to make space to keep my juvenile artwork, etc., forever! However, before discarding, I did scan some of the pictures I drew when a young child and have them on my computer. One of the items I am keeping is my Baby Book. Here is my favorite page from it:

I have a lot more of my past to sort through. It will keep me busy for quite a while!

Cardiac Rehab is Finished--Now What?

Today marks one week since my final Cardiac Rehab session.

Now it is up to me.

Do I miss going to Rehab? Actually, I do. It is good to have a structured program, the good machines to work on, and the Rehab nurses and staff, who are the best. On the flip side, it is nice to know that I am in much better condition now than I was when I began the program. It is time to develop my own lifestyle that will keep up what was accomplished.

I look forward to weather that will have me outdoors and walking. I do not handle cold well anymore. So, if I can't go out walking, what can I do?

First, I simply must remind myself to get up and get moving. It is way too easy to get comfortable in a cozy chair with a book or a TV program, and just stay there. This is a hard habit to break, but I am working on it!


I can peddle away while watching TV or
listening to an Audible book.

Second, I must remember the lesson they taught us in Rehab: At least 10 minutes of consecutive exercise (using the legs!) are necessary for heart conditioning. Thirty to sixty minutes of cardiac exercise per day for at least four days per week are recommended.

Third, I can use what I have available at home. I can go for house walks. Now, just walking around and around in my house can be a bit boring, but I have lots of Audible books I can listen to as I walk. I also have those 17 stairs that lead up from the garage to my home. I can start incorporating them into house walks for a little heavier work load.

I have also invested in a peddling exerciser that I get a pretty good leg workout on. My house does not have room for a big recumbent bike, but with this machine I can sit in a chair and peddle away while reading or watching TV. It only weighs 23 pounds, so doesn't take up a lot of room, and the workload intensity can be adjusted for different levels of difficulty.

So, it is up to me.

In Memory, Gladys Norris Mackey

Yesterday's mail brought a packet from Pam Mackey, a cousin of some degree (I think her father was my mother's first cousin. If someone knows for sure, let me know.). She included a copy of her mother's obituary, a favorite recipe of her mother's, a picture of the Joel E. Mackey family, and a photo taken during a visit to Gillette in the 1990s.

Joe Mackey, Rose Mackey McLaughlin, Fred Bard, Elsie Mackey Bard, Gladys Mackey,
 Bess Mackey Sauble, Mary Mackey, Leonard Sauble

It is always saddens me to learn that another of the generation above mine in the extended Mackey family has died, although I think that for Gladys this was probably in the nature of a blessed release. The obituary tells that she spent her last three years in an Alzheimers care facility.

I did not know Gladys well, but met her a few times when she visited her cousins-by-marriage in Wyoming. I remember her as a lovely, lively, happy and friendly lady.

Pam had my address from when I sent out the information about Rose McLaughlin's death (my mother) to the people in her address book. For the family who knew Gladys and had not heard of her passing, I will include the obituary.

Angels on My Wall

  It is time to put away the Christmas decorations. I always miss the decorations for a time after they are put away for another year--everything seems plain and drab until my brain becomes adjusted to the everyday look of things.

Before they are packed away, I took some photos of the angels on my walls. These angels are actually Christmas ornaments, but I have begun putting them up on the wall rather than on the tree. They just sort of disappear amongst all the other things on the tree, and some of them are heavy enough they really don't work well on my small tree. However, I do want to see and enjoy them every year. So--on the wall.

Most of these angelic ornaments have been gifts from my daughter's family. This year's angel is four inches tall with incredible detail. In one hand she is holding a stable with Mary and Joseph. In the other hand is a tiny manger with the baby Jesus. You have to look closely to see it. Swirled around her skirts are banners with the slogan "Jesus is the Reason for the Season."

These ornaments are tiny works of art and they please my eye.

Getting Some Christmas Spirit

It is early Wednesday morning, and my house is filled with wonderful music playing through the TV's surround sound system.

Yes, I have pulled out my Christmas CDs--and I have a lot of them. Then I also have a considerable number of Christmas tapes, collected before CDs were the way to buy music. I also have three Christmas albums on my Kindle fire, so I can have Christmas music no matter which room I am in.

It hasn't been easy finding that wonderful Christmas Spirit this year. My mind has been too full of all the medical stuff going on with me, my sister, my daughter, my granddaughter, and even my daughter's family pets.

One way I awaken some Christmas Spirit is through  music and through the multitude of Christmas movies on TV. The movies may be silly or predictable or sentimental (which can be good or not so good) and of varying quality, but they are reliably upbeat and a happy ending is insured. So with these mood lifters I find my Christmas Spirit growing.

Our Christmas tree would normally be up in the corner of my living room by this far into December. The plan was for Megan and I to put it up and decorate it last weekend. She and I have been the tree people for years, but this weekend she was not feeling well. However, I did get out the little tabletop tree.

The little tree is looking just a bit worn, as it well deserves. It was originally Chad and Anne Marie's tree twenty-some years ago. They passed it on to Jerry and I when we were living in the mobile home in Rapid City. Then, while I was staying with Mother in her last years, I put it out in her house. If it is looking just a bit battered, it is still a loved piece of our family Christmas history.

For Christmas shopping I went to the Internet. I get lots of catalogs every Christmas, and after looking them over I go to the websites and order things. When the boxes arrive I am usually surprised by the contents, having already forgotten what all I ordered in my shopping frenzy. Some of the items may seem a little odd, but at least my shopping is done!

By the time we get to the Christmas Eve service at church, the Christmas Spirit will prevail.