Damned genetics!

[tcsenter]

So I'm 38, and in addition to being diagnosed with the following conditions:

- narcolepsy and cataplexy
- sleep apnea
- GERD

I can now officially add hypertension, mild cardiac hypertrophy (slightly enlarged heart), and high cholesterol (total cholesterol = 275, LDL = 180, HDL = 31).

I eat fast food or red meat two to three times per month, and have been very conscious about portion sizes for several years now (e.g. I get the small combo meal or the small sandwich, not the super sized combo or the giant belly buster sandwich).

The rest of the time, I'm eating stir fried vegetables three times per week, rice, beans, lean chicken or turkey breast, whole grain this and whole grain that, tuna and salmon, garden salads, nuts and fruit. I don't eat much dairy because it gives me gastrointestinal upset (lactose intolerance), and I eat about two eggs per week on average.

275!! Doc says there is no way that diet can bring my cholesterol down because its clearly some genetic influence for excessive cholesterol production. Wants to put me on statins but A. I can't afford it B. I don't want to take those shit drugs with shit side effects

Oh, and I'm about 20 ~ 25 pounds overweight (currently weigh 195 and my ideal weight is 170 ~ 175). I have friends who eat garbage every single day of the week, shit that I don't even want to eat because its so laden with saturated fats, and their cholesterol is normal. God damned shit ass genes!

< /venting >

Topic summary edited to remove profanity.
Sr Moderator allisolm

 

[ViviTheMage]

🙁

 

[TechBoyJK]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
🙁

purple sad faced cookie.

Do you excercise? I'd do anything possible to lose that last 20 pounds and take pressure off of your body/heart

Edit: what are you doing about your sleep apnea? That can be serious. My step dad has it, and it got him so bad, he has to wear an oxygen mask when he sleeps, because other wise, he will stop breathing for tens of seconds at a time.. He was getting seriously tired, kranky, etc. leading up to getting the mask. Ever since then he is fine.

 

[MrWizzard]

How tall are you? Barefoot

 

[tcsenter]

Originally posted by: TechBoyJK
Do you excercise? I'd do anything possible to lose that last 20 pounds and take pressure off of your body/heart

I'm going to drop the weight but the doc (and the research) says it probably isn't going to matter, in the grand scheme of things. Might bring it down to 250, which is still too high. I could be one of those out-lyers who do see a substantial reduction in their cholesterol by dropping an excess 20 ~ 25 pounds, but its not the typical or likely scenario.

Edit: what are you doing about your sleep apnea?

I have the C-PAP (actually a Bi-PAP) machine and use it.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

that 20lbs is still 10%

try to get that down!

 

[DrawninwarD]

That sucks dawg.

I didn't exactly win the genetic lottery either...

 

[tcsenter]

I know, it could always be worse and I'm whining. But I'm entitled to go through the grieving process, which begins with denial then moves to anger. What am I grieving?

The loss of the f-cking fantasy that you can actually do a damned thing about preserving your health or avoiding disease. Its all in your fscking genes and heredity. If its not in your genes, you can eat eggs cooked in bacon grease every morning, chili-topped cheeseburgers every day for lunch, you'll live to be 87.

If its in your genes, it don't fscking matter what you do because Mr. Gene is coming to push your shit up hard without any lube. Live however you want to live and die whenever you're gonna die. :thumbsup:

 

[AreaCode707]

I was 17 when I was diagnosed with arthritis (rheumatoid, genetic) so I've got an inkling how you feel. Sometimes it just feels like life dealt a bum hand.

 

[tcsenter]

Originally posted by: AreaCode707
I was 17 when I was diagnosed with arthritis (rheumatoid, genetic) so I've got an inkling how you feel. Sometimes it just feels like life dealt a bum hand.

Ouch, man. A high school classmate was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at 19 or 20. Last time I saw him about six years ago, he could barely get around using a cane, unable to work, had to file bankruptcy. He was well past the stage of the disease where he still felt reasonably well and could physically do many things in spite of it. He felt like sh-t most of the time and couldn't do much at all, and he was only 32.

I'll stop complaining now.

Topic summary edited to remove profanity.
Sr Moderator allisolm

Oops, sorry about that one! 😕

 

[El Guaraguao]

+1 for /godmode

 

[ShadowOfMyself]

Indeed... I just have to look at my inner family... Mother has tendency to gain weight and some other (small) problems, father has none, I got lucky in the lottery and came out just like him, I can eat whatever I want and dont really do any special exercise, and my weight and health in general remain stable

My sister not so much, has to be incredibly careful with her diet to even maintain her weight, just because she got my mothers genes, heh

Sucks

 

[Mo0o]

are you sure your "narcolepsy" isn't just due to sleep apnea causing you to have crappy sleep?

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: tcsenter
I eat fast food or red meat two to three times per month, and have been very conscious about portion sizes for several years now (e.g. I get the small combo meal or the small sandwich, not the super sized combo or the giant belly buster sandwich).

The rest of the time, I'm eating stir fried vegetables three times per week, rice, beans, lean chicken or turkey breast, whole grain this and whole grain that, tuna and salmon, garden salads, nuts and fruit. I don't eat much dairy because it gives me gastrointestinal upset (lactose intolerance), and I eat about two eggs per week on average.

- cut out ALL fast food
- don't stir fry the veggies, steam them
- eat brown rice, not white rice
- make sure the "whole grain" doesn't have any HFCS
- cut out the beef, poultry and tuna - only eat salmon, canned crab meat, and other seafood
- salads: don't eat iceberg or use creamy dressings, oil/vin based only, no hfcs
- unsalted nuts only
- drink only almond milk or rice milk, cut out ALL dairy
- only eat the cage free / free range eggs

Pick up a flax oil supplement and food-based niacin (b3) supplement.

And drink at least several glasses of filtered water per day.

Exercise. Fast walking at first, speed it up to a slow jog. At least 20min a few times a week.

 

[gururu2]

Cholesterol: Statins are potent. They will most likely cut your cholesterol by 50-75%. If you can squeeze them into your budget do it.

Blood Pressure: Destroy your salt intake. Use salt for iodine, not for flavor. A small pinch is enough for 4-5 servings. Cut out as much sugar as possible. If you need something sweet, drink something like pineapple juice or V8 fusion. No soda at all. Start working on your aerobic capacity. The best way to do that is to run or jog. You should be able to sustain a moderate level of activity for 30 minutes to be in a safe zone. Careful, cause you are overweight and don't want to thrash your knees. Forget about losing the pounds. Work on your aerobic capacity.

Sleep apnea: HUGE problem. Instead of letting your body rest and recover at night, this seriously makes it work harder. I have a theory that this is related to aerobic capacity. Its a damned hard problem to solve though. Its a killer though, so try everything.

Cardiac hypertrophy: The heart is a muscle. Typically it will enlarge to keep up with the work necessary. Not a huge deal, but its working harder than normal for a reason...

Stop with the stir frying. Supplement calcium since you arent eating dairy. Regular intake of antacids for the GERD.

 

[SirStev0]

Statins don't really cause a ton of GI problems and are actually pretty safe and fairly inexpensive. Drug companies keep trying to get the FDA to allow them to sell them OTC and it is actually approved in Great Brittian.

They work by blocking HMGcoA which therefore slows down cholesterol synthesis. This causes the liver to try to suck LDL's (bad cholesterol) from the blood and breaks it down for its sweet cholesterol core. In essence your body can't make it so it starts using the stores.

It doesn't cause cholesterol to be dumped into the GI tract and make you poop yourself like alli does.

There are other drugs like the bile blockers and block cholesterol absorbtion from the gut, but statins aren't one. They only work on lowering LDL's in the blood.



The only major side effect you have to worry about is rhabdolysis which is basically statins causing your muscles to destroy themselves. It is pretty rare but also pretty scary. It is why you hear on the commercials "If you experience muscle pain or weakness, contact your doctor immediately because it may be a sign of a serious... blah blah blah".

You muscles will ache and you will pretty much start pissing them out. Again, Extremely rare, but a possible side effect.

 

[tcsenter]

Originally posted by: Mo0o
are you sure your "narcolepsy" isn't just due to sleep apnea causing you to have crappy sleep?

Yeah, I was tested for sleep apnea first (in 2002), which was not significant at the time. I undeniably have cataplexy, which is almost exclusive to narcolepsy. In fact, I have the classic narcolepsy tetrad; excessive sleepiness, sleep paralysis, hypnagogic/hypnopompic hallucinations, and cataplexy (as well as automatic behavior). This is as definitive for narcolepsy as it gets. Even a lumbar puncture to measure CSF hypocretin levels is no more diagnostic.

Blood Pressure: Destroy your salt intake. Use salt for iodine, not for flavor. A small pinch is enough for 4-5 servings. Cut out as much sugar as possible. If you need something sweet, drink something like pineapple juice or V8 fusion. No soda at all.

Don't use salt on anything. Don't eat those packaged/prepared meals. I buy the low sodium soups. Stopped drinking sweetened soft drinks about four months ago.

Sleep apnea and GERD are being treated.

Start working on your aerobic capacity. The best way to do that is to run or jog. You should be able to sustain a moderate level of activity for 30 minutes to be in a safe zone. Careful, cause you are overweight and don't want to thrash your knees. Forget about losing the pounds. Work on your aerobic capacity.

Would love to, except I think that I really injured by tibialis muscles several years ago. I walked this enormous Dalmatian (90lbs) that forced me to keep constant resistance on the leash. By the time that I got back, my tibialis muscles on both legs were literally numb. I couldn't feel them and I couldn't elevate my feet. The next day, my tibialis muscles were swollen and became very painful for several days, painful to the touch. I kept tripping over my own feet because I couldn't elevate my feet while I walked (the muscles literally were not functioning right).

Now, I get bad shin splints no matter how slow I walk. I've tried different shoes.

 

[SirStev0]

Originally posted by: tcsenter

Originally posted by: Mo0o
are you sure your "narcolepsy" isn't just due to sleep apnea causing you to have crappy sleep?

Yeah, I was tested for sleep apnea first (in 2002), which was not significant at the time. I undeniably have cataplexy, which is almost exclusive to narcolepsy. In fact, I have the classic narcolepsy tetrad; excessive sleepiness, sleep paralysis, hypnagogic/hypnopompic hallucinations, and cataplexy (as well as automatic behavior). This is as definitive for narcolepsy as it gets. Even a lumbar puncture to measure CSF hypocretin levels is no more diagnostic.

Blood Pressure: Destroy your salt intake. Use salt for iodine, not for flavor. A small pinch is enough for 4-5 servings. Cut out as much sugar as possible. If you need something sweet, drink something like pineapple juice or V8 fusion. No soda at all.

Don't use salt on anything. Don't eat those packaged/prepared meals. I buy the low sodium soups. Stopped drinking sweetened soft drinks about four months ago.

Sleep apnea and GERD are being treated.

Start working on your aerobic capacity. The best way to do that is to run or jog. You should be able to sustain a moderate level of activity for 30 minutes to be in a safe zone. Careful, cause you are overweight and don't want to thrash your knees. Forget about losing the pounds. Work on your aerobic capacity.

Would love to, except I think that I really injured by tibialis muscles several years ago. I walked this enormous Dalmatian (90lbs) that forced me to keep constant resistance on the leash. By the time that I got back, my tibialis muscles on both legs were literally numb. I couldn't feel them and I couldn't elevate my feet. The next day, my tibialis muscles were swollen and became very painful for several days, painful to the touch. I kept tripping over my own feet because I couldn't elevate my feet while I walked (the muscles literally were not functioning right).

Now, I get bad shin splints no matter how slow I walk. I've tried different shoes.

Did you ever get that looked at? You basically had some symptoms of compartment syndrome and depending on how severe you could have lost your legs.

 

[tcsenter]

Originally posted by: SirStev0
Did you ever get that looked at? You basically had some symptoms of compartment syndrome and depending on how severe you could have lost your legs.

No, I just used ice packs, elevation, and NSAIDs. The swelling was noticeable but not severe. Even after the 'acute' pain was gone, the muscles remained tender for a full two months. I know that I pushed the muscle passed failure and probably lost some muscle tissue in the deal. I've never had a muscle go completely numb before and just stop functioning. Stupid animal practically pulled me the entire time, I had to lean backwards with my entire body to keep him from pulling me over onto the pavement. :frown:

In sum, I'm f-cked up.

 

[gururu2]

You're at the right age where problems in the making are beginning to reveal themselves. You've not listed any degenerative diseases, so I'm inclined to believe that you are on the right track to stave off even larger problems. If you can't run, biking, rowing, and swimming are excellent ways to work your cardiac and respiratory system.
Frequent exercise does wonders for digestion, respiration, and sleep cycles. Because your diet seems ok, take the statins and start up on some low impact endurance exercises.

 

[Ballatician]

Sorry to hear, that sucks. I would be interested to know your routine for a week though. Wake/sleep times, any exercise, and diet for the day....

 

[DanTMWTMP]

WTF man. Ok, i'm going to be friggin BLUNT. You better take what I say your own good, because your case sounds way too similar to mine. GET YOUR ASS UP. WAKE THE F** UP. STOP MAKING EXCUSES AND SIT THERE IN SELF-PITY. WTF???
I remember many posts by you, and you're generally cynical. You're too defensive about your current depressing ideologies (especially on women/marriage). You seem a bit depressed. Don't friggin deny it. Your replies are just riddled with retorts and lazy rationalizations that are hard to believe. You are being stubborn. You just don't want to do what is right. You are getting SOLID advice in here, YET you continually knock down good advice from your peers here. You appear to see yourself as a logical person, yet you completely folded to your own human stubbornness and ego.
You're still young. If my friggin dad of 55 years old can workout and go on those 10k running events despite having several foot issues that made it impossible for him to jog in the first place, then you can.

Most everyone can get cataplexy if they don't keep a proper sleep schedule. In college, I had terrible sleep patterns. My knees would buckle, jaw would sag, and I could never focus my vision during periods of day. I would get sleep paralysis like twice a month. I had gained 20 lbs, started snoring, and was tired everyday despite sleeping 8 or more hours. I never knew if I had sleep apnea, but my Dad did when he gained a bit of weight. He's not nearly as bad anymore after he lost significant amount of fat. My dad told me I, too, had sleep apnea during my sleep. My knees are pretty bad as well. My knee caps are misaligned due to weakening of the muscles around the knee cap. This lead to me having Chondromalacia. It's not fun.

A bit after college, I told myself "SCREW THIS..." I took the advice of doctors to see what to do with the knee. I did just as I was told, instead of just saying, "well, this sucks, it must be eff'ing genetics, oh well. I'll just sit here, eat chips, and watch some TV, or porn, and jack off." I did the proper stretches and knee strengthening. I went on daily walks at least 20-30 minutes/day on asphalt to keep the knee moving. I practice proper posture while walking. After awhile, I was able to jog 2-3 miles a day. Of course, my knee problems came back, but I would rinse-repeat the cycle of knee rehab --> walking --> jogging. My next goal is to finally get my running posture corrected by a trainer so I can reduce the pounding on my knee. My knee will always be an issue, but I'm not going to let it fucking stop me. If I can't run, I'll swim. :| :|
I tried my best to implement a proper sleep cycle.

I took the steps to lose the weight, and get a decent sleep cycle in. I did these two simple thing, and guess what happens?
Snoring? GONE. More energized during the day? YUP. "Cataplexy?" GONE. I'm so much more happier. I'm more energetic, and have a much more positive view of life in general

The cholesterol is probably something else, but first things first. Lose that weight, and have a proper sleep schedule. Stop naming your problems and being content that you have a condition, because these conditions are curable through proper exercise and a normal sleep cycle.
Stop giving yourself an excuse not to do anything. So you have a tibialis muscle injury; so what? Just go the the damn pool everyday. I think getting a gym membership and REALLY doing ellipticals + swimming will do wonders for your health and mental state. Hire a good trainer for one day and ask him how to work around your knee. Oh wait, no money for a gym? SAVE up and use it for this purpose. Make it a financial goal. WRITE IT DOWN IN YOUR WALLET (NEED MONEY FOR GOOD HEALTH + GYM).

No motivation? GET ONE. You're stuck with the body you have for the rest of your life. Take care of it. Hell, you'll even save money on medical-related bills in the long run. Everyone wants to be happy. MAKE that you friggin goal. If my father's friend can finally find love at 50 with a rather attractive and bright cougar, then YOU FUCKING CAN. Just stand up right now and start working at it. Make a friggin CHART.
BLAH!!

< /venting > :| :|

PS.. oh and cut down on the beer. Going to the market to get a case of beer is not excercise.
You also failed to continue your conversation with that girl behind you. You got what it take to start the conversations. Build on it. 😛

Look, I'm sorry for making all these accusations. I'm essentially attacking your character in this post, and I'm sorry for that. When I see someone with a self-defeatist attitude, I get riled up. Why? Because I used to be that way. No one wants to look at the bad version of themselves ever again.
I'm very hopeful that you'll succeed within the next two years or so. That'll be your new goal. In two years, you'll be 20 lbs slimmer, more active, pick up a productive hobby or two, and have a hot cougar by your side. DO IT. 😀 Good Luck tcsenter.

 

[tcsenter]

Originally posted by: DanTMWTMP
WTF man. Ok, i'm going to be friggin BLUNT. You better take what I say your own good, because your case sounds way too similar to mine. GET YOUR ASS UP. WAKE THE F** UP. STOP MAKING EXCUSES AND SIT THERE IN SELF-PITY. WTF???

I like your response but feel you have overstepped in a few areas because you assume too much. So I'll address some things. First, let's get the chronology of cause-and-effect straight:

I was a highly active, physically fit teenager when the disrupted sleep patterns appeared. I snored moderately as a teenager, even when I was in excellent shape and my body fat percentage was around 8% ~ 10%. The disrupted (fractured) nocturnal sleep began immediately after a mono-type illness that I had for about eight days, where I slept about 12 hours per day and felt exhausted when I was awake. My parents vividly remember this illness because we were on vacation at the time. They seriously deliberated taking me to the doctor because I was extremely difficult to arouse from sleep, and borderline lethargic when I was awake.

So first came the excessive sleepiness, then the disrupted sleep, then the cataplexy, then the hallucinations, then came the depression and weight gain. OK? The weight gain was LAST, by a full six or seven years. Not first, not second, not third - LAST. The depression came next to last, in no small part because I was hallucinating every day. Try hallucinating every day for several years but not knowing or understanding that you are hallucinating, see how resistant to depression you are. Yes, I experience hallucinations EVERY TIME I SLEEP, for the past 12+ years. I have cataplexic attacks almost EVERY DAY for the past 14+ years.

So you experienced sleep paralysis once or twice per month, its a great feeling, eh? Try having it every day for several years, though it has declined to a couple times per week (the hallucinations are still a daily thing).

I'm not generally cynical. I'm cynical about some things, not about everything. I'm currently cynical as hell about my health because I just got some more bad news in the chain of bad news that I've been getting about my health for the past eight years. I'm going to take a few days to be pissed off about it and vent a little before I get to work. So sue me.

BTW, there is not a gym or publicly accessible pool within 15 miles of where I live. No problem, just drive there, eh? Oh yeah, the State of California won't give me a driver's license because narcolepsy is a disqualifying medical condition. The burden to obtain clearance is impossibly high for most narcoleptics and my doctors won't sign off.

PS.. oh and cut down on the beer. Going to the market to get a case of beer is not excercise.

The beer actually wasn't for me. It was for my neighbor and his wife. I rarely drink. When I do drink, its never more than two 12oz beers or 6oz glasses of wine. I have been drinking a little more lately compared to the past several years, but a six pack of beer will last me two weeks.

 

[moshquerade]

You are overweight, that is no doubt adding to your problems


lose weight (may help your sleep apnea and GERD)
diet, as in, eat right/healthy
exercise

if cholesterol levels still aren't in the good range then add statins


genetics don't have to mean a death sentence. most of the time you have the power to alter your predispositions.

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Originally posted by: tcsenter
So I'm 38, and in addition to being diagnosed with the following conditions:

- narcolepsy and cataplexy
- sleep apnea
- GERD

I can now officially add hypertension, mild cardiac hypertrophy (slightly enlarged heart), and high cholesterol (total cholesterol = 275, LDL = 180, HDL = 31).

I eat fast food or red meat two to three times per month, and have been very conscious about portion sizes for several years now (e.g. I get the small combo meal or the small sandwich, not the super sized combo or the giant belly buster sandwich).

The rest of the time, I'm eating stir fried vegetables three times per week, rice, beans, lean chicken or turkey breast, whole grain this and whole grain that, tuna and salmon, garden salads, nuts and fruit. I don't eat much dairy because it gives me gastrointestinal upset (lactose intolerance), and I eat about two eggs per week on average.

275!! Doc says there is no way that diet can bring my cholesterol down because its clearly some genetic influence for excessive cholesterol production. Wants to put me on statins but A. I can't afford it B. I don't want to take those shit drugs with shit side effects

Oh, and I'm about 20 ~ 25 pounds overweight (currently weigh 195 and my ideal weight is 170 ~ 175). I have friends who eat garbage every single day of the week, shit that I don't even want to eat because its so laden with saturated fats, and their cholesterol is normal. God damned shit ass genes!

< /venting >
Topic summary edited to remove profanity.
Sr Moderator allisolm

Losing 10-20 pounds will reduce your blood pressure, lower your cholesterol and should help your heart.

What height are you?