I am a huge believer in healthy body and spirit by way of my own lifestyle. Now with that said, here comes a small dose of reality. The doctor called me on Sunday, yesterday. He said that one year ago my bad cholesterol level was in good shape, but not so today. In addition, he addressed my irregular heartbeat. These revelations came as the result of seeking medical help for the pain in my left leg one and one half weeks ago, which turned out to be a blood clot.
I am presently taking a wee little pill twice a day to thin my blood. The doctor wants to place a device on me for two days that will monitor my heartbeat, which I have agreed to. He acknowledges and appreciates my abhorrence of pills or anything else that goes into my mouth and identified as medication. He says my proactive actions in the last week and half with my diet and exercise may be all I need for the high cholesterol level.
The diet: no flour, no dairy products, no salt, plenty of sprouted wheat bread with peanut butter, whole-grain rice and beans, fruit, and small amounts of grass fed beef, organic roasted poultry, egg whites fried in olive oil, skin on potatoes, and plenty of olive oil. In addition, I can have no dark green vegetables because they have vitamin K in them, which coagulates blood, the opposite of what those pills are doing.
I have instructions to stay away from all stretches and exercises that could jar the clot loose, but I can continue my daily non-strenuous strolls on Mount Helena. During the minimum 2-mile walks, I am keeping my heart rate below 130 BPM, while ascending/descending 650 feet.
My website and Facebook pages concerns being an adventurer photographer, not a convalescing invalid. If you are following me, you’re getting a little more than what I originally had in mind. I have made some mistakes in my lifestyle, which at 63 years of age has come around to bite me on the butt.
I am in no way finished with backcountry adventure photography. Medical personnel have made it clear that I will be back on my feet in perhaps as little as 30 days. Clearly, I will have to be an integral and active part of the solution for that to happen. Now where in the hell did I put those teeny-tiny little pills?
