In keeping open with readers, fellow cooks and health aficionados, I’ve been diagnosed with coronary artery disease and as a side effect, I’ve lost more height.
As you know, if you’ve read my biography, I’ve had Alport’s Syndrome and a kidney transplant that led to different types of heart failure over the past 10-15 years. I’d been healthy, working out daily, then developed some health issues that prevented me from working out, from runners knees, dizziness/falling issues and now chest pains, which turned out to be classic angina:
- an·gi·na
- [ an jnə ]
- chest pains: a medical condition in which lack of blood to the heart causes severe chest pains
Turns out, that at least one of my arteries is 95% blocked. The cardiologist stated that it is unusual and rare that it came on so suddenly, because the arteries were clear from a cardiac catheter that was done a few years ago. I’d noticed I’d had a hard time breathing during workouts and chest pain with exertion that just got worse with time. Now, the Dr. has given orders NOT to exercise until after the stent goes in next month.
Doing some research, I discovered that losing height is associated with heart disease in Men. I was 5’9″ way back in high school, and lost 1/4 inch per decade, it seems. Starting with the kidney failure that led to heart failure and finally heart disease.
It is disheartening to realize I’d been doing all I could do by eating healthy (I even wrote the two cookbooks on buying/cooking/eating healthy!), exercising (2-3 hours a day, even) and still getting heart disease.
God, this aging thing sucks great big donkey’s balls. But, we just keep on keeping on.
Brick ONeil 