At age 58 I had an adverse reaction to a combo of hypertension drugs. I was severely ill for 6 months. Went from 170lbs to 145lbs, BP was as low as 70/40 (w/blackout episodes) to 180/140, constant vomiting for 4 months, hospital personnel couldn’t figure it out, MD told me not to change my diet, go on a pump and that IT WAS NOT CAUSED BY THE MEDS HE PRESCRIBED! (it was!).
Now, integrated practitioner, plant based diet, no hypertension meds, BP 110/60-70, resting HR 58.
Here’s what bugs me based on present performance stats as compared to 2-3 yrs ago: My MPH running pace on past ( 2-3 years ago) treadmill running TT @ aerobic pace 122-124BPM was 8.8MPH
After restarting run training in Mid January 2017, today @120-122 HR my pace is a remarkably slower
11.4MPH!!
I begin to wonder if the drugs caused some damage to my vascular system. Age? Diabetes?
My dad died from peripheral vascular disease, so that’s always on my mind.
I swim 8000 - 10000M a week, cycle (weather permitting) about 100 miles a week - seemingly slower & slower. What does everyone think? Is it psycological? Physical? Diabetes related?
Well Joe, you may have a point re: muscle mass although I did come from a fast twitch history and went through the slow & arduous MAF rate (max aerobic function) of slow twitch training over 2 decades ago. Always weight trained and still do. More likely the slow slide from the age performance plateau.
In regard to some BP meds being kidney protectors (25 yrs ago an endocrinologist explained them as turning the cheesecloth into a coffee filter). I am of the view that these meds may have short to intermediate benefit but many pharmaceuticals wouldn’t be necessary if A1C levels are sub 6 combined with a strict diet & exercise program. Long term they may very well be immunosuppressants in nature, as I had learned… the hard way.
I swore to myself I would never allow that to happen again. No more caseins, animal proteins, gluten…I recently removed peanut butter & avocado from my diet when I discovered my LDL had increased. For me, PB is seemingly more habitual than coffee!
One other thing that may add to my much slower MAF rate treadmill TT with 18 months of diligent training: My red blood cell count has been below normal for several years.
Not sure why this just showed up on my feed, but I’ll be happy to share my 2 cents.
Now, I’m not a doctor so there is a lot I don’t know, however I am a plant base fellow, who has had her two feet in it for a while.
When I read your comments, a few points come to mind.
Like Joe mentioned, after losing so much weight, you must have lost a lot of muscle mass. Work on rebuilding that. if you used to train a lot, you should have an idea as to where you were and where you are now.
If you exercise a lot, and are plant based, make sure you eat enough ( nutrient dense) calories. If not enough calories, your body will use its own protein, your muscles, to recover, which will slow you down.
If you cut out avocado and peanut butter, make sure you are eating enough fat through seeds and nuts. If you are below 15%, it’s generally too low. If you are familiar with Dr fuhrman, read his " fat, failure to thrive" section. It’s in almost all of his books.
That being said, he also talks in that section about how a very low Percentage will actually increase your bad cholesterol, which you mentioned.
Flax seeds, chia, walnuts. Use one of them everyday to help provide efa’s. Or another option is to add an Omega-3 supplement. If you are completely plant based and won’t take fish oil, there are now good algue supplements with good absorption rates.
You also mentioned low RBC, being a woman, my first thought is anemia, but make sure there are no underlying health issues. Do you eat a minimum of 1/2c of beans or lentils a day?
They are some of the best ( plant based) sources of iron ( and good protein and resistant starch <-preprobiotic fiber) there is also a swiss plant based luquid iron supplement. You should be able to find it in any good health food store.
And finally
6. Don’t let age be an excuse. I am sure I could find a few 70+ years old people that could motivate you in to running faster
All the best
@Emet - FYI you saw this in your feed because a spammer put some ridiculous advertisement in a new comment, triggering new activity. I think it was for gambling. the new spam catcher software caught it and then it was deleted…
Hi @Hill, sounds as if you’ve had some interesting and frustrating times - not necessarily related to diabetes; but then, of course, it is easy to blame everything on diabetes.
A couple of thoughts I’ll offer yet I am not a medical doctor so don’t change anything based solely on what I offer.
Choose you medical care professionals - a degree or having passed an exam doesn’t mean everything.
Mixing / combining hypertensive medications can cause severe low BP in many and certain medications counteract others; as @Joe said, certain BP Meds, specifically “Ace Inhibitor” BP Med will protect and possibly improve kidney function - I’ve been using an Ace Inhibitor for over 20 years.
Be cautious and fully informed when constructing your diet; know what your body requires and choose foods appropriately. "Plant Based can work if you are knowledgeable; remember that the human body was/is designed as carnivore.
As @Emet asks, what does age or duration of your diabetes be an excuse. I’m pushing 80 and have had diabetes since I was 15 years old. Yet, done everything in life that I’ve wanted to do.
Dennis - I’m off of all BP meds now. BP 110/60-70 & Resting HR 48-54. BMI: 22.4 When I hit 80, I’ll give you a shout out because I know you’ll still be around!
