Time to Make Changes.

I have decided to try and shed a few pounds now is the time while i feel in this frame of mind i need to lose weight as carrying 19st 8lb is no joke. I have had 2 hip replacements over the past 11 years and the pressure i am putting on hip joint will end up with me requiring another operation which is something i do not want to go through again. As followers of my blog already know that i suffer with Dilated Cardiomyopathy a Heart Muscle disease again excess weight is not ideal for this condition as it is putting added pressure on the heart.

When i was told by my Orthopaedic surgeon in June 2009 that if he was to do a total revision hip replacement on me that i would have to lose weight at least 2 stone were his words and this had to be by 29th Sept when he had pencilled it in for the operation.

I left the hospital thinking of a plan but when you like your food like i do and a drink like i do i found it hard to get my head around but it had to be done.

I had to get this plan together but where do i start yes i know i thought just don't eat so many crisps and sausage rolls well now and again wont hurt but my beer well that will be ok not many calories in that after all it's only a drink at the end of the day yes this diet will be a breeze.


After thinking what to do and foods to buy one thing i thought i would need was a Calorie Counter book and what a fantastic buy that was as i soon found out.

This little book turned out to be my bible i used this book to plan all my meals i now scoff at the idea of Sausage rolls, Crisps and Beer all being ok just a quick look in my book told me all that ok now and again is ok people used to say a little of what you fancy does you good i can remember being told well not me I'm afraid if i brought a pack of sausage rolls i would eat the lot during the day i never felt it was greed it was just that i liked them same for crisps and beer as a matter of fact there was not a lot i did not like i suppose coming from a family of 6 had something to do with it what ever mum put on the table we ate.

My Diet really gave me something to aim for i planned it with military precision i set myself a daily planner of what i ate when i ate it how many calories it contained. At the end of the day i wanted to do this properly as this is going to help me for one thing a New hip, reduce pressure on my heart and wearing nice clothes and feeling healthier was what i was aiming for.

Out went pastries snacks alcoholic drinks and in came fruit more variety of vegetables and bottled water. Fitness was a main concern for me as i was waiting for my Hip operation i was hardly able to walk so any activity related to walking was out of the question.

After my first couple of days i could not wait to get on the scales i know it should be once a week but i could not help myself as i wanted to see if i had lost any weight well 2lb lighter than Monday i thought well that's not much but with more research on the web by going to a weight loss page i found that 2lb per week is the average to lose so i now did not feel so bad. I decided i would weigh myself once a week from now on and by the end of the first week i had lost 7lb i was overjoyed as with planning my meals in advance was rather fun.

The worst time was weekends after 2 to 3 weeks on this diet i was depriving myself of my favourite foods Chinese / Indian Curry's but again after more research i found yes i could have these things stir fry veg / chicken with bamboo shoots instead of noodles / Chicken curry just omit the 4 onion bah gees i would eat in one sitting small boiled rice not large all these changes made a difference.

I even came up with my own menus during the week a fresh piece of salmon with chili sauce on a bed of rice / Baked potato with a small portion of chili i was having a ball and losing weight at the same time and the thing was i was not even exercising not that i did not want to.

By the time my operation date came around i had lost 2st 3lb i felt better than i had for a long time looked better than i had for a long time and was now waiting for a new lease of life when my operation was finally over. My surgeon Mr Jeffrey's was very pleased with my progress and the op was on.

My Hip operation was a success i had lost weight this was the best i had felt in a very long time i was unable to get around for about 16 weeks i had to be very care full after surgery the muscles in my right leg were slightly wasting as i had not managed to walk on it without the aid of crutches for a very long time but now i had to start to exercise the leg by doing physiotherapy after weeks of treatment i started to feel more human more mobile but there was something missing the diet was no more i felt as though i had nothing to aim for anymore i had lost the weight but i found the challenge to keep it of even greater i gradually drifted back into my old ways and the weight went back on.

2 years down the line i am now going to start all over again but this time i have a new challenge and it is to do with my very good friend Jon who also suffers the same heart condition as me he at this moment in time is doing very well on a diet and at the last post he had lost 11 lb he has devised the diet himself. I have listened to his comments on Cardiomyopathy and being overweight and it all makes sense. Being overweight with a heart condition is like having a Mini Minor engine sitting inside a Rolls Royce after a while the engine cannot cope with the size of the vechile looking at it in that term is frightening as that is what is happening to me at the moment and i sure do notice it so i will keep you updated with my weight loss and the foods i will eat.

I hope you might find this post use full and if anyone wishes to make comments please do and i will get back to you i am going to ask Jon can we help each other and give each other support and i know together we can loose this weight

More Appointments

As fellow sufferers of DCM know it comes with other problems than are linked to the illness i happen to have AF ( Atrial Fibrillation - Irregular Heartbeat ) for which i have to take warfarin to keep the blood thin  so my blood does not clot.
With keeping the blood thin i like others have to be very care full when using a knife in the kitchen or when i do my hobby of carpentry as a bad cut can be rather serious.

One Wednesday 2 weeks ago i noticed i was passing blood i was sent straight to hospital where my warfarin was stopped straight away as warfarin can cause internal bleeding after numerous questions, Blood tests, Examinations, Xrays, it was decided that i would be put on the waiting list to have a Colonoscopy. By the Thursday the bleeding had stopped and i was discharged later that day and thankfully to this date i have not had any more problems.

Today i received my appointment i am to report to the clinic on the 3rd of Nov 2011 for my procedure and will be allowed home later the same day.

For the past few weeks i have had bouts of feeling unwell it is hard to explain how i feel but very similar to when i was very first diagnosed it is more a feeling of having the flu with chest ache is the way i would explain it i have also been waking up in the early hours of the morning with bouts of gasping for breath.

I have been told by my GP that i have sleep apnea so i have been referred to papworth for tests and observation again another appointment to write on the calender. From what i understand some suffers of this illness wear an oxygen mask at night to help them sleep i do not want to go down that route if i can help it so i am going to follow the advice of my friend and fellow blogger and try to lose some weight also exercise a bit more.

I know to some people who do not suffer from any of the problems mentioned this might not be very interesting reading. The comments mentioned will maybe help some of my DCM friends.

It's one of those days

Well as we are now in the month of October chilly nights and days come to that are upon us and we have seen the last of summer and so have most of my patio plants. I don't have a very large back garden but then again i suppose you would not even call it a garden as i had it all brick weaved about 15 years ago. I have a 2 berth touring caravan so the hard standing is ideal for it to sit on. I have a little patio 14ft x 10ft and the little brick wall i have around it has seen better days.

 On the patio i have over the years purchased pots and made planters so at least i have a bit of greenery to look at gardening is not my strong point so i fill them with whatever seasonal plants are available so now it is getting near the time for me to start filling them with winter pansies.

Today i went out on the patio to start clearing the pots and containers of the spent plants but to be honest after roughly 20 - 30 Min's i started to feel slightly breathless and lethargic it goes to show how unfit i am i thought to myself but i had not been doing that much surely emptying a few pots a bit of sweeping and moving a few things about could not reduce me to the physical wreck that i felt like.

I decided enough was enough and went indoors for the rest of the day i felt as though i had just done 8 hours on a building site my chest felt heavy i was tired and i just wanted to lie down curse this DCM i thought to my self after a few hours i found my self returning to a more normal state but i am not going to give up i am going out there again tommorow and have decided little and often is the way forward.

Lets see what tommorow brings but i am determined this is not going to beat me watch this space.

One day at a time

Today wednesday 5th Oct 2011 was no different to yesterday or the day before that same illness same feelings when as i sit on the edge of my bed each morning i feel like giving myself a good talking to come on mick get your act together you are still here you have that loving family always giving you support and it could be worse i then think but yes will it get worse time oh well for the bathroom and get ready for another day.

First trip Doctors appointment 08.30 Blood pressure check, Pulse check AF still present, Chest x ray still showing heart dilated, Hospital procedure for Colonoscopy still on at the Hospital for the 6th December well nothing new there then so of home i go.

What to do today well it's bonus day i have company my wife sheila is on her day of or should i say days as she is of tommorow as well. Morrisons is the destination i cant wait as i get to push the trolly lol. When we are in morrisons it is not long before i start to get the achy chest and start to feel as though i want to go home but i think no dont want to spoil the day for my wife even if we are only in morrisons.

2 painkillers and 1 diazapam later feel more relaxed so we go on to Homebase had a little browse saw a few people who i knew who commented on how well i look not wanting to discuss how i feel i just comment thanks yes i dont feel to bad ( If only they really new it's not how i look it's how i feel on the inside ) and carry on browsing.

Why do i feel so guilty when people ask where are you working now mick to which i reply no not working now due to this illness. I feel as though they think to themselves well he looks ok to me but as always everyone replies oh i see well hope you get better soon. ( if only i think to myself. )

When it all began

Hi my name is Mick i am 52 and i have been married to Sheila my wife for 32 years. I have 2 children Kelly 32 and Andrew 30. I must mention my 7 year old grandson Eugene who is my little rock and who i love dearly.
During the last 6 months of 2008 i was getting a constant ache in my chest visits to the Doctors and a diagnosis of a chest infection i was prescribed Antibiotics.