Fiona

Those symptoms indicate a trip to a hospital emergency room not

"So I guess I better make an app't to see my internist."

I had those same symptoms and I went to the ER, They found I needed emergency bypass surgery. On of the blockages was in the left main heart artery which the doctors refer to as the widow maker. That is because almost no one survives if they have a heart attack in that artery.

I am one very lucky guy.

If those symptoms come back I urge you to call 911.

I agree, don't "wait out" an angina attack. Get help immediately. I hope you are wrong but if that was truly angina, your next attack might not end as well. In the meantime, get worked up as soon as possible.

I am a merstopher, MD (by the way) and have spent many a night taking care of people in the emergency department that were lucky to have made it to us with symptoms just like that.

Hi all!

Just signed up for this forum, and found this subforum. I'm definitely in this camp and am glad to find others that can sympathize with the long haul I'm in for!

I am excited to be starting back on the South Beach Diet tomorrow (Jan 6th).
I have been on SB before, back in 2004 (holy moly, time has flown!) and had good results (lost nearly 50lbs!) but fell off the wagon and got back into bad habits and (of course) gained it all back.

Today I cleaned out my pantry of everything that isn't SB friendly. I've stocked up my fridge with salad goods for work lunches, and bought a dozen eggs for my Phase 1 breakfasts. Two weeks of eggs. Oy. But it will be ok :)

Some things I know from the last time that I tried this -

1) I need to track my weight daily and write it down
2) I need to track my eating daily and write everything down

When I don't do the above things, I slip up.

I also need to make sure that I have easy options ready to go for breakfasts, lunches and dinners. When I get busy, it's too easy to hit up the drive thru or go out for lunch - and that way lies dragons!

Anyway, I just thought I would stop in and say hi!

Fi I am so sorry that you are not well.May I take the opportunity to echo the sentiments of the others and please go to the doctors? Thinking of you my lovely.
Ninja....hello and welcome this is a wonderful forum with people who really do share your ups and downs!
Merstopher....welcome to you...hope you have your thermals on there in Canada, apparently Canada and Northern USA are freezing in an Arctic blast....keep warm! And good luck, I too am a calorie counter, I am a simple soul and it works for me! I do reduce my carb intake a bit too especially bread which after the first few days of screaming cravings makes me feel good.
I have been awake since 3am...it's 6.40am now. We had the mother and father of all thunderstorms which knocked out our power, sent the dogs a bit loopy and woke our cockerel up!! Still it is now quiet and peaceful and I am enjoying my coffee without rushing. First day back at school for scrumptious 8 year old (sad face) and I don't half miss him when he goes back.
Ubee I am so pleased that your precious daughter has benefitted from an improved diet.....when you see how much difference it makes to eat well,it makes me worried for the many many children and young people who rely on junk food for "nutrition".
Let me give you a brief(!) report about my life affirming trip to Iceland in 2009.
I wanted to do SOMETHING for charity. Jumping out of planes or bungee jumping were out due to my weight and I hate walking when it's too hot, so wet and windy Iceland seemed about right. It was a 100km walk and I did it for a Cancer Charity. As I posted yesterday (or possibly the day before.....I lose track!) I was the morale officer for middle aged women who lacked confidence, self belief and self esteem....( me!! the queen of low self esteem!). I had an absolute ball, it rained almost incessantly and I was usually last to make to make it back to camp butI couldn't give a hoot!
On the final day of hiking it had finally stopped raining and I was feeling wonderful, got too over excited descending a rope to a river and slipped on a twisted knee.....ouch. OK sore knee...very sore knee.....bigger problem was that I had to climb back UP the mountain we had just walked down to be rescued!
It later turned out that I had dislocated my kneecap and fractured bits off the back but I made it back up that mountain with a bit of codeine and ALOT of swearing! If I can do THAT I can do anything! My knee still remains a bit grumpy but when it aches I see it as a reminder of that trek up the mountain.
Have a great day chickens.

Good Morning!
Fi, really? What on earth? With all due respect to your medical background...get your arse to the cardiologist!!! I think the world of you and want to see you on here when you are 100!
Larry, my husband had a triple bypass and was able to avoid the widow maker and had no heart damage. I thank God everyday that my sister was on the phone and told me he did not have the flu he was trying to have the big one.
Welcome ninja! I sorta did the South Beach for my first 20 percent off. I had stalled for the last 6 months. I have now changed over to a family diet to help our daughter with autism.
Donna, how long was your trip to Iceland? I love thunderstorms as long as they don't get dangerous. We are getting the arctic blast so our girls are home today.
This morning as I was at the table with our special daughter I started getting teary eyed. She is so content now. She was at the table doing her work/play with a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face. She is in such a good place.
Yesterday everyone was muling around the kitchen which is unusual since we started this diet. I realized that for breakfast I had slipped back into our low fat diet by habit. Resolved that quickly and got my kitchen back to myself.
How is everyone doing?

Ubee - I want a magic body where I don't crave junk :) lol Glad the changes are working for everyone.


Fi - How you doing? concerned about you.

ninja - Welcome :) Glad you find southbeach is sustainable for you I haven't found a lifestyle change yet that makes me consistently lose weight and that I am okay with keeping up with forever. I eat better and am more active than at my heaviest but still definitely far from perfect.

So tired today I let my sleep get even more out of whack so I'm sort of running on 'empty' today. I'm going to try and make a concious effort NOT to consume something stupid now because of it. Lots to do today work wise and personal wise I should keep this short but still trying to check in. 323.4 today I am unimpressed but am setting a goal for Nightkatts challenge that I really want to stick to. An average of about 2 lbs a week is ambitious but not unreasonable, definitely not at my size.

Good Morning. Just looked at the weather map of the US, and what a crazy winter we're having.

Ubee -- Your new diet plan sounds like you're seeing such wonderful results -- both for you and your daughter. How wonderful. Your post was so upbeat and positive. In terms of my binges (which basically I count as eating anything that isn't on plan or planned for even if I don't eat gobs and gobs of it), they're definitely brought on by the stress of the ding-a-ling Co-op. Worked on Co-op stuff all day Saturday and all day Sunday -- something I swore I would never do again when I retired. And this is a volunteer job!. Of course, the other side of the coin is just to let things slide as I'm picking up the slack so I think that I'm both irritated with the members that they won't step up and irritated with myself for taking on more than I want to. Gggrrrrr. Definitely results in hard to control emotional eating for me.

Merstopher -- welcome and another male voice is always welcome. And it is a very supportive group.

SilentArctic -- Unfortunately I'm getting to the age group where everyone is younger than I! :D I truly meant figuring out the "me" part of this at your stage of life as a compliment. That is something that I'm still working on.

Larry -- Yes, accepting that support is needed and then seeking it out is a tremendous step in our journey. Glad you and all the others in this thread are there for me.

Fi -- Your angina attack sounds truly scary. I wonder if the first symptoms were with the anxiety attack and the meusli. Glad you're going to the doctor and hope that the test results both pinpoint the problem and help with finding a resolution.

Things around here are busy right now, but I'm getting more determined to get me under control. I'm the only one who can make that happen. Today I feel much happier mainly because I have all the stuff from the Co-op off my plate for a little while. It's time for wonder woman to hang up her cape and let someone else pick up the load.

No Binge Days: 0

Thanks for the votes of concern, everyone. I just got back from seeing my internist: my physical exam is normal and so is my EKG. If that had been a heart attack, there would be changes in the EKG. So it was probably angina, just like I thought. I have an app't to see a cardiologist soon and get a repeat stress test. (My last stress test was normal.) I guess I'll hold off on any intense cardio exercise until I've had the stress test. In the meantime my doc has put me on a beta-blocker to lower my heart rate and take some of the stress off my heart. He says it will be up to the cardiologist whether to give me some nitroglycerin, in case it happens again.

And my doc was thrilled by my weight loss! It's been 40 pounds since the last time i saw him. He shook my hand twice, saying, "Congratulations!" and "That's really impressive!" That made me feel good, to hear that from someone in person. My husband supports me a lot, but it's hard for him to appreciate the change, since he sees me every day.

Fi, thank you for going to the Dr.!!! I'm glad to hear he was so excited about your weightloss. Always nice to hear from the right people. Glad your EKG was normal. Good luck at the cardiologist and get ready for the Atkins fight.
Betsy, I've been in your shoes too often. I imagine most of us have. This too shall pass...and then if you're like me you'll do something like it all over again! I'm glad you are getting busy working on you! Toby needs his mama to live and be healthy for a long time.
Silent, forever is a long time. Maybe you should be like Larry and most of us and keep trying new diets. Sometimes we don't know what will work or what we will like until we try it. I wonder how many diets there are out there. What is your plan to fill your empty tank? Gotta have a plan.
Sorry chatty today 2 pot of coffee day. For lunch I am making a 5 pound grass fed sirloin tip beef roast. When I had it in my hands I was thinking wow this is a big roast. Then it clicked that I lost more then this off my body this week. Lightbulb going off!
Have a good day!

A great day today, I have stayed on plan and the scale rewarded me today with a 2 lb loss. :carrot:

ninjagirl :welcome2: We have a great group here. Your plan sounds good.

mountain walker I love the story about your Iceland trip, especially your statement "If I can do THAT I can do anything!" Sometimes we need to be reminded about what is possible if we are determined enough.

Ubee I really enjoy seeing the love you have for your daughter come though in your writing. Gets me teary eyed also, but I am just an old softy at heart.

silentarctic I need to remember what you said "I'm going to try and make a conscious effort NOT to consume something stupid now" Consuming stupid things is what got me here.

betsy2013 Wow so many great thoughts on this thread today. I also must remember what you said. "I'm getting more determined to get me under control. I'm the only one who can make that happen."

Fiona W :hug: Be alert to the fact that normal EKGs are not always the final answer. My EKG was also absolutely normal, as were my blood tests. I had a catherization done and I went into VFIB on the table. I had to be shocked back to life with the paddles. My left main artery was so clogged that the blockage and the catheter together stopped the blood flow to my heart, My cardiologist said if I had a heart attack that I would not have survived. Even if the heart attack had occurred in the hospital my chances would have been dismal. I don't want to scare you but you might want to have a Cardiologist MD give you a check up. They generally have more education and experience with the heart than an Internist does.

merstopher How is your plan and your day going? We care, You are not alone

Mondays are always so busy!

Full work day, then hit the gym for a swim, some stationary bike, then a 2 hour Monday night group therapy meeting I go to weekly...

But I got my exercise in, wasn't hungry during the day (read snacked appropriately), have a comfortable belly feeling after my supper, and still well under my daily calorie goal, even with a small snack later :D

Fiona, glad you made it to the doc... Get those coronaries checked out ASAP

UBee, lol at losing more weight than the roast you are holding, puts it in perspective doesn't it? Touching to hear about the family diet

Mountain, as a Canuck I am a specialist at keeping warm! I even used to live in a place called Iqualuit in northern Canada...

Larry, thanks for thinking of me ;)

Back again
 

I wasn't a very active member previously. I stay pretty busy working full time going to school full time plus I'm a single mom. I decided last year that I was going to take the money I'd been setting aside for a down payment for a house and get WLS. I am scheduled to have VSG in March of this year. I'm here to get some support in the interim and post op as well. Every year at work we have a biggest loser competition and our first weigh in is Wednesday. I'm hoping to lose at least 50 lbs before surgery. I look forward to getting to know you all.

Hi Rebecca and welcome back! How ever you chose to lose your weight,this is a fantastic group...I think I am right in saying there is a group on 3fc's specifically for those who have had or who are contemplating WLS. When I read your post I was full of admiration for how you are taking on another challenge with those you already have! I have been a single parent myself and it is no easy task at times.
Merstopher, I have always wanted to live somewhere cold but I am rethinking after the news this morning told of temps with wind chill of -51 degrees!
Fi I am so glad you went to have yourself checked out. I agree with Larry that there could still be underlying pathology but I have ended up in A&E twice with severe chest pain in a very similar distribution to angina that turned out to be pleurisy once and pneumonia the other time!
Silent/Ubee and Betsy how is your day going?
We had another thunderstorm last night ( are we heading for Armageddon or what?) and the power failed for a wee while. I was feeling really rubbish yesterday, cried at a silly film ( Toy Story 2 which I have seen a million times!) back aching, knees aching...tummy aching........hang on....yes I am still of childbearing age and my body has proven it to me! (Sorry boys!) OK I would sooner eat worms than have a baby at 47 but it becomes a bit depressing that when I went for a chest xray last week they didn't even bother to ask when my last period was...too old now see??? 2nd period in 3 months which is related to the weight I have lost so far I think and the iron I have been on. I'm taking it as a non scale victory anyway!
Had an urge to snack last night as I had a headache too but thought of Fi's yapping dog and put it out in the kennel in the garden (metaphorically speaking) so I could still hear it but it was less insisitent!
Have a good day chicken.

Good morning All!!!

ninjagirl - welcome to the group... it is good to have you here... lot of support and motivation

mountain walker - I hate those TOM symptoms... I am ready to be over that already...

Ubee - What a great realization with the roast weight... I love those epiphany moments like that... but especially when you try on something that you are certain will never fit (or at least it never has before) and you have about 6 inches extra material... LOL... it is such a joy!!!

silentarctic - hope you can get your sleep patterns back to normal... I know in my case I am just wretched when I get that way.

betsy2013 - I really like what you said and I most definitely will have to remember it... "I'm getting more determined to get me under control. I'm the only one who can make that happen."

Fiona W - Glad you went to see the doctor with your issues... hope everything works well when you see the cardiologist as well... just would rather be safe than sorry.

merstopher - wow you did have a busy Monday... good for you to get in exercise as well... you go!!!

Larry - awesome job on the 2 pound loss... you are rocking those negative numbers right now.... YAY!!!

As for me... I did well yesterday. I am a teacher/ counselor at a very small school and one of our board members took his own life over the weekend. Today is the service and it will be held at the school auditorium because of the massive amount of people that will be in attendance. :( It is so sad and tragic and really goes to show you that sometimes you just never know what a person is going through. They may have an outward appearance of being happy and go-lucky but it is not always the case. Anyway, please just give those you love a hug because you never know when it will be the last time you get to.

I hope you all have a great POP day!!!!

Good Morning!
Larry, 2 pounds again? That is so awesome! Thanks for taking out the words of wisdom and putting them in bold. It is a great reminder to us all.
Chris, glad you checked in. Interesting comment about your comfortable belly feeling. I go for clean plate or whoops I'm stuffed better stop now. Will have to add that way of eating to my new realtionship with food list.
Welcome Rebecca! Good luck with your surgery and before surgery weightloss! Your kids need a mom much more then a house.
Donna, with all these hormones I feel like a teenager again. I'm hoping it will improve with my new diet. At least on this diet I don't go food crazy and gain during TOM.
Pam, that is awful about your member. I agree we never know what someone is going through. God job taking care of you through the stress.
This group is so important to my well being. Thank you!
Today is another day with everyone home due to the dangerous cold. The teenager has a bad cold. Our autistic daughter is on cloud nine because my husband is home and they are big buddies. I am going to try to make a pizza crust with almond flour. Wish me luck!