Checking 'ejection fraction' for heart improvements

(Find a penny, pick it up and all day long you’ll have…goodness only knows how many germs and bacteria on your fingertips…Good luck trumps germs, though, so I pick it up. Hand sanitizer, where are ya when I need ya?

My flu or wicked cold or whatever is finally gone. I feel good so it's back to walking, lifting, and getting as healthy as possible. Does better health translate into better writing? You be the judge…)

“That is the story of the day.”

The cardiologist said the preceding after hearing my answer to his question, “What brings you here?”

I told him about everything leading up to my hospitalization in March with pulmonary and cardiac sarcoidosis. Dr. Charles J. Mattina of Long Branch, N.J., is a good listener. I like his follow up questions and demeanor. He is another doc hired in my on-going fight against the disease.

His role is crucial. Cardiac sarc kills. There is no sugarcoating it. We will know more about my heart after I undergo an echocardiogram. I do know my left ventricle is weak, two thirds weaker than it should be. Doctors at Northwestern Medical Center concluded that the sarcoidosis that scarred my lungs also weakened my heart.

A Northwestern electro-cardiologist recommends the installation of a defibrillator to shock my heart into a normal rhythm in case it beats awry, causing sudden cardiac death. He recommended that action in March, but after careful consideration and getting a second opinion, I am opting to see if prednisone and methotrexate will contain the damage.

I was sick during the winter of '08-09, the coldest winter in Chicago in 30 years. The cold air clamped down my lungs like an icy vice grip. Every breath was piercing pain. Every step, labor. But I went to work - two jobs in fact and did what I had to do to survive. Thanks to my friends I made it through. If I could live through that, I figure I can live through almost anything.

“If I was in your position, I would have made that decision,” said the cardiologist about my strategy.

Thursday, my new cardiologist will test my election fraction, which measures how well the left ventricle functions. This is usually expressed in percentages and the good folks at the Cleveland Clinic explain it pretty well. I’ll try it: With each beat, a normal heart pumps a little more than half its volume. A range of between 50 percent and 70 percent is acceptable. A lower ejection fraction signals problems with the heart, including a heart attack or disease like cardiomyopathy.

My ejection fraction was in the mid-30s when it was last measured in Chicago. I have given up cigarettes, exercise and have been consistent with medications to project the heart. I am eager to see if the situation has improved.

I like my chances, but I am open minded and ready for anything. If we don’t like the results, we’ll try something else. I am not surrendering to sarcoidosis. Too many people to see and too much stuff to do.

...Flu shot: Round two...

I’m going to roll up my sleeve and take the H1N1 swine flu vaccine shot when it becomes available. I won’t be first in line, but I will not be the last. I will do my best to avoid situations where I can get sick, but unless I decide to live in a plastic bubble, I will be out in the world and run the risk of running into someone who sneezes without covering their mouths or..picks their nose and …yuck...wrote about that always you know what grosses us out! I am taking the shot as a precaution. The pros outweigh the con. Let me know what you are doing and why. And good luck!

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Good-bye, for now, to favorite food

This is a photo of me and one of my most favorite foods, a hot dog.

Not just any hot dog. A Texas Weiner. There is a rich history behind this tasty treat.

My good friend Charlotte Fiorito shot this photo on July 27, my birthday. I turned 44. That day, I also said good-bye to to hot dogs in an effort to save my life.

Hot dogs are loaded with fat and sodium. I am taking prednisone to reduce symptoms of heart and lung sarcoidosis. A major side effect of prednisone is weight gain through the retention of water and sodium. It is difficult to say good-bye to the foods you love when you are on prednisone because another prednisone side effect is insatiable hunger. Prednisone patients are ravenous 24-7.

The last time I had hot dogs was July 27. I ate a Texas Weiner with Charlotte while we were on a remember-back-when tour of Plainfield, N.J. That Weiner touched off a craving. I had to have more hot dogs. Later that night (or early morning July 28?) while my folks were asleep, I raided the basement freezer for more.

“This is crazy. I really should not be eating this,” I thought to myself as I nuked the dogs, pulled the relish out the fridge and got the rolls ready. “This is crazy,” I said as I slathered the buns with mustard and relish, put the dogs on and “This is crazy…”

Can’t think full mouth…

After eating those dogs, my lower legs swelled so badly I had to lie down and prop up my feet to reduce the swelling. I was actually afraid to check my blood pressure. It would have been too depressing. If I stand a chance of beating this disease and controlling the prednisone side effects, I thought to myself, I have to rein in this appetite no matter what.

Diet and exercise became the goal. I’ve been walking with my dad and lifting weights every day at least five days a week. I walk a few miles every day and lift weights five days a week.

I won’t weigh myself just yet. I have an important doctor’s appointment on Sept. 8. They can weigh me then. Last time I was weighed was three weeks ago and I was 306. I am now trying to gauge success by how my clothes fit. They are getting loose, which is a good sign. I also gauge success by blood pressure reading results. When I moved home, my readings were in the 150s/90s range, with a new in the 170s/110 (that was at wake up…sleep apnea)…Now the readings are in the low 130s/80s, with a couple in the 120s/70s range. The readings are much closer to the 125/85 my doctors want me to maintain.

(This photo shot on Aug. 20, 3-1/2 weeks into working out. Shirt, pants are no longer tight!) I’m feeling better. I am moving better. I assume I am losing weight. We will see on Sept. 8.

It’s tough to say no to hot dogs. We as a nation consume billions of them. They will be front and center at the majority of cookouts this Labor Day weekend. How can one resist. The key, for me, is moderation. I have not had one in more than a month now. I can do one. It will not kill me. After that, the only dog in my life is Tobie, my parent's beloved golden Labrador.