life

Day 1-The BP Battle Beginss

by ladypbwiggins

I awaken this morning about 5:50am with a headache. I knew my BP was high. The question was how high. I started the day with a blood pressure of 182/108 and a heart rate 64 . This was taken at 6:15am Sunday 12/5. First order of business was exercise and tension release activities. I sat in a chair with a heated massage pad while I pedaled on bike pedals. I only pedaled for 12 minutes. I thought it unwise to go for the 30 minutes the first time out. After the exercise I juiced 4 small beets. They yielded 8 oz of juice. I drank that and sat down to do my Bible study and listen to music. Trying to release tension. Dr. Story said there would be a significant decrease in BP in 3 hours after drinking the juice. Here is my experience.

  • Remember I began at 182/108
  • 6:27 12 minutes of pedaling: BP 166/110 Hr 74
  • 7:30 Drank 8oz beet juice
  • 3 hours after drinking 8oz of beet juice: BP 152/91 HR 73
  • 10:45 potassium and B12 were taken
  • At 5pm: BP 134/83 HR 83
  • At 9pm BP 159/99 HR 74
  • 10pm Ate banana and took magnesium
  • Drank CBD tea
  • 11pm BP 155/87 HR 67

This is the planned schedule of collecting data in this experiment. I will keep a log but I may not post each measurement. I will do a trend report on Friday or Saturday. I will however share what I am eating and why and any information I discover. Dr Story said the effects of the beet juice should last 24 hours. It doesn’t seem like that is going to happen for me. Maybe after my system is cleansed and more exercise has been done. Looking at the data today it appears there should be a second dose of beet juice or something that does the same thing. Tomorrow I will add fresh celery juice. Here are some benefits of celery juice.

  • reduce inflammation.
  • lower blood pressure.
  • heal the liver.
  • fight cancer.
  • reduce bloating.
  • support the digestive system.
  • increase energy.
  • support weight loss.

More items…•Nov 26, 2021
Celery juice cleanse: Possible benefits, risks, and more

Still working on stress reduction plan. Tried to relax some today. I know my stress comes mostly from being my husband’s caregiver. I never viewed it as a stressful situation. I was just taking care of my love. I guess I internalized any problems or frustrations because they seemed to just go with the territory and no need to complain. I just do what is necessary to do. I guess it caught up with me. Now I have to find a way to unpack it all. My daughter and a friend suggest a therapist. I am considering. My problem is how do I begin to unpack it. I don’t even know what I need to talk about to relieve the stress.

Blood Pressure Battle

by ladypbwiggins

A few months ago I discovered that I was in a critical hypertensive condition. I just thought I was tired and stressed out. While that was true, it was not the real problem. My blood pressure was in the 200/180 neighborhood. I don’t know how long I had been walking around like that. I had mild headaches but I just took acetomeniphine and kept it moving. It was only because of God’s grace that I did not stroke out or lose my eyesight.

I discovered this condition when I went in to have surgery on my eye. They couldn’t do it because my pressure was so high. I had to get it down quickly. I went to my primary care provider and she prescribed some powerful medication. It made me so sick that I couldn’t function. I went back and she prescribed a different one which got it down sufficiently enough to have the surgery but my system didn’t like it either. By the way, the blood pressure caused the eye problem. Blood vessels burst in my eye. After the surgery I continued to take the medication until my follow-up exam. I know high blood pressure can damage your heart so I went to my husband’s cardiologist to get mine checked out. While there I told them how the medication was making me feel so another one was prescribed. That one made me even sicker. I thought I was dying after the third dose. I had a blinding headache accompanied with nausea and weakness. I stopped taking it.

So what do I now. Clearly the pharmaceuticals are not my friends. I had planned to return to a nutrition solution after everything was stabilized but I am forced to begin it sooner. I knew that was where my long term solution lay but I needed a quicker reduction. I have no choice but to look to fruit and vegetables. (Some of you know I had been on a raw vegan life plan. Had I behaved I would not be having these issues. More on that later.)

First I looked to herbal teas that I could add a few drops of CBD oil into. Thought that would be faster. My list is beginning with pure chamomile and linden tea. I had never heard of linden tea. Some of it’s benefits are:

  • May promote relaxation. …
  • May help fight inflammation. …
  • May reduce mild pain. …
  • May have diuretic effects. …
  • Linked to lower blood pressure. …
  • May help you sleep. …
  • Soothes your digestive tract. …
  • Easy to add to your diet.

This worked but did not get my pressure low enough. I searched for the specific types of foods that were good for lowering blood pressure. There are many and I will share those in a future post. The first is beets. I know someone is saying yuck but beet juice is really sweet. I began drinking fresh beet juice today. One glass of beet juice is reported to significantly lower your blood pressure quickly. It is suppose to be effective for 24 hours. Other veggies are spinach, ginger, and garlic. That looks like a salad!

I watched a video tonight of a chiropractor named Dr. Story. He discussed what he prescribed to his patients to lower their blood pressure naturally. It coincides with what I found on the GoodRx website and our cardiologist. To reduce blood pressure without medications you should, I should

  1. Exercise most days of the week. Exercise is the most effective way to lower your blood pressure. …
  2. Consume a low-sodium diet. Too much sodium (or salt) causes blood pressure to rise. …
  3. Limit alcohol intake to no more than 1 to 2 drinks per day. …
  4. Make stress reduction a priority.

Jun 22, 2019
What’s the Fastest Way to Lower My Blood Pressure Safely? – GoodRx

I plan to begin this journey on tomorrow. Nothing here is new or a surprise but I am not doing it. I don’t like to exercise but I know it’s necessafy. I know a low or no salt diet is best for everybody but I don’t always eat that way. I’ll talk about that more later. Alcohol is not an issue. I drink wine very infrequently. Now here is the kicker. I live a highly stressful life. My stressor cannot be eliminated so I have to find a way to reduce the stress or release the pressure it causes. I basically have to learn how to relax. If you have suggestions on that, please share them. Until tomorrow, have a good evening. I’m going to try to relax now.

Intentionally My Time!

by ladypbwiggins

It’s amazing how a health scare will bring your life choices into perspective. You would think with all that we have been through with Carl’s health issues this would be something I would have done before. But it was his health that was the focus. Everything that was done was done to improve his health and any benefit I received was tangential. Recently I had a scare. Blood vessels in my eye bled and filled the viscous fluid with blood. It also formed a blob that is still present but seems to be diminishing. I hope it is not wishful thinking. A vitrectomy was performed to remove the fluid and replace it. I have limited vision in my left eye because of the blob. What other damage may have been done is unknown at this time. More assessments will be done soon. So what caused this? I thought it was caused by a reaction to some medication that I was taken for polyneuropathy in my feet. No I am not diabetic. I did have other reactions to that drug but it did not cause the bleeding. I discovered on the day of the procedure that I had been living in a hypertensive crisis state. That is stroke or death level. My blood pressure was so high they couldn’t perform the surgery. The surgery was delayed to get that under controlled. In the mean time I had to live with the thought of possibly losing my sight in that eye. Getting proper medication to accommodate the surgery was an adventure in itself. The first medication interfered with the anesthesia so I had to quickly get it changed so my pressure would be down in time. The meds that worked made me sick so after the surgery I went back to the first one. All that time I thought I was just extremely tired. I knew I needed rest but the blood pressure made it critical.

The Change

My son asked a question of me today that made me really think about my level of self care. He said mom why are you so intent on worrying if I’m comfortable. I told you I was fine. Is it because you are insecure? The truth is deep down inside I have always felt I was not worth it. Everyone else was more important. Looking back on my life I realize I have given all my energy to taking care of someone else. It’s not a bad thing, It’s just a “didn’t prioritize me” thing. I gave me the leftover energy and usually there wasn’t very much left. I don’t regret giving myself to others. I just regret I didn’t take care of me at the same level.

So what am I going to do about it. My daughters, especially the youngest has been preaching the mom you are worth it sermom for a while now. I had intention to change my self care but I guess I needed this to kick me into gear. I am going to be selfish. Some say I already am but they don’t really know me. I am going to be intentional about the choices for my own health and well-being.

Several years ago we changed our dietary lifestyle for Carl’s health. We have slacked a little but now there will be intentional focus for my health. I hate taking pills and I refuse to be on blood pressure medication the rest of my life. I will be under a doctor’s care, so don’t freak out. I know blood pressure can be regulated with food. Dr. Montgomery, Carl’s cardiologist will now be mine. I am going to him to check my heart. I want to be sure that hypertensuve state didn’t damage my heart. I will rely on him to help me wean off the blood pressure meds. I have alreay begun PRP therapy for my back. It seems my spine is in bad condition. I will resume the hobbies I put on hold for my mental health. This is my intentional beginning.

My vision is blurring now so I will end with this.

Don’t wait for something dangerous to happen to get you to accept your worth. Take care of yourself.

MY TIME INTENTIONALLY!

That Is The Question!

by ladypbwiggins

To cook or not to cook? For a period of time we were raw vegan and then slowly began adding cooked vegan meals. Today I created a jackfruit mixture that could be eaten raw or cooked I discovered. I combined jackfruit, mushrooms, sunflower seeds, Bragg’s amino, a few drops of liquid smoke, Kirkland’s no salt seasonings in the food processor and pulsed to blend. I set it aside to let the flavors soak in. Then it hit me. I planned to cook it but it taste so good uncooked. What should I do?

I thought of lettuce wraps. Then I noticed my spaghetti squash sitting on the counter. I need to cook it before it goes bad. Or zuchinni noodles? Hmm. And they say vegans have limited choices. Just the opposite. Soooo many choices as varied as the plant kingdom itself. I have made my decision.

The winner is ….. spaghetti squash, I lightly toasted the jackfruit mixture and spooned it over a bed of spaghetti squash. I added a few slices of avocado and dinner was on.

I have also made another discovery. I have found a mixture whose texture I really like that can be used for other dishes by changing the seasonings: Taco filling by adding mexican seasonings, spaghetti sauce by adding italian seasonings and who knows how far I can take it.

Stroganof Inspired

by ladypbwiggins

Today I was looking through my #Healthy Mind Cookbook and noticed several strogonof recipes. I am not a big creamy sauce person but the thought of using nondairy cream intrigued me. I used sweet peppers from my garden, a red onion for a little bite,fresh chopped garlic, fresh purple basil with its flowers from my plants, cumin, dried oregano, dried dill sauteed in avocado oil. Then I added shitake mushroom and enough flax milk to cover. Salted to taste with Celtic Sea Salt. Simmered until mushrooms were tender.

Strogonof Sauce Inspired

I poured thos over a baked potato. It was quite tasty. I might be getting good at this vegan cooking thing 😄😄😄

Chickpea & Mushroom Burger or Not

by ladypbwiggins

Took a break from jackfruit to use my baby portabella mushrooms before they went bad. Trying to change the mushroom lose paradigm. I chopped the chickpeas and mushrooms together in the food processor. I added some leftover cooked oatmeal from breakfast to aid in binding. I used onion powder instead of fresh onions because I am trying to determine the source of a bitter taste in my veggie burgers. It was suggested by another vegan to soak the fresh onions before using but it didn’t help. I added my spices and herbs. It was a little too moist so I added some rolled oats. I set the mixture aside while I made jackfruit dinner. 😄. After dinner I decided to wait until the next day to cook the burgers. I put the mixture in a glass container. I noticed it looked like a meatloaf so I thought, why not? The next day I cooked the”meatloaf”. Dinner became black-eyed peas, mixed veggies and meatless meatloaf. Burgers will have to wait.

I am not adding a measured recipe because I didn’t measure. This was totally a “my senses determined how much and what” kind of dish. The flavors were correct but the texture was a little dry. It will definitely be tried again with a little more scientific precision 😄.

Is It Tuna Salad Or Not?

by ladypbwiggins

Many vegans wonder why whould you want to eat something that imitates meat. Well when you have spent your whole life experiencing meat based food, the desire for those flavors and textures don’t go away immediately if at all. We are vegans for a variety of reasons. I wanted to improve our health initially and then my husband had a heart attack. His cardiologist prescribed a raw vegan lifestyle change. However, I did not lose my desire for certain flavors and foods One of those was tuna salad sandwiches or tuna and crackers. Until now I had not tried to make a substitute. All of the substitutes were carrot based mixtures that tasted nothing like tuna or at least remind me of seafood. My motivation for trying to create something now is my new found relationship with young jack fruit.

I must digress for a moment. The first time I tried jack fruit it was in a prepared barbeque meat substitute from the grocery store. I hated it. It was too sweet and it turned me off. Recently I discovered Veegos Authentic Mexican vegan restaurant. One of the protein selections was jack fruit. I loved it.. A customer told me how to get the same product at home. First, you must buy young jack fruit canned in water or brine. I use the packed in water. This product has not ripened so it has no flavor. That makes it perfect for absorbing the flavors of the marinade or seasonings. Back to the not tuna.

I did my research to discover the best things to use to get that seafood flavor. I have used dulse and hijiki seaweed before but it didn’t give me what I was looking for although it did add that seawater taste.What brought it home was Old Bay seasoning. I made my not tuna salad with young jack fruit, cooked pureed chickpeas, celery, dulse, hijiki seaweed, onion powder, garlic powder, It was a success. I served it on a vegetable salad. It was a good dinner. I planned to try it again with rehydrated chickpeas or another fresh bean product to make it a raw meal.

Observe, Ask, Listen!

by ladypbwiggins

I am a girl. I am a female. I am 100% woman. Societal stereotypes say there are certain things you are safe buying or doing for me because am a woman. What color is do people buy baby girls? Pink. Why can’t she have blue? What color are clothes bought for little girls? Pink. Why not green? As the little girl grows she may tell you what she likes but if she isn’t asked it will be assumed it’s pink. It doesn’t change much when she grows up. When a man doesn’t know his woman’s favorite color, pink is assumed to be safe. This is simply because she is female. Now layer my ethnic culture on that. Just because I am Black there are certain things that I absolutely prefer according to the stereotypes. Women don’t all like the same thing and no one thing clearly describe us. If that were so, the clothing, jewelry, cosmetic, hair and shoe industries would not exist. Understanding what I am about to say is crucial for some relationships. It is believed women are difficult to understand. We are not. There is a very simple method to understand us. Obseve and Ask.

So to those who have not understood, I will use me as an example. I don’t prefer pink or diamonds. I don’t like pastels. I am a bold color concentrated person. But I don’t prefer the bold winter colors. I prefer the fall colors found in nature. The stereotype would have me in ruffles. You know, frilly, girly stuff. I like clean lines and texture. When I drank liquor, I was a scotch, dry martini person. My sweetest drink was a margarita. My husband knew all these things before we were married. In the course of us developing a friendship he observed, asked and listened. When it became important to know he did. He could even choose clothes and jewelry for me with a high degree of certainty that I would like them.

I guess you’re asking “why is she telling us all this?” For those who didn’t get the memo, we are not all the same. Allow us to be collectively individual. We have individual taste. Yes there may be similarities but we have some differences. Give us room and stop trying to put us in your box. If you’re not sure what your woman likes, ASK! Then listen.There will be fewer misunderstandings. That has worked for my husband for 44 years. Oh and just so you know, if you are in a relationship or trying to develop one, don’t assume this woman likes something just because the last one did. Observe and ASK! Listen! Don’t ask the day before her birthday or your anniversary. Pay attention when your just having conversation and get those questions in there if she’s important to you. She will appreciate your wanting to know.

Remember Observe and Ask. Listen. Don’t Assume.

Beginning Anew Again

by ladypbwiggins

Over our 44 years of marriage we have started over several times. We changed avocations, we’ve made geographic changes and we have made dietary lifestyle changes. All of these changes caused something to begin again; Start over. In the last 3 years we have moved to a new state, moved back into apartment living and become vegans.

I am the primary caregiver for my husband. At one point I became physically challenged myself. People told me I looked and sounded tired. I couldn’t see it. When you do what you have to do you don’t think about it. I had chest pains and went to the hospital. All my test were normal. Thankfully it was just stress and I had an overnight stay and rest. That’s when I realized how tired I was. Everyone said rest but figuring out how to rest created more stress. And then Covid 19 dilema arrived. I didn’t get the virus but months of isolation caused depression to sneak in. Just what I needed, a mental health issue. Another thing to battle. I was getting a handle on that and then the Houston deep freeze. Thirty-six hours of no power and below freezing temperature just added to the stress. We stayed in bed for 30+ hours. I only arose to prepare food. Good thing we knew how to eat raw vegan. Oh yeah and to use the bathroom. You would think that was a good time to get some rest but it wasn’t. We were fully dressed in sweats and beanies under several heavy blankets. I felt buried alive but it was necessary. We were still cold. One night it was 9 degrees outside and it felt like all of that inside. So tell me how do you rest from that. I feel like I aged over this last year. My body hurt in places it hasn’t before. Recovery made it very clear that our 2nd floor living must come to an end.

The search began for a first floor, one level home. Change One. Change Two. During the pandemic I gained weight. I miss my size 12 and I plan to begin our dominantly raw vegan lifestyle again. At least that’s the plan. I know many aches and pains will be diminished or eliminated. I will see my size 12 again this year. Change Three. I am resuming my hobbies because I need the outlet. I had put them aside for a while but I have to begin again.

Back to Change One. We moved into that 1st floor home. Love it but it is taking longer to unpact because my bosy is still recovering. Change Two is proving more difficult than I thought. We are eating raw sometimes but the consistency is proving to be hard. Hence, I don’t know when I will see my size 12 but at least I haven’t gained more. Hobbies are still on hold.

Still beginning again but still moving forward. We have begun again and it is exciting. Always new. Beginning again brings new and exciting experiences.

Well, here I am two months after the move. I have spent the time trying to get adjusted: unpacking and organizing. I have not completely gone raw vegan or begun my hobbies but I am moving in that direction. My mental health has improved thanks to my kids and grandkids. They have blessed us immeasureably. I have so much for which to be thankful. So inspite of quarantine, deep freeze and body pain beginning again has been a blessing.

My Vegan Burger

by ladypbwiggins

When I first began to prepare raw vegan dishes I searched out appealing raw vegan recipes. I spent some money on cookbooks. Later I discovered internet and YouTube chefs. Today I prepared to make some raw veggie patties. I whipped out one of the cookbooks and i checked some chefs i liked on the internet. One of the recipes I made few weeks ago but I didn’t like the bitter after taste of the white onion. An experienced cook suggested I soak them. This time I soaked them for a few days. (Not on purpose. It just happened. 😄) I was walking through the house thinking and decided to try green onions. The bitterness is much milder. And then💡. I know the flavors I like so why don’t I make my on recipe. If the other cooks did, why can’t I? So I did.

I cannot give you a measured recipe because this was a taste it till you like it exercise. I may make a larger batch and record my measurements. The ingredients are mushrooms chopped small, carrots chopped, green onions, ground flax seed, soaked chopped coarsely sunflower seeds, chopped seedless jalapeno, liquid smoke, Kirkland salt-free seasoning, a pinch of sea salt,and water. I mixed all the ingredients and let the mixture sit awhile so the flavors could meld and the flaxseed and water could do their thing. I made the patties and put them in the dehydrator. One hour at 145 degrees and then 4 hours at 115 degrees. Flip them and dehydrate for another 4 hours. I tasted them this morning. I like. I am pleased.

My Mushroom Sunflower Seed Veggie Patties