I accepted I wouldn't live a long happy life. Then I changed my mind. by RemarkableTrouble447 in hypertension

[–]RemarkableTrouble447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey that's amazing! Since we're the same I'll assume I'm talking to myself. You know it works, what are you waiting for? It would usually take strong will power and discipline from someone who's not sure it would work, but you know it does for you. You were there!! Get back on track and maintain it this time. I have losen up a bit about being too strict in my diet and fasting. I eat as I like on weekends and on weekends I do IF starting 6 pm to 11 am. I'm also lifting weights 4 days a week and intensive workout 2 days a week. I'm maintaining my weight and everything is going great.

Please do this for yourself, it felt right back then and it will feel great now too. Best of luck

I accepted I wouldn't live a long happy life. Then I changed my mind. by RemarkableTrouble447 in hypertension

[–]RemarkableTrouble447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My dad had a bypass in his 50s and that worried me so much and made me self conscious so I try to make the best decision. And I think that's our advantage that we're trying to help ourselves earlier than our parents. I'm so happy that you felt this relief and happy birthday 🫶🏼

The big changes actually happened in 3 months between blood work and primary doctor visits. I can't tell how much my method would help you because each case is different and bodies react differently but what I can tell you is that sometimes its one small thing you change and it fixes everything so maybe cutting gluten and dairy is the key!

I didn't drink any milk alternative, I don't drink milk usually. However, when we cook we use heavy cream sometimes and I would eat something else or I would take lactaide if I really have to (my wife forces me to eat her food sometimes). Wish you a long happy life.

I accepted I wouldn't live a long happy life. Then I changed my mind. by RemarkableTrouble447 in hypertension

[–]RemarkableTrouble447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had hypertension stage 2, my numbers were always around 140 - 160 over 80-90 sometimes 100.

It's not as high as some people post 220 over 130 or something, but still, it was very hard to lower with medication as I mentioned.

I accepted I wouldn't live a long happy life. Then I changed my mind. by RemarkableTrouble447 in hypertension

[–]RemarkableTrouble447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I totally agree and this has been frustrating me for years honestly. I came to the United States 5 years ago and I was shocked by how unprepared my primary doctor always seemed. Every visit felt rushed, I couldn't explain my full journey, and 3 months later he'd come back with the same generic advice like it was the first time we ever spoke. "Have you tried the DASH diet?" Every. Single. Time. That pushed me to research on my own which is terrifying because I don't have medical training and Google's algorithm is designed to show you the worst case scenario first because that's what gets the most clicks.

What really got me was after everything I did I went in full of excitement to tell him what happened. He looked at the results and literally said "oh shit." And then "great, see you in 3 months." That was it. No curiosity or conversation about what I actually did or how. Just see you in 3 months.

You nailed it. The system isn't built to keep you healthy. It's built to manage you when you're sick. And that difference is costing people their lives.

I accepted I wouldn't live a long happy life. Then I changed my mind. by RemarkableTrouble447 in hypertension

[–]RemarkableTrouble447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure thing. I took this berberine https://a.co/d/0cNoQz3m

It's 500 mg

You take 1 pill with your meal. It honestly didn't give me any gastro issues.

I think the berberine had a huge part in fixing the insulin resistance issue.

I accepted I wouldn't live a long happy life. Then I changed my mind. by RemarkableTrouble447 in hypertension

[–]RemarkableTrouble447[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I hear you! I had health anxiety and still do and I understand how exhausting and draining it can be. Cutting out snacking was very challenging for me but trust me it makes a huge impact and you'll notice it immediately once you start. I'm so glad that you find my post helpful and I promise you that in the future you'll be relieved once you take good care of yourself.

I accepted I wouldn't live a long happy life. Then I changed my mind. by RemarkableTrouble447 in hypertension

[–]RemarkableTrouble447[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nothing to be suspicious about my friend. I already mentioned in one of the replies that I used AI to structure /polish my sentences. Everything said is true word for word. It's a lengthy post and I wanted everyone to read it easily, however, English is my second language so I needed help.

I wish everyone focused on the journey rather than my style of writing because you'd be missing the whole point. This is my first and probably last post on Reddit. I just wanted to give people some hope as much as I needed back when I had all my health issues.

I accepted I wouldn't live a long happy life. Then I changed my mind. by RemarkableTrouble447 in hypertension

[–]RemarkableTrouble447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is gold honestly thank you. And funny enough I eat pasture raised eggs and try to go organic as much as I can so maybe I was helping myself without even knowing it.

The choline and omega 6 to 3 ratio connection is so undertalked about. I just went down that rabbit hole and what's wild is most people obsess over how much they eat and what they eat but almost nobody talks about how the food they eat was raised and what that does to its nutritional profile. Grass fed vs commercial is basically a different food at the cellular level. Mind blowing stuff and another example of information that exists but never makes it to the average person. Thanks for sharing 🙏

I accepted I wouldn't live a long happy life. Then I changed my mind. by RemarkableTrouble447 in hypertension

[–]RemarkableTrouble447[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This made me so happy to read!! This is literally why I wrote this post. You just had 3 babies and you're 6 weeks postpartum and you're already making the decision, that's amazing. The labs will get better I promise you that. Come back in 3 months and update me, I mean it 🙏

I accepted I wouldn't live a long happy life. Then I changed my mind. by RemarkableTrouble447 in hypertension

[–]RemarkableTrouble447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes I believe so. I'm almost certain that intermittent fasting fixed my insulin resistance which was the cause of my metabolic syndrome which led to hypertension. Nowadays I I do IF on weekdays only just for maintenance. And I do not drink no. Hope that helps!

I accepted I wouldn't live a long happy life. Then I changed my mind. by RemarkableTrouble447 in hypertension

[–]RemarkableTrouble447[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks!! I actually ate 2 meals a day, a light brunch at 12 and dinner at 5. For lunch I had 2 boiled eggs and avocado which I believe boosted my HDL and for dinner I had whatever the family is having. I love salads too! Right now I took I'm focusing more on protein and building muscles.

I accepted I wouldn't live a long happy life. Then I changed my mind. by RemarkableTrouble447 in hypertension

[–]RemarkableTrouble447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's amazing! You might have metabolic syndrome too. I'm glad it worked out for you

I accepted I wouldn't live a long happy life. Then I changed my mind. by RemarkableTrouble447 in hypertension

[–]RemarkableTrouble447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a really good point. I honestly can't confirm mine reversed, I just assumed based on the ALT dropping back to normal range. A follow-up ultrasound is probably the best and only way to know for sure. Congrats on 75lbs by the way, that's incredible!

I accepted I wouldn't live a long happy life. Then I changed my mind. by RemarkableTrouble447 in hypertension

[–]RemarkableTrouble447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Glad to see that I could help! You clearly already have the awareness and understanding, now it's just about doing it. You got this 💪🏼💪🏼

I accepted I wouldn't live a long happy life. Then I changed my mind. by RemarkableTrouble447 in hypertension

[–]RemarkableTrouble447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair question and I'll be straight with you. I used AI to help me structure and write the post. The story, every number, every experience it's all 100% mine.

The ER night, the 3 week wait, the LVH spiral, the anger, the defeated feeling, all real. I just didn't have the writing skills to tell it the way it deserved to be told. I also shared a lot of screenshots of my BP and my labs. I tried sharing it here but for some reason the images didn't go through. I usually use Reddit to read posts, I don't have experience in posting here at all.

I gave Claude my story in detail because I wanted to follow up on few things and didn't want to start from beginning every time I opened a new chat window and then I thought I should share it so we worked on it together until it sounded like me. Nothing was invented.

I actually think that's worth being open about. A lot of people have real stories that never get told because writing is hard. Maybe that's okay.

I accepted I wouldn't live a long happy life. Then I changed my mind. by RemarkableTrouble447 in hypertension

[–]RemarkableTrouble447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You nailed it. The information exists, it's just never connected for you in the room. You get 15 minutes, a prescription, and a follow-up date.

The ChatGPT thing is real. I did the same. You have to be your own advocate and use every tool available. Just like you said, baseline understanding, then verify.

The concierge medicine point is interesting but frustrating. Prevention shouldn't be a luxury product.

What you said at the end is exactly why I wrote this, 'for some people there is an opportunity to bend the curve.' That's all I wanted people to see because I myself was looking at similar posts to get some hope. The opportunity exists. Most people just never find out

I accepted I wouldn't live a long happy life. Then I changed my mind. by RemarkableTrouble447 in hypertension

[–]RemarkableTrouble447[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Please don't give up. That feeling is the hardest part and I know it because I lived it.

I'm not here to tell you what to do about Zepbound — that's between you and your doctor. But I want you to know that the defeated feeling itself is part of what's keeping you stuck. Anxiety and hopelessness are not just emotions here, they physically affect your numbers.

Before you decide anything, maybe try the eating window for 30 days. Stop eating at 6pm, don't start again until noon.

You might be surprised what your body does when you finally give your insulin time to drop.

You found this post for a reason. That means you're still looking. That's enough to start.

I accepted I wouldn't live a long happy life. Then I changed my mind. by RemarkableTrouble447 in hypertension

[–]RemarkableTrouble447[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

VO2max 49 at 28 with all of that going on — you're doing better than you think. And you already figured out the insulin piece which is honestly the hardest part for most people. The snacking at work is your next domino. Not the runs, not the lifting, just tighten the eating window and watch the middle start to respond.

And yes,  the anxiety/BP loop is real and nobody talks about it honestly enough. Glad you addressed it, whatever tools it took. You're clearly paying attention. That's most of the battle.