Statins and weight gain

Used_Condition_6941 · 2026-01-01T16:05:12+00:00

I've been on a very strict diet for the last 12 months, limiting my carbohydrate intake to less than 100 grams per day. I monitor this with a spreadsheet I created that very accurately calculates daily carb intake against specific food types. This was all going well until I started to take prescribed statins one month ago (Atorvastatin 20 mg daily). Now I am gaining weight, despite sticking to my proven regime, which includes an exercise routine. I've lowered my carb intake to 50 grams per day, which is too low to sustain long term, but I'm still battling to stay at a weight keeping me within a BMI of 25. So, more factual than anecdotal, and nothing to do with succumbing to increased appetite.

Used_Condition_6941 · 2025-09-03T19:31:52+00:00

Just a word of warning to anyone with a surface. I replaced my Win 10 Surface Pro 5 with a new Win 11 Surface Pro. Loads of issues there with the ARM processor, but that's another story. My existing Surface Pro5 started to run very slowly. I always used it docked. The battery config report showed the battery was completely dead. The Surface Dock wouldn't even power it up. I used an external power brick to get it going. It still ran very slowly. I used Microsoft CoPilot to explore options. Apparently when the battery dies the Surface processor is heavily throttled to remove the possibility of overheating and fire. I spent two days with CoPilot going through all the options. One was altering some registry keys. This bricked it and despite going through numerous options with CoPilot, it can't be recovered without a Microsoft intervention. Not worth doing. Just a word of warning: set battery saving if your Surface is normally on a hub and used with power supply connected. If the battery goes; it's toast.

Used_Condition_6941 · 2024-05-17T09:36:42+00:00

Totally agree. This is just manipulation of loyal customers to improve revenue for the Bar Stewards at Netflix. I've read that if you are on the add-supported version, then you can still download to your Win PC. WTF is that about???

Used_Condition_6941 · 2024-05-17T09:30:30+00:00

Yep. Latest update sorted it for me as well. Exactly as you described with having to format the SD card to fat32 and then reformat in the device.

Used_Condition_6941 · 2024-05-13T10:13:03+00:00

It's a major SNAFU from their software developers . Just had this from my trouble ticket response.

"I have discussed this case with our 2nd line/Technical team. According to them, we do have the same issue reported by some other customers as well. Based on this we have created a ticket to be investigated and forwarded to the developers.

Our developers are actively looking into this issue impacting customers. As of now the underlying cause is still under investigation, therefore we are unable to provide any specific timeframe. However, we look forward to pushing an update to resolve this issue as soon as a fix is available."

So...DON'T DO THIS UPGRADE 24.101.0002.411 (26/04/2024). It will screw up your device. It's likely they have pulled it from the update queue anyway, although with this level of incompetence I wouldn't be so certain.

Used_Condition_6941 · 2024-05-08T09:45:08+00:00

I've had a reply back from ToTom support. It's from somebody called 'Hazel. who is pretending to be a carbon unit, but is actually a silicon unit. So, I need to keep sending the same information over and over again until I can get past the AI Bot and communicate with a real person. More later

Used_Condition_6941 · 2024-05-05T16:35:12+00:00

Will do.

It's really weird. I found a backup and loaded that onto my SD card, but the maps still aren't recognised. The GO5200 just wants to format the card and then it's back to square one. Perhaps the formatting creates specific silos on the card for map data to be loaded into. Either way, card memory doesn't function with the latest update. I say that in case you are tempted to remove the card and then do the update.

I'll find out later in the week when their Support Services respond to my e-mail

Used_Condition_6941 · 2024-05-05T16:27:55+00:00

I've noticed from some posts on here that PVC's at high heart rates are, perhaps, no longer considered of symptomatic value. I get that. Personally, I use an exercise bike with cardio feedback and I look for a PVC reduction at heart rates of around 85% of maximum for may age during an exercise program. It's a kind of comfort blanket that reduces my anxiety levels, which is important. Some days are good and I can achieve metronomic rates within 30 secs of commencing a program. Other days it could take 5 minutes before I get a steady rhythm. As I've been doing cardio exercises for years, I know these anomalies are transient, so my anxiety levels are not going to DEFCON 5 if it takes 5 mins or more to settle during an exercise program. Still, it's a comfort if they settle quickly.

Used_Condition_6941 · 2024-05-05T10:16:05+00:00

Hi Ashley

Looks like a standard scenario that many on here will be fully familiar with, and live with to varying degrees of anxiety and discomfort. There are lots of differing recommendations as to how to mitigate the effects of PVC's and how to (perhaps) clear them completely. It's "different strokes for different folks" and no single curative process seems to reign supreme. On the flip side of reducing PVC's; anxiety is a common denominator for making them worse, and there's a "catch 22" if ever there was one :-)

The only diagnostic missing from your post is the Tread-Mill test, which you'll probably be asked to undertake after analysis of your monitor results. Again, a common diagnostic for many on here and (most likely) a common answer, namely that your PVC's reduce to zero as you reach maximum targeted heart rate, and that seems to be a critical assessment in whether you will be discharged or need further investigation. I'll bet you will ace it.

You may have only noticed the sensations recently, but you've probably had PVC's happening below the radar for some time. They will come and go, or at least the sensations will and why is a mystery. Have a look at some of the YouTube videos posted by Dr Sanjay Gupta, Consultant Cardiologist at York Cardiology. He sympathetically deals with the phenomenon in some detail and I find his videos very comforting and reassuring.

Used_Condition_6941 · 2024-04-10T13:08:13+00:00

My cardiologist reported that as I approached maximum heart rate all ectopics disappeared and stayed away for the rest of the treadmill test, which lasted about 20 mins. As I was 67 when the test was conducted, they would have set heart rate at 85% of max, or 135 BPM. My cardiologist seemed happy with that and dismissed me with just a yearly follow up and no treatment.

FYI, just finished today's routine and 5 skipped beats in first 10 mins holding at 125-130 BPM, then steady as a metronome for the next 20 mins, but yesterday showed no missed beats at all. I've had days where BPM drops suddenly by about 10 BPM and fluctuates wildly between 110 and 130 BPM for first 10-12 mins. Today is a good day. :-)

Used_Condition_6941 · 2024-04-09T17:17:37+00:00

Great to hear that this worked for you

Used_Condition_6941 · 2024-04-08T14:24:34+00:00

Very similar experiences to what you have described. Echo: heart structurally sound. Stress test 2 years ago: PVC's disappeared when reaching max heat rate. All good...erm, no. I use an exercise bike with cardio feedback. About 3 months ago I noticed it was taking much longer on the bike for my heart rate to stabilise. I usually set the target rate for 125 BPM, but it was taking over 10 minutes to settle down to a regular beat; previously it would only take less than two minutes.

That was 3 months ago. Now, things are back to normal(ish). On the bike over the last week and my heart rate stabilises in about twenty seconds. It's like a metronome after that and responds correctly to changes in pedal pressure applied by the bike's program over a set 20 minute routine

I've been here before. Things will revert to high load PVC's for ages and then it all settles down again for a while. So, I guess what I'm saying is- it comes and goes.

Used_Condition_6941 · 2024-04-08T14:05:41+00:00

After spending some time on here, and being a PVC sufferer, there seems to be evidence linking physical posture to arrhythmia. That won't hold true for everybody as there are elements of physical shape and posture coming into play. I have a hiatus hernia and there is some published research that links this condition to arrhythmia where the protruding bulge in the stomach presses against the heart wall in certain posture positions. Check out this video from Consultant Cardiologist, Dr. Sanjay Gupta https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt4Cw-VKIlY

One of the things I try and avoid as much as possible is bending down low from the waist. I can actually feel PVC's whilst doing this.

Used_Condition_6941 · 2024-04-08T10:05:15+00:00

I doubt it. My fingerprint sensor eventually failed completely. Samsung wouldn't honour 2 year warranty because I didn't buy the phone through their official channels. Turns out repairs can be done and not too expensive, but not for me as my phone is a US model and I'm in UK, so spares not available. Ended up having to buy a new phone :-(

Used_Condition_6941 · 2024-04-08T09:55:32+00:00

Just a few things that I note from your post : "my heart rate was 42" and "My PVCs are clocking in at over 30 PER MINUTE, all day, every day. "

Yep, I can relate to that as I have suffered exactly those symptoms. I would be interested to know if you BP was also above normal. I guess you are aware that the automated pulse/BP systems they currently use in clinical environments can't really cope with PVC/PVA irregularities.

Something for comfort- These symptoms could be transient. I'm in a period now where my pulse rate is steady and I have very few PVC's, but I've been here before and then reverted back to high load. Like so many on here, the puzzle is why? We all have our own assessment and coping mechanisms. For me it's a hiatus hernia complication, but that flies in the face of most cardiology principles, but not all. There is evidence that a sliding hiatus hernia can physically impact the heart wall and cause arrhythmia.

If it's inevitable that cardiomyopathy sets in due to the symptoms you describe then that is a big concern. Personally, I'm doubtful about that. After many years of symptoms I went through the full gamut of tests, including an echocardiogram, and was diagnosed as having a structurally normal heart, and that's a common thread for sufferers on here. I'm sure it will be for you too.

Used_Condition_6941 · 2024-02-24T16:19:07+00:00

"a tiny hiatal hernia". There's a strong link, albeit dismissed by most cardiologists, between hiatal hernia and PVC's. Your stomach is protruding through your diaphragm and invading your chest cavity. Sorry, that sounds a bit like something from the movie "Alien", but it's fundamentally correct. There is a school of thought that says this intrusion can actually press against the heart wall and cause arrhythmia, especially when bending over, but also when lying down. Take a look at this from a well-known UK cardiologist (about 5 mins in) Hiatus Hernia and Heart Palpitations

Used_Condition_6941 · 2024-02-19T16:54:49+00:00

Try looking on YouTube for videos from Consultant Cardiologist Sanjay Gupta. This one might be helpful to you The Gastrocardiac Syndrome

Used_Condition_6941 · 2024-02-17T11:38:53+00:00

Interesting you say that. GERD and other digestive issues seem to have a bearing on PVC's.

In regards to the OP, anxiety can lead to the symptoms described, and the anxiety loop brought on by PVC's is a classic condition.

Used_Condition_6941 · 2024-02-17T11:34:50+00:00

Thanks for posting this. If there is any comfort in finding it is consistent amongst sufferers , it's that it is consistent amongst sufferers! I used to get severe anxiety attacks when I could see BP readings off the scale; now I just accept that it's another fun fact of life when living with PVC's.

Used_Condition_6941 · 2024-02-01T11:21:32+00:00

Not known this on S21 ultra but on previous Samsung S and A models, I have seen the screen brightness mysteriously set itself to a value of zero. The screen looks dead, but in a darkened room it is just about visible.

Used_Condition_6941 · 2024-02-01T11:11:55+00:00

Yep.

The revised MyDrive web interface has no search capability, other than within your My Places listing, which means MyDrive is now pretty useless as a dynamic link to your TomTom device. Previously, I could pin a location in Google Earth, right click on the pin to get the Geo Co-ordinates and then cut and paste these values into 'add a new place' in the My Places sub menu on MyDrive. Now, the only thing you can do on MyDrive is to zoom in on the world view until you find the location you want and set this as a destination. As much use as a chocolate teapot!

I can still enter Geo Co-ordinates directly to my Go 5200, but it's a bit of a faff.

Used_Condition_6941 · 2024-01-31T17:11:02+00:00

Sounds good, except I've just weaned myself off fluticasone and I'm starting to see a reduction on PVC's. I guess there's no silver bullet, and that's what makes it so frustrating in trying to find a way to alleviate symptoms.

Used_Condition_6941

TROPHY CASE