DRUMROLL PLEASE!

Progress Report Bill is all the way back!

I have some fantastic news to share about Bill’s latest progress report!  It works!  He’s off the meds!  He’s no longer required to take any prescription medication.   His blood pressure is stable, lipid profile excellent, and he’s maintaining his weight loss.  This was our target, a major goal in this journey–reversing his heart disease.  It symbolizes a younger, healthier Bill.

To recap, after the heart attack he was on four medications:  a statin, two blood pressure drugs, and the blood thinner Plavix.  At the time, Bill vowed to do his level best to get off most if not all of those medications within one year if it was humanly possible.  Since then, he’s managed a drug reduction at each visit, just as Dr. Crandall promised if he would stick with the program.   This last visit was 12 months and 1 week after his event (he prefers calling it an event, remember?).  We came prepared with new blood tests as usual, a printout of Bill’s excellent blood pressure readings from the previous 30 days, and he weighed in still 40+ pounds lighter.  Dr. Crandall reviewed his file, thumped on him, listened to his heart, grinned at him and announced with a small, irresistible flourish he could stop taking the remaining statin and blood thinner!  We are so happy about this!  Bill remains on a baby aspirin that Dr. Crandall believes everyone over 50 should be taking (I do).   Smiles aside for a second as we were leaving, Dr. Crandall reminded us to stay vigilant and stick with the diet and exercise.

We’re grateful to have powerful medications available when we need them.  Yet all drugs have side effects, and if you can eliminate the need for any of them through lifestyle measures like exercise, diet and stress reduction, then it is a wonderful thing.  Not to mention how wonderful you feel!  Even if you can’t get all the way there in your particular circumstance, these lifestyle measures  can result in you being able to reduce your dosage.

Bill is lucky to have gotten this second chance.   What’s next?  He’s thinking 5 more pounds  and one more pant-size down.   We’re sticking with with the lifestyle changes we made a year ago, and we’re continuing to educate ourselves, coming up with new heart-healthy recipes, and sharing everything with you!
Fix it! Plan Photos by: Bill Peterson Galleries

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