Heart Healthy Sandwiches

A couple months ago, I started feeling heart palpitations. They don’t hurt. They are extremely uncomfortable, though. I was able to see my primary care physician on May 19th, even though his last day was May 31. This is the doctor that’s pretty liberal with my gabapentin, which I take for anxiety, so I’ll miss him for sure. Luckily, he sent in a new gabapentin prescription with enough refills for a year. His new job is at the VA. Sucks for me!  Oh well. 

I told him about the palpitations, and he gave me a EKG in the office. Something came up on it, so I had to go in for a 24 hour “Holter Monitor” which kept track of my heart activity for 24 hours. By the time the results came in, however, it was after June 1 and he was gone. So I got an appointment with another doctor, and she basically only said that it was due to anxiety. I told her that I had anxiety for ten years, but not the palpitations for ten years. She insisted on “treating the anxiety.”  I tried to briefly explain my decade long struggle with anxiety attacks, but for one thing, she seemed like she didn’t want to hear it and for another, my therapist has told me not to tell doctors what medications were attempted before I discovered that gabapentin work so well because it can look like “drug seeking behavior.” I rolled my eyes when he told me this- that actually says bad things about their field- not me as a person. But I digress. 

This second doctor literally told me “just don’t be so anxious”. lol I’m sorry but what?  What a rude bitch!  So I stopped talking about the last ten years, because for the love of God, I just didn’t want to get into it with her and her combative aura. The truth is that I really don’t struggle with anxiety like I used to, thanks to life being better and the right medication. If this was something anxiety was going to cause in me, it would have happened years ago. 

On the drive home, I was in tears. I called the appointment line back and said I wanted to see a cardiologist. And that’s where I went today, to the cardiologist. The cardiologist and I talked about a lot of things in detail. She told me that my holter monitor showed an extra heartbeat, which is what was causing palpitations, and that my habit of 1/2 to two energy drinks a day likely caused it. I agreed to cut energy drinks completely. She also gave me a medication called propanol, which my dad used to take. My medication list is starting to sound like my dad’s medication list with propanol, gabapentin and atorvastatin. I’m becoming my father! These days I’m actually starting to look like him too. My mother has called me “Bill in drag.” Bill was my dad’s name. I said- thanks?  

But anyway. 

She also ordered some more detailed imagining of my heart and set up an appointment for October 25th with another 24 hour holster monitor right before that appointment. 

The last but not least thing she gave me was called the heart healthy diet. It’s a list of food that if you stick too, will I guess make your heart more healthy. 

This afternoon, I developed my own “ideal sandwich based on the heart healthy diet. Here it is- 

Ezekiel 4:9 bread from the frozen section. It’s the 15 sprouted grains bread. There’s another similar loaf that’s cheaper. I got one of the cheaper loaf and the Ezekiel bread. 

Mung bean sprouts or any type of sprouts.

Tofu 

Lettuce, onion, tomato 

Avocado slices

If you want meat, lean turkey breast or leave it out if vegetarian. 

Mustard (sometimes) 

It’s very good, and I decided to live off of these sandwiches all weekend at least. I might make lentils Monday night. I really don’t know what else to do for this diet. I already drink nut milks instead of real milk. I also have a box of whole grain cheerios that I can have with almond milk for breakfast. With this “austerity diet”, propranolol, and a little more exercise (it’s harder in the extreme heat this time of year) I bet I feel better and do better in no time.