bountifulplate

Back in November of 2011, when I went in to the hospital for a stress test because I was noticing shortness of breath and an irregular heartbeat, I ended up getting a cardiac catheterization. It was determined that I have Non-Ischemic Cardiomyopathy; Left Bundle Branch Block and Congestive Heart Failure. Whenever I tell someone I have those heart "issues," they are usually surprised. I think they pictured someone in their 80's or 90's, bedridden or in a wheelchair and hooked up to oxygen. That's what I originally thought too!! Non-Ischemic Cardiomyopathy according to Healthline is a "disease of the heart not associated with coronary artery disease; it manifests in either mechanical or electrical dysfunction of the heart."  According to WebMD , "normally, the electrical impulse provided by the bundle branch travels down both the right and left bundle branches at the same speed and the ventricle contract at the same time; if there is a block in on...

It has been about two months since I found out I have a heart condition. I have spent that time reflecting on what that means.  What I realized is that a few things in my life needed to be changed. One of the major changes I have made is restricting my level of sodium.  I really don't put salt on my food, I'm more of a pepper gal.  I wasn't fully aware of how much sodium I ate on a regular basis. I would look at the sides of the packages or cans of food I was eating, but not really paying too much attention to the numbers.  So many of my favorite foods have added sodium, like canned clam chowder.  It has almost 900 milligrams!! Yikes - my cardiologist has put me on a low salt diet where my recommended level for an entire day is 2400 milligrams!! Another major change I have made is that I can't continue to worry about everyone and everything at the same time.  Easy to say, but hard to do!!  My grandmother who lived to the ripe old age of 101...