This is Getting Weird

 I’m at the car wash on my way home from a pre-operative appointment at University Hospitals. I’m having minimally invasive bypass surgery the day after tomorrow.

I’m 67 years old and up until a month ago, had no idea that I had any kind of heart related health issues. I’ve been eating vegan since December 2018. I guess I really thought that was going to make me invincible.

Unbelievably, to me at least, I have a 100% blockage in the left descending coronary artery. I’ve recently learned that the body develops, over time, new pathways (blood vessels) to make up for blockages. The fact that I’m not dead suggests that I’ve had this for a while. My only symptom was angina. It wasn’t severe, but it was persistent. It started about 5 months ago.  I’d get one or more episodes every time I took our two Airedales for a walk. 

So now I’m prepping for surgery. It’s surreal. Except for the angina, I feel perfectly healthy. And at the same time, I know I’m lucky to be alive.

In that spirit, I’m planning big to stay alive. And I’m planning to do it by revamping my diet. I’m followIng as close as possible the guidance of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn.

I’ve made the dietary changes already, but I’m still getting into the groove. There were really only a few basic changes to my vegan diet. The main one is, no oils. That’s big. Another one is no nuts. That’s bigger in some ways. And the third significant change is no added salt. That’s the hardest one.

I know I can do it, and I actually think it won’t be that bad, but I am concerned about being able to sustain it over the many decades that I plan to be alive.

So this will be a record of my journey. I’m hoping it will help me stay focused and on track. And wouldn’t it be great if I could meet some other women in my age group who are going through some of the same things!