Sugar, schmugar...

Ok, so I went to see the cardiologist yesterday morning and after reviewing all the test results he says I have slow circulation. This means I have low blood pressure and my body is not pushing the blood around fast enough. I think it's called hypotension. Anyway, this is why I've been really tired and also why my heart rate has been dropping into the high 30s at times. I'm not really sure why this happens but he did tell me how we are going to treat it. He says that I need to cut sugar out of my diet and add salt. Also, that I need to eat 5 small meals a day instead of 3 big meals. My first thought- "NO SUGAR!!!" I truly couldn't believe what I was hearing! How am I supposed to survive?! Anyone that knows me knows that I love supersweet buttercream frosting and all kinds of pastries and can't live without a chocolate fix here and there. But my sugar intake apparently causes my pulse to spike and then my blood pressure to drop even lower so it's a no go. My second thought- "Add salt?" How do you do that without loading up on pretzels and potato chips? I'm not a salt craving kind of person. I guess I'll have to learn to be because salt is notorious for raising blood pressure and that's exactly what I need it to do. And my final thought- "How exactly am I supposed to split up 3 meals into 5 small meals?" The doc says it's imperative that I do this so that I don't have all my blood rushing to my digestive system after a big meal. That means there is less blood that can make it to my brain and I'm more likely to pass out on the couch after I eat. If I cut down to 5 small meals, everything can stay steady.

So, even though this is all going to bring about a major lifestyle change, I'm dedicating myself to it. If it means that I'll have more energy to do all the things I need to do everyday and that I won't have to rely on meds to do it for me then I'm all for it. I'll be meeting with a nutritionist next week. I'm hoping to see a real difference in my energy level over the next couple weeks. Wish me luck!