I want to tell my mom's story. I have heard LOTS of stories but this one is first hand so I am comfortable in it. I am not saying you should do it, but should look at options.
I have shared here before that when I came here to help mom, she was a mess. The docs gave her 6 months. He told My brother & I. It fell upon me (of course ) to talk this over with her.
(interjection.. that was August 1992)... a little over 6 months, no?
I have always felt when things are going badly, you can fold your hands & take it, or do something "different"
she was on 9 different medications. Including blood pressure . I went to the pharmicist & got printed read outs on all. I sat down & talked with pharmicist (my doc relatives & friends do same.. they are trained as docs, not pharmaceutical experts) re: contraindications etc. NOw you can do that online & cross reference with pharmicist you are comfortable with - then no .. just book work
We have been a chiroproactic family (dad was chiropractor) which way back then was doing things the NATURAL way. When I was a in school & a dancer & had severe foot pain, i had to sneak aspirin, like a kid would sneak drugs now.
We went over all of the natural combatants for the ailments. We went over HEALTHY eating. We decided to go with it. At that time I also went off BP meds...
Mom, said if she only had 6 months on current course, she was willing to drop meds & go natural.
Within 3 days there was a huge difference. She now still does not take any meds except for pain (excedrin generic) and for allergies.. generic whatever. We monitor BP regualrly & it is in safe range.
She had been lathargic & put on a lot of weight.. now she had more energy & we got out & did things & lots of yard work. She shed 75 pounds. With more exercise there was more oxygen/deep breathing.
Her skin became more firm - esp on face (often when one looses large amounts of weight there are excessive wrinkles & sagging) & eyes sparkled like I hadn't seen in years. Her mind which never was a fog, cleared up & focused much more. She had energy & slept better. Joint pain reduced.
People who hadn't seen her for awhile were shocked - in a good way - with the change. She looked more like my sister than my mom.
I had been a vegetarian for years & asked if she wanted to go on a almost vegetarian diet and she did. I have always felt that your body has so many BTUs /energy to use in a given day. You can use it up digesting the large proteins (like in meat) or can use it for the immune system to do it's thing.
We do LOTS of fresh vegetables & fruits. Stay away from white / refined products for the most part. Try to avoid nitrates & processed food. The order is fresh/frozen/rarely canned or packaged. It is more work & money but seems to work. Lots of soy products.. they contain good "stuff" ... Yes, tofu is boring. She has a few times a week chicken, fish & an occasional red meat "treat".. now & then bring her a whopper, fries & milk shake. Big smiles those days. :)
unfortunately the orthopaiedics have made her basically an invalid the past 4 years - she has put on more weight as she is in room all the time. but she does the exercises of limbs in bed & for the most part she eats well & we do the natural supplements still.
She is 86 & so each year after `1992 was a gift from God - we both know it.
I am thinking that FRepers Fawnn & GretchenMM are both very knowledgeable on natural products & healing...much more so than I.
now mechanical things .. joints, heart valves etc.. another story. Much of life can be heredity.. but then again we tend to "get " the lifestyle & eating patterns from parents as well as genes.
Please keep us posted.
Thanks for the input...
Similar experience to a friend of mine. Twelve years ago he had a SECOND heart bypass operation. He went to the extreme. Checked himself into a clinic in Ohio (or somewhere in that area), they put him on a fast for 29 days. Then the doctor came in and said he was ready.
Since then neither he nor his wife have had a taste of meat or fish. They even entertain people with grand meals, but no meats.
That's not my style. First, I'm alone and just don't have the discipline, nor the kitchen ability, to stick with things as they do... or as you do. Second, I believe I am very conservative in what I do eat. Of course the caviat to that is I went on the Atkins thing with the object of lowering my bad cholesterol readings. That was probably not a good thing for me to do. Whether or not it aggravated my system I don't know but I now watch my diet very closely. I eat far more fish and chicken than red meats and I try to stay away from the "white" things.
I'll be talking with the doctor at some length about my meds. Thankfully he is a doctor who doesn't mind spending time with his patients.
All that said... I still have to deal with two of the four blockages they found which haven't been treated.