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I’m growing a new diet this year. All stuff I already like but that is unavailable or pricey here in rural flyover country. Lots of green leafy stuff and I’ll be growing at least shiitake mushrooms and maybe wine cap. I know about antioxidants and hopefully the red grapes I like so much will get back to a decent quality. They went to crap during covid. I don’t expect them to be as cheap as pre-covid because nothing ever will. Blackberries grow wild here though so... - Growing goat meat too which is very lean and I’ve never been into animal fat of any kind. Marbled yes but that’s about it and I haven’t been able to afford ribeye, my favorite, in 20 years. Never been all that big on fried foods but have eaten my share I suppose.

My mom had ‘hardening of the arteries’ aka atherosclerosis and couldn’t walk very far in her later years. Last time I saw her, my dad pushed her into a restaurant in a wheelchair and then she walked slowly to the table.

I cleared a fence line around 12 acres, mostly through the woods a few years ago and then kinda sat on my butt for three years. When I got up and tried to walk any distance, I found my calves would ache after the 300 feet from the shop to house up a slight grade. If I had to do a second trip, the pain would get up to the thighs. Further and I would hurt right up to the top of the pelvic area, butt and upper thighs and the spot on the front where the fold is when you sit.

When the calves started hurting, I looked into it and found that if you rest for a few minutes and you’re fine, that’s called intermittent claudification, the root of which is atherosclerosis.

Looked at artery/vein graphics and there are some main ones, on the front I think that supply the legs. So I’m self diagnosed and plan to get the basic test for blockage asap. Walk a treadmill while they check blood pressure in arms and lower legs. Too bad I can’t just go out and get that test and pay cash but no. Have to have a PCP to send you for that and I have no health insurance and couldn’t afford the 4-5 digit deductible for anything I can afford the monthly fee on.

So that’s where I’m at. 56 years old, thin and active all my life until a few years ago when I evidently caused a problem by not moving all the time like I had all my life. Never went overboard with eating fats imho but I’ve never known one fat from another.

Based on all that, it might be a hard calcium plaque.

Consider also growing Oyster mushroom, which have several-fold more ergothioneine in them, than Shiitake.

There are heart CT scans you can buy for under $200, even $99 on sale. There’s a place near Dallas that does that. There’s also a full body PET scan someone told me about that’s $600, in that same area.

The heart scan would definitely help you estimate the issue elsewhere, while some blood tests could help identify the inflammation signs.

I’ll keep your condition in mind as studies come up.

Please play it safe and keep your good attitude.