Finally.....A Hike!

Finally was able to get out for a nice 2-mile hike in Placerita Canyon this morning. There were a lot of people out hiking, jogging, biking, and there were a bunch of volunteers cleaning up the dry creekbed for when and "IF" we ever get any rain.

                                  

Self Portrait

Friday Evening

Feeling so much better today. Whatever got me down yesterday must have just been a little bug. It gave me a headache, some dizziness and some fatigue. Today I was about 90% back to my old self. Hoping tomorrow I'll be 100% because Ben works and I want to get out and go hiking!
Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Feeling Poorly Today

Woke up this morning not feeling very well. Had a headache, felt a little dizzy and felt some body fatigue. Had planned to go for a hike today, but obviously that ended up being a no-go.
Spent the entire day on the sofa watching TV.
Feeling better this evening.

Hard Water

Don't know about where you live, but we have extremely hard water here where we live. It is so hard that if we do not use a water softener service, we do not get any suds when batheing, washing clothes or washing dishes. It is so hard that it tastes like the inside of a pipe if we don't use a service. It leaves hard water spots on everything!
For years we have been using a service called Culligan. We rent a water softener tank from them, which they are supposed to come and change every-other week and they also charge us a service fee each time they come out and change the tank.
There have been three times in the past three months that they have not delivered on the day they were supposed to deliver and I had to call and complain. Also the rental price has gone up $16.00 a month since last December.
We've been using this soft water service for about 26 years. When we first signed up with them, it cost us about $18 a month. Now we are paying about $55 a month.
Well today we had a guy from a company called Puronics come out to our home and talk to us about purchasing a Puronics Water Filter/Softener System. Yes, owning your own system instead of renting one from Culligan can be an expensive purchase, but when you actually think about it in the long run, it's a lot less expensive..
We would be paying Culligan for the rest of our lives to rent their monthly service since our water is hard and keeps getting harder. Right now we pay them over $700 a year and we do not own the system. For about the same price per month, we will be buying a system that will belong to us once it's paid for. Puronics services their product every 3 months for free and every 3 years, they flush it and do a complete maintenance service on it for $275.00 which comes out to less than $100 per year instead of the $700 a year we are paying to Culligan.
The guy from Puronics said we can deduct the cost of the system on our income tax.
And what's really nice is that this system is totally GREEN!

Devil's Punchbowl - Pearblossom, CA

Ben and I drove out to Pearblossom in the desert this morning to visit the Devil's Punchbowl. We had been hearing about this place for years, but had never been there. At first you don't notice the "punchbowl", but when you walk over to the rim of the canyon, it is awesome. Photographs do NOT do it justice. This is something that needs to be seen in person to really appreciate the view.

http://www.devils-punchbowl.com/
 

Beautiful Day In SoCal

After I did my housework this morning, I went for a 3-mile walk on the bike trail that runs along Soledad Canyon Road here in Canyon Country. I had never walked this trail before. Did real good the first mile and a half, but my feet started hurting me really bad on the way back to the car.
It is really beautiful here in SoCal today.

My Mom and Dad

Today would have been my mom and dad's 71st wedding anniversary.
They met at a roller skating rink in Tulsa, OK back in 1938. My dad worked at the rink and my mom went there with some of her friends. They dated for three months and married on November 15, 1938. They were together for almost 45 years until my dad passed away from a heart attack at the age of 67 in 1983. My mom lived another 15 years. She passed away at the age of 77 in 1998. Today, they are celebrating together in Heaven.

That Time Of The Year

Well, it's that time of the year where when you go to a mall or to a "membership store" like Sam's Club or Costco, you start to see all of the sample booths where you can taste the Christmas goodies that will be on sale in the store.
This morning Ben and I went over to Sam's Club to pick up a few things we needed. Just inside the door we saw a booth for "FudgieWudgie". There was no representative at the booth when the store first opened but we were told someone would be there later.
After lunch, Ben said he wanted to head back over to Sam's to see if we could get a sample of the FudgieWudgie fudge. It sells for $22.96 a pound, but Sam's Club Members could buy it for $11.48 a pound and we wanted to taste it before we decided if we would buy any of it.
I sampled the Belgian Chocolate/Walnut Fudge and Ben sampled the Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge. It was so creamy and delicious that we bought one of each. Now I know that this fudge is NOT good for my high cholesterol, but I have to indulge every now and then.
Here is a link to the site:
http://fudgiewudgie.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=53

You Go Girl!

CONGRATUALTIONS TO TAYLOR SWIFT FOR WINNING THE CMA ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR AWARD.

UP YOURS KANYE!

New Blog

I've started a new blog that I hope everyone will check out/follow/comment on. It has to do with Cholesterol and Statins.

http://http://statins-vs-natural.blogspot.com/

Latest On My Cholesterol Problem

If you recall, I took myself off of the Fenofibrate (Tricor) my new doctor had prescribed for me last week after it started causing the muscle/joint pain I always experience when I try statins and/or other cholesterol reducing medications. I emailed my doctor and told him I was going to stop taking it. I had also told him that when I was in his office a week ago.
Well this morning the nurse in my doctor's office called me. She said the doctor wanted me to start taking flush Niacin. I told her, as I had told him last week, that I had tried using flush Niacin about 2 years ago and that I was told by the doctor I had at that time that Niacin does not lower cholesterol unless you take very high amounts of it. I can take up to 250MG before it too gives me the muscle/joint pain.
Then she said the doctor also wanted me to start taking low-dose aspirin. I had told the doctor that I've been taking low-dose aspirin for almost 4 years.
So now we are back to square one. I have once again started taking Bayer Heart Health Advantage to see if it helps. They still want me to watch my diet and do the blood work the doctor ordered for February.

Remember The Edsel?

The Ford Edsel was a "bomb" according to the public and Ford had to quit making them as they were losing money on them. I always thought it was one of the neatest cars ever built. I'm not a "Ford person" but this vehicle was so unique. I was just a little kid when they came out, but I would love to have one now.

Short Hike

Ben worked today so I went for a hike over in Placerita Canyon, however, it ended up being a short hike because my leg muscles were hurting so much from that stupid statin I took for 5 days. Still I did about 1.75 miles in about 40 minutes, so at least I got outside and did a little exercising.
It was really nice out this morning. Weather was perfect.
It always takes about 2 or 3 days for the side effects from the statins to go away from my body, just about the same amount of time it takes for them to show up when I start taking the statin.
Maybe once the pain is gone, I can do a better hike.

Muscle & Joint Pain

Well I was hoping the Cholesterol lowering medication my new doctor gave me would do the trick, but I guess not.
I've been on it for five days now. I had not noticed any problems until after I took it tonight with my dinner. Just before I went to bed around 9:00 PM, I started having a "tingling" feeling in my calf muscles. My first thought was "Oh no, here we go again".
I went to bed and tried to go to sleep, but I started getting the same muscle/joint pain that all of the other Cholesterol lowering medications that I have tried gave me. I got up and took some Tylenol, hoping that would take some of the pain away and I could get some sleep, but I just kept tossing and turning. So now I am up and on the computer.
That makes a total of five Cholesterol lowering medications I have tried and all five have ended in the same results....muscle/joint pain and fatigue.
I've tried Lovastatin, Pravastatin, Lopid, Zetia and now Fenofibrate (Tricor). Each time I try one, it takes less time for the muscle/joint pain to start. The first time it was ten days, the second time it was seven days and after that each one took between three and five days before the side effects kicked in.
I have already emailed my doctor and told him I was taking myself off of the Fenofibrate. I had told him in the office on Monday that I would do that if and when the muscle pain started. I told him that I am going to try to lower my numbers with diet and exercise, so I still want to do the blood work he ordered for me in February.
I did NOT tell him that I am going to start taking the Bayer Heart Health Advantage again. I didn't tell him I was on it before. I want to see if it helps me any. That is mainly why I want to do the blood work in February.
So I GIVE UP on the stupid Cholesterol drugs!

Bomb Shelters

Do you remember Bomb Shelters?
Some people were so afraid that "someone" was going to attack us with a nuclear bomb. Some people were so afraid that they built underground bomb shelters in their backyards.
The were usually built with thick concrete but the one advertised below was made with plywood. I would have worried that maybe the plywood would collapse from the weight of the dirt or that if we were bombed, the radiation would leak through the porous wood.



There was usually just enough room for a family of four. There were cots or bunks for sleeping, camping stoves for cooking and stored canned or boxed foods.



It still amazes me today that when we were in school, they would tell us "duck and cover" under our desks and that this would "protect" us from the radiation. Obviously they had no idea what radiation could do. Here in California, we now "duck and cover" when we have earthquakes.

"Old Ladies" Lunch

Today I had lunch with 10 of my retired girlfriends from Lockheed (where we all used to work). Several of us have known each other for about 35 years. We all try to get together at least once a year. Sometimes it's a little hard to do as even though all of us live in Southern California, some of us live up to 100 miles away from each other.
We always have so much fun together. We talk about old times, movies, health problems, vacations, etc.
Had a great time.

Do You Remember.....

Remember Saddle Oxfords?

They were the shoes everyone wore in the 1950's. They went with everything....your poodle skirt, your jeans, your shorts, whatever you wore.

I remember in the mid-1960's they came back into style, but they were made of patten leather then. And once again, everyone wore them. I remember in high school, there was not a girl on campus who did not have them.

I see that you can still buy them online. How cool!

New Meds

Started taking my new cholesterol meds this evening with dinner. From my experience, it takes anywhere between 3 to 10 days for my muscles and joints to start hurting from the statin. The first statin I ever took 4 years ago hit me in 10 days and all the others after that took less time to bring on the pain. I hope that this one won't cause pain, but if it does, I'm done with them forever. I know....I said that before, but I keep thinking that just maybe there is one out there that will not effect me like the others. Maybe I'm crazy too.

Today's Appointment With New Doctor

Well this morning I had my first appointment with my new doctor at Kaiser. He is very young...maybe 35 at the most.
He "talked me into" trying one more statin for my high cholesterol. I told him that my last doctor said I was allergic to statins because of the muscle pain and fatigue they cause me. He said that a lot of that has to do with the dosage of the medication and that maybe they gave me too much at once before. He said that with my high numbers, he really thinks I need medication to control my cholesterol, which I agree since I have not been able to do it with diet, exercise and natural methods.
Anyway, I agreed to try this statin he has recommended. Don't know if that was a wise decision or not. It is Tricor (Fenofibrate). I told him that the minute I feel any muscle pain or fatigue, I will STOP taking this medication. He agreed and told me to email him if that happens.
I'll go over and pick it up tomorrow at the Kaiser Pharmacy. I will go back for blood work again in February. I'll stop taking the Bayer Heart Health Advantage while I'm taking the Fenofibrate. If I don't and my cholesterol is lower next time, I would not know which was lowering it....the Fenofibrate or the Bayer. If the Fenofibrate causes muscle pain or doesn't work, then I will start up the Bayer again.
More to come.....

Cholesterol Part 2

Well, I've gotten some interesting comments about my last blog here and over on my "Not Over The Hill" web community.
I was told that many people have the same problem as me, they cannot tolerate the statins. Some of them say they are afraid to take statins because they have heard how they can harm our bodies in other ways, like destroying the liver. My grandmother and aunt died from liver disease, so that is another reason I do not want to be dependent on statins.
My older brother and I read up on some of the things that statins cause and one of them is Congestive Heart Failure. It seams that statins destroy muscle. That is why I worried when I started getting the muscle pain when I tried them. Anyway, my brother found an article that said doctors know that COQ10 will help protect your muscles when you are taking statins and since your heart is a muscle, taking the COQ10 will help prevent Congestive Heart Failure.
Our mother died of Congestive Heart Failure and she had been taking statins for many, many years. She never knew about COQ10 and she was never told about it from her doctor, so my brother believes that it was the statins that killed her.
You can search the Internet to find facts about COQ10.
One friend over on "Not Over The Hill" told me that her husband refuses to take statins. He has started using a product called "Benecol Chews". Supposedly these caramel chews have been proven to lower cholesterol. She said he swears by them. Has anyone heard of them or tried them?
I want to see if the "Bayer Heart Health Advantage" tablets help me any before I jump into trying something else.