Part 4: Hypertension

July 20, 2017

So far in this series, I've introduced you to my fatty liver and how it was stressed to the point of requiring me to have a monthly blood draw (or what I like to call a "medically induced period"). I have also tried to paint an accurate picture of my mid-40's lifestyle and how I wore my Type 3 Enneagram and my Myers-Briggs personality ENTP profile like a tailored Italian suit. In short, I was a happy go-lucky extrovert on the outside and a rational logic-loving thinker on the inside. I was constantly on the lookout for my next adventure and I filled my plate with new projects and activities to keep me from being bored. Kendra would say that I could easily bounce from responsibility to responsibility. My only problem was that I was carrying a bag of cheeseburgers and fries along the way.

"Something Bad Is Going To Happen"
I'm not sure when I first noticed this, but in the midst of my "easy-going" life, I began to develop a weird sensation. I told Kendra that I felt like something bad was on the horizon and later explained to my doctor that it felt like an overwhelming sense of dread.

None of this happened immediately, but I simultaneously began to notice a few puzzling things in my physical body. Initially it was the feeling of my heart beating in my chest. When I slowed down to read or prepare to sleep, I could actually feel my heart beating in my chest. This was new, but I thought it was just a weird physical response to caffeine or adrenalin in my busy life. What caught my attention was when the heart pump would also coincide with a feeling that something bad was going to happen. I wrote it off as middle-aged anxiety.

Then I began to "hear" my heart beat. In my temples and in my head, I could hear the blood pumping. This was now associated with an actual increased pulse. Once again, I had a feeling of darkness or dread accompanied with the symptoms. I still chose to ignore it.

The Pressure Goes Up
I mentioned in a previous post that I had to give blood regularly to control my iron levels. At the end of each blood-letting, I always scheduled my next 8-week appointment. I was great at setting a goal and staying on target.

At the beginning of every blood donation, they interview you thoroughly. They also run four simple tests: Pulse, Temperature, Blood Pressure and Hemoglobin. I still giggle when they prick my finger to test my hemoglobin levels. Remember, I have superhero blood. Temperature and pulse have always been normal (I'm the guy who can feel his pulse in his neck).

However, after one busy day at work, the phlebotomist testing my blood pressure said it was too high. I explained that it had been a stressful day and the drive through traffic to get to the blood bank on time had also amped me up. I chose to sit and meditate for twenty minutes and had her test again. This time it was even higher. How high? I was testing at 200/120, which for me was super high.

I also learned that when your blood pressure is too high, the blood bank won't let you donate and until my blood pressure was controlled, I could no longer give blood. If I could not give blood, I could not control my iron levels. If my iron levels continued to spike, my risk for cancer was exponentially higher.

I made it to my doctor in less than 24 hours, where he confirmed that my blood pressure was extremely high and probably the source of the pulses I felt in my body and possibly even the feeling of dread that I experienced. He recommended that I begin immediately to take high blood pressure medication and also recommended a stress-test on my heart.

TREADMILLS AND ULTRASOUNDS
It took a month to see the cardiologist, but thankfully his scheduling coordinator was my dental patient (and I have never hurt her!). Privilege pays! My appointment was expedited and I was bummed to discover that my blood pressure had barely dropped with the new meds. The doctor upped my dosage and sent me down the hall to plan for the stress test.

After getting a baseline measurement of my heart, I jumped on the treadmill in khaki pants and hiking boots. It took no time to get my pulse where they wanted and then over to the exam table while they rescanned my stressed heart and I poured out sweat.

The results: my heart was structurally fine but I was horribly out of shape. For years I've joked that I was in good shape: round and soft are both shapes, right?! This statement was beginning to not be so funny.

Here's my takeaway. My lifestyle was slowly disabling my body. I had slowly added weight, my liver was incased in fat and now all of my peripheral blood vessels were being squeezed by fatty tissue throughout my body.

You would think I would wake up at this point but I had to descend a little further into the disease process. Maybe it would take a trip to Stanford Medical Center? Let's find out together in the next post: bloody noses and a tumor!

Quietly making noise,
Fletch

READ THE WHOLE SERIES
Introduction
PART 1: Middle Age Status
PART 2: Fatty Liver Disease
PART 3: Ironman Is Here
PART 4: Hypertension
PART 5: Bloody Noses and a Tumor
PART 6: Stress and Depression
PART 7: Diagnosis: Diabetes!
PART 8: Get Out and Get Walking!
PART 9: Kicking Sugar to the Curb!

Part 3: Ironman is Here

July 8, 2017

For those of you just joining us, please go back and read the beginning of the series. For the rest of you, let me catch you all back up to speed. Remember in my last post, I took you back in time to explain how and when I developed Fatty Liver Disease (FLD). My story picks back up where I left off as a fat and happy guy in my late 40's. Knowing that my liver enzymes were affected by my diet and health, I continued to monitor those numbers with regular blood tests over the years. Since I knew I could control the health of my liver, I didn't think too much about the stress I was putting on this important organ until I had a conversation with my friend (and functional medical practitioner) about my liver enzymes.

I AM IRON MAN
This doctor had been concerned about my health ever since my initial FLD diagnosis and asked if I would have an extended liver panel and more blood tests completed. He seemed to be very interested in my iron levels and how those could be affecting my liver. I took the blood test and sure enough, my iron levels were through the roof:

**Blood Test Results Showing High Liver Enzymes and High Iron Levels**

My liver enzymes were also high again, but that wasn't what concerned him. He actually phoned me at home with the results in his hand and told me that it was time for me to see another doctor. Not only were my liver enzymes spilling into my blood stream, but my iron levels had sky-rocketed. He explained that high iron (elevated Ferritin) could lead to increased risks of cancer and that having this treated was very important and that quickly landed me in the office of an oncologist/hematologist.

"YOU NEED A PERIOD!"
I met a wonderful older Chinese physician who spoke very broken English. He was also concerned about the ferritin levels and began a series of blood tests to see if I had a genetic condition called hemachromatosis to explain why my body did not break down the iron like normal. That test came back negative and I do not remember any radioactive spider bites that would have led to my superhero status, so I was given the same basic diagnosis for an unhealthy liver.

I'll never forget what this funny little doctor said next, "Mr. Fletcher, you need a period!" It was as funny then as it is now (remember he said it with very broken English). At the time, I reminded him that I lacked the appropriate female plumbing and hormones and questioned his treatment plan. He went onto explain that the only way to lower my iron was to lose blood regularly (similar to menstruation).

BLOOD-LETTING AND LEACHES
When describing their doctors, plenty of patients will use the phrase: "old school." That is exactly how I felt when this guy recommended monthly blood donations, because it sounded eerily similar to medieval blood-lettings and leach treatments. Have a headache? Throw on a few leaches. Suffering from painful joints? Give a few pints of blood. If you have seen Steve Martin's rendition of Theodoric of York from Saturday Night Live, this is exactly what I pictured.

Regardless, this was the treatment recommended and off I went to our local blood donation center for regular blood donations. They only allow donations once every eight weeks, so I became very routine in my donation cycle and I would follow-up with blood tests to look at my ferritin level. After just one donation, I was pleased to see that my ferritin levels dropped in half!

**Ferritin Levels Drop, But Not Enough - More Periods!**

I had simultaneously decided that lowering my carbohydrate input was a good idea, so my liver enzymes responded as well. It was definitely a wake-up call. Clearly I had a liver that was stressed and showing signs of disease.

If only I had been more forward thinking and considered my body "as a whole." I believe that at this point in my life I could have prevented my Type 2 diabetes diagnosis all together. Unfortunately, I was still unwilling to take things seriously. My attitude and lifestyle was way more attractive.

In my next post, I will talk about the effect my lifestyle choices and weight was having on my cardiovascular system.

Quietly making noise,
Fletch

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Part 2: Fatty Liver Disease

July 4, 2017

I began this series of posts talking about middle-age and anchoring this story near my 25th wedding anniversary which placed me in my late 40's. For this post, I'll need to jump back in time just a few years.

Fatty-Liver Disease (FLD) entered the picture more than a decade ago. The diagnosis actually came when I was about 30 years old and I was purchasing my dental practice. When you take out a 10yr SBA business loan, the lender needs to know that you can pay it all back and that includes an inspection of your physical health. My lender required me to get a life insurance policy and with that came a complete physical exam.

I was shocked to discover my premium quote came back much higher than expected. As I researched, I found out that my liver enzymes were the culprit. My first stop was an appointment with my family doctor. For those of you who like to see blood test results, this is what I found:

**BLOOD TEST SHOWING HIGH LIVER ENZYMES**

I'll never forget what he told me: "Fletch, with enzyme levels this high, you are either 1)A closet alcoholic, 2)Exercising to the level of an Olympian, or 3)You have fatty-liver disease." Now, I don't know where my doctor went to medical school, but I could have diagnosed this one from across the room.

I've always been a "thick guy" when it comes to my neck and shoulders, but in my 20's I did my best to turn myself physically into a square. One look at me sitting on his exam table and any first year med student would say: "Uh, I'd go with #3."

My doctor told me there were two ways to confirm FLD. The BEST way to diagnose if your liver was marbleized with fat was with a biopsy. I felt the need to remind my doctor of two simple facts: First, my liver was on the inside of my body; and second, a biopsy did not sound fun at all. In order to confirm my suspicions, he proceeded to describe the biopsy procedure: "It's all done as out-patient surgery, they will locally numb the area and then insert a biopsy needle to pull a plug of your liver...blah blah blah"

My doctor did not even need to describe the risks to me, because he had already convinced me that this was something I was not going to do. I typically choose the "best option" and truthfully if I had any need for my abdomen to be opened up in the near future, I would have gladly agreed to the biopsy and would have allowed them to take as much of my liver as they needed. But, since I didn't foresee any need for random exploratory surgery in my abdominal cavity in the near future, I decided to have him describe the "second best" option.

He explained that the second way to determine if you have FLD was to go on a strict low-carb and high protein diet. The theory behind this plan is simple: Decrease the stress on your liver and it will stop throwing out high enzymes. Truthfully, I wondered why he even mentioned the first option. When faced with choosing between a plug of my liver being removed or eating a high protein diet, I chose the "eat more bacon" option. Duh.

ATKINS, PROTEIN POWER, DISEASE REVERSAL
With the help of Kendra as my chef, I jumped into the world of Atkins and Protein-Power meal planning. It was really very basic. Eggs for breakfast. Salads for lunch. Protein and veggies for dinner. No carbs. No starches. No sodas. As a disciplined guy, it was fairly easy to follow. It just required faithful eating.

After 8 weeks of this diet and change in lifestyle I noticed a few things. First, my weight dropped dramatically. Initially from water and then throughout my face, neck and torso. Second, all of my systems felt better, but mostly my gastrointestinal system and my muscles and joints. Third, my sleep patterns improved and my energy went through the roof. Lastly, I took a second blood test. Here are the results:

**Follow-Up Blood Test Taken 8 Weeks Later**

Wow! With a little discipline, I learned a huge lesson. I was able to change my health. I also proved to myself and my doctor that the issue was not liver disease, but a liver incased and marbleized with fat.

The only problem for me was that the lesson did not stick. Eventually, my old habits drifted back into place and the lifestyle followed. Within a short amount of time, all the markers for fatty liver disease returned as well.

Unfortunately, this was not the end of liver issues for me. I'll continue the story in my next post where I was mistaken for a Marvel superhero.

Quietly making noise,
Fletch

Part 1: Middle Age Status

June 23, 2017

Allow me to begin with a snapshot of my life. Maybe you can find yourself somewhere in this description. For the sake of anchoring the story, let's start at my 25th wedding anniversary. At the time, I was 47 years old and 21 years into my career. As a dentist, I had clearly chosen a career which defined me as a guy who sat down for most of his day.

As for the rest of my life, I realize that I made different choices than most of my readers. My wife and I not only got married young, but we planted our flag in the "big family" camp. At this point in my life I was also a dad to 8 kids ranging from 8 to 24. I was, by definition, fat and happy in my middle age.

EXERCISE
If I defined my exercise status, it would be measured by months. In other words, I worked out a little this month and a little that month, but nothing daily. I was just starting to rediscover my love for walking and hiking. I was inspired by movies like, A Walk In The Woods, especially the old and out of shape character played by Nick Nolte.

But, by ignoring exercise and having an "anything goes" approach to my diet; my late 40's brought a host of health issues and stress. As this blog series goes on, I'll dive into each of them individually, but let me pause for a moment and briefly describe my attitude.

FOOD
When it came to food, I was pridefully "all in." I was raised by good cooks and married an even better chef. I was known for mastering our wood-fired pizza oven. I could spin a great blender drink and made variations on the Moscow Mule that dazzled my guests. I was known for begging my dental patients for Slurpees or donuts. This was my normal and my palate knew no limits.

By this point, I had discovered the first three issues in my diet related to my overall diet. The first was high liver enzymes, the second was high levels of iron in my blood and the third was an extreme sensitivity to gluten. The solution was pretty easy: Cut out iron rich food and cut out anything with gluten.

Thankfully, I have a very supportive wife. Every time a change came to my diet, Kendra took it in stride. She encouraged and planned and managed our pantry, but it really was on me to make the choices. In case you are wondering, yes we really knew what it meant to eliminate gluten. We love the science behind our food choices and my only point in mentioning all of this at this point in the story was this: I knew what it took to make a drastic change and keep to a strict diet.

Review
I was middle-aged, sedentary, and just starting to wake up from my "I don't really give a shit" attitude toward food and exercise.

Quietly making noise,
Fletch

How I Reversed My Type 2 Diabetes

June 22, 2017

Out of the gates, I want to announce that there were no magic pills or potions involved. Quite simply, I reversed my Type 2 diabetes with diet and exercise. I realize that just by me saying "diet and exercise," I have lost everyone hoping for something exciting or magical. Diet and exercise is the answer you already knew and probably didn't want to hear, right?

Well, for those of you who were hoping for the magic recipe. I assure you it's still here. Only it's not in the form of a pill that has been advertised on TV commercials by a giant pharmaceutical company. Even so, I want you to stick around. I promise to help you and if you know me by now, the story will be worth the read.

As you read along, you will find out how stress, diet, weight gain, exercise, and a host of other issues affected my health. You may even recognize yourself and find something out about your own health along the way. You will also find out that diabetes isn't the only thing I was able to reverse engineer. Several other health markers of disease, including high blood pressure, obesity, and fatty liver disease have all disappeared.

“Here’s the main point: This can be done. You can change your health without a labeled orange bottle from the local drugstore. ”

Here's the main point: This can be done. You can change your health without a labeled orange bottle from the local drugstore. Give me a chance to share my story. Read how I descended into poor health and disease and then discover how I came to my own recovery.

Maybe you are one of my blog readers who is just reading the next thing I write. That's great! But, maybe you found me on social media or Googled the term "diabetes" and through the magic of the internet you landed at my blog. If so, you are like me and can relate to someone who struggles with middle-age diseases like diabetes, hypertension, fatty-liver and gut fat.

I don't care how you got here or why you are here. I just want to encourage you to hang around long enough to see if you can learn how to reverse your own diabetes, lower your own blood pressure, and improve your own health.

Regardless, I'll do my best to entertain you with the story of how an overweight, belly sagging, donut-chomping, pizza-baking, coke-in-a-bottle chugging, pipe-smoking, unmotivated middle-aged man turned the tide on his health and changed his diet and reversed the progress of disease.

The adventure is on. Join me.

Quietly making noise,

Fletch

Part 4: Hypertension

Part 3: Ironman is Here

Part 2: Fatty Liver Disease

Part 1: Middle Age Status

How I Reversed My Type 2 Diabetes

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