When I woke this morning

<sigh>

You're on BP meds? Do you have the strength to exercise?

small sand weights on your legs and arms? Maybe?

(im grasping at straws here... )

Big hugs to you, Dys. This can't be fun......

Dys, does your medication regulate your BP pretty well or is there a chance that you could have some renal vascular disease? When the renal artery is narrowed the kidney produces less renins therefore increasing BP. So opening up a renal artery by balloon or stent could fix that. Have you had a doppler study?
Not trying to sound like a know it all, just wanted to throw that out there.

Have the docs recommended any type of strengthening program for you.

There are a lot of regimens available for/appropriate to various aspects of stroke recovery - were any in particular highlighted to try or avoid?

On the positive side, I (now that the weather is nice) spend most every morning from 6 a.m. til noon in the garden getting moderate excercise and with the change in meds in March I am able to eat pretty well without barfing; on the other hand, I have not so much as started up the Porsche in over 10 months (it just sits in the garage)Diane wants to cancel our intended trip to Barcelona this fall because she is worried I won't survive the travel.

Further adding confusion, I'll bring up potassium. I'm recently on bp meds myself, from a one-time high doctor's office reading. It skiirrred me. So while I know about dr.'s office bp highs, I am modifying my already pretty good diet, I'm taking zee pills. Mine specifically does NOT lower potassium. I've gotten a clue that some meds can bring potassium down, which means for those, one might need potassium supplements. BUT talk to your doctor.

Farmerman is just now looking into all this potassium stuff, and on his thread Hamburger posted a Harvard med school link that listed the different ways to get sufficient potassium, which has a role, ironically, in lowering blood pressure, while some bp meds apparently lower potassium levels. Sort of a circle.
Hamburger described his situation, has taken potassium supplements for years now, as prescribed. But don't just take them, speak with a physician.

Marty might also be spot on re the kidney thing.

Don't be depressed or fatalistic. Look into what is going on.

oh dys....

osso- I take blood pressure meds, (lasix) that require potassium supplementation. A quick blood test will tell the tale as to whether dys' chemistry is out of whack.

One of the most important things that I have found, is that as soon as I can get a handle on things medical, I feel much better, and less depressed. Dys, I think that if you get yourself a good medical workup, and get a sense of what you have to do to help yourself, you will feel much better.

I know I sounded Pollyanna there. I worry too about the rigor of long plane flights for you. If only they could be mere hops...

You are so much better, but your strength is low.

Am just doctor goading you.

Will hug you in person.

<listening>

A Geez, my dad has been on cocktails of meds in the last 10 years. He was taking three which had diarrhea as a side effect. He got the worst diarrhea ever and it took weeks to go away after he quit all the possible offending meds. He tried one again after a few weeks and had diarrhea immediately. A month later he tried another and had the same result. The doc said it could take a year to get them out of his system before trying them in much smaller does - a YEAR! Thankfully the meds weren't that necessary. But, one may have been potassium for his leg cramps. Or was it magnesium? I know, not incredibly helpful. But, it does show that side effects can take a while to connect to the drugs causing them once you are on many.

Anyway, Dys, I feel for ya. Keep eating and listen to Diane. Maybe you don't need to cancel your plans, but consider the trip carefully.

AND lady Diane saw a cockroach in the kitchen and I saw a herd of them in the garage ( I bought a flame-thrower)

Re: When I woke this morning
dyslexia,
I sympathize, the day my wife cannot garden will be a very black one.

Start eating 5 to 6 times a day, eat bulky high protein, high fat products.

Start with eggs & bacon for breakfast, sourdough bread or baguette.
Have a protein shake a couple of hours later, mix a banana, whole milk,
protein and some vanilla icecream (the real thing) and drink that.

For lunch get some protein, meat, fish, sausages, potatoes, beans, avocado

Eat lots of nuts inbetween as a snack, or peanut butter, or a high protein
bar.

Dinner should be pasta and proteins. Have a good dessert high in fat,
like chocolate, fruits with whipped cream, coconut cookies, etc.

Put whipped cream into your coffee. Eat real cheese - no velveeta!!
Brie, saga, mascarpone, are all high in fat (and sooo delicious).

Crikey, Jane! He already has high BP - let's not push so hard on artery-hardening food stuffs like whipped cream and sausages! Otherwise, great advice, IMO.

littlek, have you seen how the French/Greek/Italian/Spaniards eat? Their food is filled with calories and high fat ingredients and lots of dessert,
yet they haven't got nearly the numbers of heart related problems Americans do.

Jane - and Portuguese! I think Dys could add weight without cream and sausages.

(((((((((((((Dys)))))))))))))))

I know I have mentioned this earlier, but I still have never in my life seen a cockroach.

Maybe once, a long time ago, in an industrial building, but it may have been a june bug. My memory of that incident has faded.