Made some changes

It's been almost 3 full days since I stopped taking Metoprolol. I'm not yet convinced it was the correct decision, but neither am I convinced it's of continued benefit to me at this point either.

My cardiologist told me I would be taking Metoprolol the rest of my life, something I wasn't delighted to hear, but he wasn't so adamant about it when I complained of fatigue which I attributed to the Metoprolol.

So since there hasn't been any improvement in the amount of fatigue I've been experiencing, nor have I been dissuaded from the belief it is a limiting factor in my ability to increase my endurance, I decided it was time to quit. Plus, I'm taking such a low dose, 12.5 mg twice a day, any effects I may be experiencing, good or bad, could simply be a placebo effect.

Still, while it's probably too early to come to any conclusions, I have noticed some changes.

First and foremost being, it seems much easier to get my HR up when exercising, but without exceeding my max, or experiencing any negative side effects, such as tiring more easily, or increased chest pain, and without my resting HR being effected.

Not sure about the effect on blood pressure. It seems my blood pressure varies so much, it's hard to know what effect if any there is. When I think it should be low, like when I'm completely relaxed, it's high (systolic pressure between 130 and 140), and when I think it should be high, like just after walking upstairs or exercise, it's low. My diastolic pressure rarely exceeds 80, but on occasion will get to 82 or 84.

Another negative is I've become more aware of the occasional missed heart beat. A sensations I've had even while on Metoprolol, but they seem more pronounced now, and occur more frequently.

I've also experienced the sensation of a skipped heart beat long before there was any indications of coronary artery disease. Back then, I attributed it to excess caffeine, and after cutting back on the caffeine (I used to be a big coffee drinker), it would go away. So I've decided to cut back on my green tea consumption, from 5-7 cups a day to 4-5 cups, and limited the brewing time to 5 minutes max, hoping to get similar results.

I'm confident I'm taking the right approach, despite what my cardiologist says, but only time will tell for sure. I just hope nothing sudden or unexpected occurs making me regret that decision.

Vaccine Mandates, what are they good for?

Not much, that's for sure! Simply showing evidence of receiving a Covid-19 vaccine (whether fake or not), does not mean you are protected from getting Covid-19, nor spreading it, if infected. We are all different, and too many of us, i.e. people who are immunocompromised/ immunosupressed, the elderly, or others for various reasons, do not [cannot] mount an immune response as good as younger and healthier individuals. What is evidence of immunity is a quantitative antibody test showing you have developed antibodies, and to what degree, either from natural immunity or the vaccine. That is what we should be testing for. That is what is important. But for too long, many, i.e. the FDA, doctors, and other health experts discouraged people (and still are) from getting antibody tests, because there was little knowledge about what level of antibodies are needed to impart immunity to the virus. That of course is true, to some extent, but how can we ever find out [learn] the answer to that q

History IS repeating itself

I didn't grow up during the rise and fall of Hitler and Nazi Germany, so for me to claim it feels like those are the times we are living in now, must be taken with a grain of salt. But I have seen enough movies, and read enough history to know, if the times we're living in now are not akin to the rise of a Nazism and Facism in Europe in the 1930's and 1940's, then we're not far off. If you can't see the parallels with Nazi Germany, then you must be living in a different country than me. Republicans and other right wing extremists will stop at nothing to subvert the will of the majority, forcing their beliefs, that they are the superior race and have been appointed by God, to impose their will on America, while they blame all our problems on immigrants, blacks and Jews. As I speak, Mitch McConnell, and his minions are raising roadblocks to all legislation designed to help average Americans under the guise of fiscal responsibility. They condone violent and verba

Open letter to all Democrats

Stop the nonsense! Continuing to go after Trump, without any hope of getting a conviction, does nothing more than provide Republicans with an obstructionist dialogue (now that they have come up with the unconstitutional talking point) in addition to giving Trump much needed publicity, when we should be ignoring him. It's the pure definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result! Instead Democrats need to be laser focused on what is important to all Americans, i.e. healthcare, Social Security and Medicare, infrastructure reform, the Covid-19 vaccine rollout, to name just a few. And when you do talk about Trump, simply steer the conversation as to how the Trump administration botched everything, how Trump is responsible for the deaths of 400,000+ Americans, due to his inaction and the down playing of the pandemic, plus the deaths of 2 Capitol policeman during the insurrection Trump provoked and incited on January 6, 2021.

LIVING WITH MCL

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