My heart is healthy and the Cardiologist said "Chocolate is good for you"!!!

Stress sure can do some strange things to us, can't it? I'm happy to hear that yours went away, WITHOUT needing to see a psychiatrist! Weddings can certainly be stressful! I remember my mother lost about 25 pounds just trying to get my sister's wedding put together. I'm still having the palpitations, although I don't feel the least bit stressed right now. I've been battling a seven-year war with Social Security to approve me for disability and, after my last hearing in the middle of February, there's no way they CAN'T deny me again, so I've been waiting, every day, for some word to come in the mail. When it doesn't, day after day, week after week, the stress has been building. Bills, especially medical bills, are pouring in and I can't pay them. That adds more stress. Of course, there's my husband who can be a total jerk at times, adding to my stress level. He's behaving himself now because he was worried that I might have serious heart problems and that he may have caused them. So, he's been treating me like gold... well, silver, anyway. I've just taken my first dose of my new medications so I'll have to see how I'm feeling tomorrow, or a week from now. I'm to have blood work done in two months to see if my cholesterol level is down (it's not too bad, only 260) and I have an appointment on August 10 with a new doctor, one who has been my rheumatologist but is also an internist. I like her a LOT better than my old doctor.

oh that's obvious - any more than a couple of pounds is clearly overdoing it

Thanks, fwidman! The doc only said "moderation" but, well, you know, an elephant could probably pack away some chocolate! So, I'll eat what would be "moderate" to an elephant. It's a relevance thing, you know. I honestly wasn't surprised to find nothing wrong with my heart because no one else in my family has ever had heart issues, to my knowledge. I believed all along that it was stress, which is why I waited a week or so before seeing my doctor. He's the one who freaked and sent me right to the ER, which didn't do me any good because he had me freaking! It's just that these non-stop palpitations and erratic pulse came on so suddenly. That's why I was a good girl and did what I was told, going through all these tests. Oh, by the way, some people have told me that the stress test is HORRIBLE but it's not so bad. I managed. I wasn't smiling through it, but I managed. Actually, I think I do remember joking during the last stage, where the treadmill speeds up and the incline is heightened. I said, "I'm NEVER going mountain climbing!" So, it's off to the store now for more chocolate. I've already gone through what I already had here since coming from the cardiologist's office and need to restock. Gotta stay healthy, right? (Just kidding... I don't eat much chocolate as it is, it's just that, when the urge strikes, ya gotta have it!)

I would say moderation is more like one small piece of chocolate every few weeks LOL

PS on eating chocolate!!!

I think medical insurance runs almost the same with yours. There are lots of insurance agencies, medical insurance rather, and they are doing not exactly the same. I mean, one insurance company has this kind of package, only for dental or only for accident, and so on. Mostly, we are just paying for the premiums, but those insured never used them. Another year will just come after a year, and you have to pay again for another year. BTW, I already received your message and I guess you already received my reply by this time. Take care my dear friend...

Thank you so much, neil. I'm so happy to know that my heart is fine and my problem is mostly stress. It's scary to think that you may have heart problems because that's a serious thing! We really don't have the funds for these tests. My husband has health insurance through his job, but we have to pay $400.00 a month for this insurance and so far it has barely paid for anything. It paid $14.00 of a bill for $150.00, and $121.00 of a bill that was $400.00, but has paid for nothing else. They keep telling us that they don't feel that these tests or doctor's visits are necessary. That's the major problem we have in this country. Health insurance companies decide what they will pay and what they won't. They don't care what the doctors say. Hopefully, that will be resolved soon in this country. I fully expect to receive even more bills for these new tests. We already owe over $5,000.00 in medical expenses that we can't pay. If I'm ever approved for disability, they should pay these medical bills. I just have no idea when, or even IF, I'll ever be approved. I'm sending you a PM because I have something to say to you that I'd rather not say here.

Doesn't it just make ya SICK, that we can't eat the way we'd like to?!!! cdrxo

Relevance is a very important word. I do like the way you think. That's kinda like saying it's 5 oclock somewhere, right?

well I hope you get your disabiity and the medicare both are important to everyone who needs them

I'm hoping that I'll be approved for disability before these bills start rolling in! With the disability, I should be approved for Medicare and that should cover every single medical bill I've incurred in the past 9 years, because I should have been approved from the start. I can sympathize with you about the fibromyalgia, IBS and high blood pressure because I have them, too. My BP is totally controlled by medication, thankfully. My blood sugar is borderline, hovering between 93 and 103 but, even at 103, it's nothing to worry about, or so I've been told. It's probably higher right now because I was told to take it easy until they could determine what was causing my heart problems and I've put on 8 pounds in the last 4 weeks because I haven't been able to be as active as I usually am. Thankfully, I was given the okay to resume my normal activities so, hopefully, I'll be able to take those 8 pounds back off as fast as I put them on. I was concerned about my heart problems being caused by Lupus because my rheumatologist said that I may have a mild case of it, which causes inflammation of various organs. I was very glad to hear that wasn't the case. It's purely stress. Once I'm approved for disability, most of my stress will disappear. I'm glad to hear that you don't have to worry about medical bills! At least that's one thing you have that I don't. We're supposed to get health care reform in the very near future but who knows if or when that will happen. It will probably go into effect the day I'm approved for disability and Medicare! Life, huh? Wishing you well on all your health issues! May they soon find cures for each one of them.

I know the feeling, suspenseful! I honestly don't eat much chocolate but, when the urge hits, there is NO substitute! Just gotta have it! When the cardiologist told me that it's okay to eat chocolate, I thought he was the coolest doctor EVER BORN!!! My budget is tight, too, so chocolate is not an everyday thing for me, as much as I'd like it to be. If I see a sale on any kind of chocolate, though, I'll stock up. Chocolate should be one of the major food groups, don't you think? I love Christmastime because you can find sales on bags of chocolate chips for cookie making. I always buy extra... milk chocolate and white chocolate chips. They're great for snacking on. Yummmmmmmmmmm!!! I know it's the dark chocolate that is actually good for us but, like you said, in moderation, anything is okay to eat.

Hee hee Since he's the heart guy, I'll take his word for it. Look out chocolate, here I come!

I'm exactly like you, Pam. I can't stand dark chocolate but LOVE milk chocolate and white chocolate! The cardiologist did NOT specify dark chocolate, though. He simply said "chocolate". It's really like most other things... anything in moderation. I agree wholeheartedly that a person has to have chocolate! It's cheaper and easier to get than antidepressants and everyone knows what chocolate does to our endorphins!

Wow! I had never heard of that before, even though when I was a typesetter, I worked for a year on a series of textbooks called, "The Heart". I thought I knew everything there was to know about it, even things that could be mistaken for heart problems. That sounds like it is awfully painful, especially when your chest is constantly moving from breathing! Does it flare often? I was once stung by a hornet on my toe. Pain went all the way up to my hip. Man, it hurt! My mother was freaking and insisted on taking me to the ER because I am allergic to spider venom. When the ER doctor came in he asked me what I was doing there. I said, "Wishing I was home!" He got a chuckle out of it, said that I was having a very typical reaction to a full dose of hornet venom, gave me a secanol (sp?) and told me it was going to itch like crazy once the stinging stopped. (It did!) Sometimes, I guess we just have to do what we're told just to calm THEM down. This time, it was my doctor I had to calm down, although I've had a horrible two weeks trying to get it through his thick skull that I needed him to set up a stress test, not a 30-day event monitor, not another echocardiogram and not another Holter monitor, the idiot! (Yeah, they really were screwed up... he even tried to send me to another cardiologist AFTER sending me to the first one.) This is the doctor I've had issues with but he was the only one I could see within a week and I didn't feel like going to the ER. After this mix-up, I've already started filing complaints against his practice with the medical board because this is the third time I've had major issues with him and his staff. He's potentially dangerous! I have an appointment with my new (and MUCH better) doctor on August 10th. But, at least I know for certain now that my heart is healthy AND I can still eat chocolate!

It is true that, if you want to eat chocolate, you must also eat a good, healthy diet and get enough exercise. Too much fat, no matter where it comes from, is never good.

Thanks, paula. I plan to stay well. This scare as made me eat even healthier (driving my husband crazy because he's such a junk food addict) and learning new ways to deal with stress that won't affect my health. And, there is the chocolate. Having a cardiologist tell me that it's okay to eat, well, that made my day! Heck, that made my entire life!

It's actually the dark chocolate that is really good for us. However, the milk chocolate and white chocolate will not harm us if eaten in moderation, as long as we eat a relatively healthy diet and get enough exercise. Chocolate is most definitely a mood-enhancer! It is less expensive and easier to get than antidepressants if we're temporarily depressed. It tickles the endorphins in our brains which makes us feel better. I'm all for chocolate! LOL I'm glad to hear that you are healthy. I hope you always stay that way!

My heart did the exact same during the stress test, no palpitations. It made up for it afterward, though! Mine was three normal beats, then a double-beat, three normal beats, double-beat, like that. Occasionally, I would have five normal beats between palpitations, or seven, but usually it was 3 normal beats, one double-beat. That double-beat FELT like my heart was doing a back-flip and trying to blast through my chest. That's what makes them so scary. The diltiazem has decreased the severity of the palpitations and they're not as frequent today. Hopefully, tomorrow will be even better. I also have had a little more energy today. I had to wear that Holter monitor, too. That and the echocardiogram were fine. I have to get blood work done in two months so I'll know then if the Crestor is helping lower my cholesterol. I hope so. It's not real high (260), but definitely too high. My husband's is 338! Now it's his turn to see the doctor. He probably won't, so I'd say that at least a half-million-dollar life insurance policy on him isn't out of the question. I'll try for a million, though. As long as I'm going to be a widow because of his horrible eating habits and lack of exercise, I may as well be a RICH widow, huh?

Thank you, moondancer. I took my first dose last night and I've noticed a definite lessening of my palpitations. They're not as strong, nor as frequent. I've also noticed a slight increase in my energy level. Hopefully, tomorrow will be even better. Yes, stress sure can reek havoc on our bodies! I hope I never have to go through anything like this again. Just thinking that I might have some kind of heart problem caused me to have more stress. I felt like a huge weight was lifted when the doctor told me my heart was fine. I wanted to hug him! LOL So, from now on, I've decided to never get this stressed again, ever. I'm working on changing the way I go about certain things. Even though I'm most definitely not a high-strung person, I think I was allowing too much stress to remain bottled up inside. I'm going to take a more direct approach to whatever causes me stress and deal with it so I can put it behind me. Sometimes, it takes a serious scare like this to motivate us to improve ourselves.

I agree 100% with you! We have the power to not let others control our feelings. It takes some practice, for sure, but I learned how to do that with my mother. I was 34 years old when I was finally able to stop letting her make me feel guilty for things I had no reason to feel guilty about. I did forget that, though, since I've been unable to provide for myself. I began to feel as though my life was not my own anymore. But, recently, I've regained that strength and refuse to allow my husband to stress me out. I'm working on my plan to become self-sufficient and not need him. He knows this, too, and it's scaring him! He's a funny person. He doesn't want to lose me, yet he tries his best sometimes to make my life miserable; at least it feels that way. Lately, though, he's been bending over backwards to make my life as comfortable as he can. I know he sees this renewed strength in me and it's scaring him. I've told him about the extra life insurance I plan on taking out on him because he most likely will not be outliving me. Maybe it's those forensic shows I like to watch that scare him. LOL In one respect, they are awfully stupid, showing how murderers get caught because it's helping people learn how to commit the perfect murder! No, I have no intention of murdering my husband! LOL I can't even murder a bug, unless it's a spider, a fly, mosquito or anything that bites or stings. No, he's killing himself with his horrible eating habits and being so lazy. Now that I know my heart is healthy, I've stepped up my efforts to eat better and get as much exercise as I possibly can. I have plans now! I'm going to live life as best I can while I can and nobody is going to stop me or even slow me down! Plus, knowing that I can still have my chocolate (I never did eat much of it but, when the mood strikes, you just gotta have it, you know?) is such a great bonus!!! I took my new meds for the first time last night and I have to tell you, they're working! I still have palpitations, but they're not nearly as strong or as frequent. My pulse seems to have settled down, too. Also, I have more energy, even more than I had yesterday! So, these meds are working which really makes me happy. What a tremendous load off my mind!!! Now, if I can only get approved for disability, I'll be one VERY happy camper!!!

Yeah, I thought it was important to get the word out that a bona fied cardiologist said that chocolate is okay to eat. Not just your ordinary, every day doctor, but a CARDIOLOGIST! YEAH!!! (I want HIM as my PCP!!!)