Urgent Help 📣
I’m absolutely beside myself. My husband suffered a mild-moderate stroke yesterday and it has left some slurred speech and right arm and leg weakness.
He’s unfortunately 50lbs overweight, type 2 diabetic, insulin reliant, has high cholesterol (300 something) and high blood pressure.
He is starting to learn more about medicine and our healthcare system over the last 5 years and didn’t want to continue blood pressure meds or cholesterol meds so he stopped and here we are.
I do believe he needs to use medicine to stabilize his health at the moment but has anyone successfully been diagnosed with something similar and has worked their way off medication?
I want to come up with a solid plan to do that and give him hope that he’s not going to be on these meds for ever.
Now he’s on plavix and baby aspirin to migiate future strokes. Any advice? Suggestions? Greatly appreciated!
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Hi! I'm sorry this is happening, and I hope he's at least comfortable 🖤 I highly recommend doing some research (and consulting a nutritionist/dietician) into what he should be eating. I've been vegan for almost 8 years and know that it can reverse certain diabetes situations as well as heart disease, and if done properly, help to lose weight too. And it's easier than you think! (As I eat a vegan grilled ham and cheese sandwich at 5a 😅)
My husband isn't vegan but eats whatever I cook for him (thank God) and now his digestive system is a bit lactose intolerant and he doesn't feel good after eating real meat because his system is much cleaner being plant-based and likely gets an inflammatory reaction to dairy and meat now, which happens to everyone!
Anyways, best of luck!
Diet can definitely help diabetes and should be managed alongside insulin until A1C is an appropriate level to go off insulin.
Diet can also help cholesterol but unfortunately a large part of our cholesterol is genetic so that’s a bit harder. Not impossible but tricky. Aerobic exercise also helps with raising your good cholesterol but immediately post stroke you need medicine to get your cholesterol under control before relying on diet and exercise.
Blood pressure can also be improved by diet, exercise, and stress management however high blood pressure is dangerous and medicine should be used until under control.
An appropriate diet for all of these plus heart disease and weight loss is DASH diet but highly highly recommend talking to a registered dietician (has taken tests to prove their knowledge not just a nutritionist, they are different). Most insurances cover a dietician especially after a stroke.
The reality is, while lifestyle changes can help with a lot of causes of a stroke, it largely cannot reverse the damage that has already been done and your husband is at high risk of a second stroke. The statin (cholesterol med) should be taken every night, insulin and blood pressure meds as prescribed and the plavix and aspirin are key for supporting the current recovery. Down the line these things may be peeled off with the help of a dietician and a physician but doing so yourself puts him in large danger for a much worse outcome next time
Type 2 diabetes is almost entirely diet related. Too much sugar in processed or carbohydrate form.
He needs to get into ketosis. This will also massively improve his weight.
My husband was almost diabetic and had high blood pressure. Entirely fixed by cutting out all sugar and carbs.
Unfortunately the damage from the stroke is done but you can reduce the risk of it getting worse.
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