Medical question. A weird one.

[ksdaddy]

Okay, not “fun” weird. 

I quit drinking coffee on July 12.  It was bothering my stomach, making me queasy like motion sickness and the muscles or tendons (whatever) that go from your ear to your shoulder would tense up and I would then have to take 4 Advil. I switched to green tea and it all went away.  That’s also about the time I stopped eating junk. I would go through a half gallon of ice cream in two evenings. And chips all the time. And candy… I’m almost 62 and I ate more candy than a rich fat ten year old boy.  Now I stopped all that, I use hummus instead of mayo, turkey sausage instead of pork, I snack on grapes and grapefruit, zero ice cream, and my only candy indulgence is imported black licorice. I’ve lost about 10-12 lbs and I feel better. I drink one, sometimes two cups of green tea a day.  
 

Because I eliminated most of the caffeine from my day, I cut back my beta blocker from 100mg to 50mg with no ill effects. 
 

A few years back I was getting out of breath easily. Walking to the mailbox in the winter, pushing a mower in the summer, any uphill walking. They informally diagnosed it as bronchial hyperresponsiveness, gave me an albuteral puffer and bob’s yer uncle.  I only use it as needed. I might go several days without it and then need it 2 or 3 times in one day. 
 

Except…. Since I made those changes, I haven’t had to touch the inhaler. 
 

What’s the connection?

[jedzep]

Sounds like you're piecemeal getting back to a baseline.  What's missing?  Probably regular cardio-friendly exercise, including weight lifting.  Black licorice isn't heart healthy, so watch that.  62 is a life point when all hell can break loose, especially if you're in pathological feasting mode.

I admire your restraint.

[jdgm]

I had problems with too much coffee in 2014. I used to take a flask to work every day and ended up with palpitations/paroxsysmal atrial fibrillation.  It got very scary - still get them occasionally. 

You could still drink one cup of coffee a day without too much adverse effect.   But it sounds like you've done something which may extend your life by a decade or more, especially if you are also doing some daily physical exercise for 30 min. 

[ksdaddy]

I retire in six days and I am a constant putterer and tinkerer. My “9-5” is mostly sedentary desk work. I get lots of exercise on the weekends and I’m a slug during the week. I’m bound to get more exercise if left to my own designs. 
 

I gave up alcohol in 2003 and smoking in 2014. I want to live a while. 

[ksdaddy]

1 hour ago, jdgm said:

I had problems with too much coffee in 2014. I used to take a flask to work every day and ended up with palpitations/paroxsysmal atrial fibrillation.  It got very scary - still get them occasionally. 

You could still drink one cup of coffee a day without too much adverse effect.   But it sounds like you've done something which may extend your life by a decade or more, especially if you are also doing some daily physical exercise for 30 min. 

I’ve had PAF forever but didn’t actually go to the hospital about it until 1983. Some called it Wolfe Parkinson White Syndrome, then they called it PAF, but nobody has ever given me a gilt edged document to that effect. I’ve been on beta blockers since ‘83. 

[jdgm]

I take 20mg Atorvastatin nightly since 2014 which is a small dose.  And half an aspirin a day.

Best wishes for your retirement...you're going to love it.   Literally a new (way of) life beckons.

 

[jaxson50]

You eliminated a lot of sugar,  that helps with gut health, that helped you lose weight,  the loss of weight helped with your breathing,  maybe..

Are you drinking  decaf tea? If not, green tea is loaded with caffeine that will make you feel energized!

[CROWB8]

I'm 67and what one does may not be best or work for someone else. So.....

I do, and what my doc says.

Water, water, water........ 3-5 bottles a day. Spike a bottle with Tang.

(IMHO)Half a 325mg asprine might be much for the stomach over time. The 81 childrens asprine might be better and still helps keep the blood thin. That and water help circulation and aid in dumping toxins. Save the higher dose asprine for a real headache.

Ginger root found In real ginger-ale helps an upset stomach. Found in Canada Dry and Vernon's. Both make smaller 8 er 10 oz cans. I dont necessarily kill a whole can so....  

Walking, sun shine (vitamine D), vitamine C via fruit or tab.. body has no way of storing C. There is time release stuff out now. Or gum or chewables. 

Morning eating IS the most important meal. I have my cereal, or eggs, juice, milk, mellon.

No red meat. Keeps iron down which makes blood heavy. Aliding in circulation.

I drink tea now as well. Regular Lipton. Yes, the caffeineis there, but its not as acidic.  No stomach irritation.

My evening meal is lighter than b4. I will have pork, but just the white meat. Chicken, fish. Shrimp salids. Rice. And veggies.

Popcorn was a new found snack. Easy on butter and no salt.

So once a week I give into my caveman cravings. I have my steak and potatoes.

[OrdinaryNimda]

12 hours ago, ksdaddy said:

... What’s the connection?

If you drink standard green tea, which contains caffeine, with no adverse effects, than it's not the caffeine in the coffee that was doing you harm, but the sugar. It should be completely eliminated from the diet by this age anyway. Keep it up! 

Edited August 21, 2022 by OrdinaryNimda

[merciful-evans]

Without the 'formal' diagnosis its hard to say. The important thing is that you have assumed complete control of your general health and that affects everything you do and feel. 

The only time I felt out of breath and energy, was when an ulcer had caused internal bleeding. It robbed me of oxygen and I needed an operation. Clearly, that doesn't apply to you. 

I suppose your doctor would be be able to answer the question. Save it for your next check up.

 

I only have caffeine in the morning (two cups max). That's because of chronic insomnia. I try to walk a couple of hours a day (usually 2 walks). 1st thing in the morning I give my heart & lungs a short work out. I used to run up & down the stairs. My knees started to suffer with that, so now I do karate kata instead. My partner Cherry swims most days. That's terrific zero impact exercise. We go dancing quite a bit too.

I still drink too much. I have to remember to take a zero booze day every now & then. 

[badbluesplayer]

I don't know nothing about anything, but if I had to guess, I'd say the stuff you used to eat probably had your body fighting it off somehow with some kind of inflammatory response, with the effect being that your lungs were sensitive to exercise.  Not for nothing, but maybe you could take one of those food sensitivity tests so you could maybe find out what specific foods might have caused the problem.

You gave up ice cream.  That's pretty serious, lol.

I  just lost eight pounds in two days on the Covid diet.

[ksdaddy]

I weaned off coffee but the weaning was fairly steep. I only had one cup in the morning and then I'd have green tea sometime in the early afternoon. I did that for 2-3 days, then switched to one green tea in the morning. The first day I had a caffeine withdrawal headache. The second day less of a headache but it felt like my brain was swelling and pushing my eyeballs out. The third day, just the eyeball thing.

A few days into it I drank one cup of Irish Breakfast black tea and I thought I was going to jump out of my own skin. No more of that!

Tea has caffeine of course, but less than coffee. Green tea is like 35 mg vs 100 for coffee (or so).

I fall off the wagon occasionally and I will pay. I had waffles with syrup for breakfast and I can feel my hands swelling up from the sugar. But I guess I need to do that once in a while to remind myself to avoid it. Twisted logic but we use the tools we need to use....

[Whitefang]

It's all subjective.  It's why any of my doctors deeply frowned on the cornucopia of "fad" diet books over the last 20-30 years.  No one regimen works well for everybody.   Let's take my example.

In 2014 I endured a TIA(transient ischemic  attack) usually known as a "mini" stroke.  Since then I've been on a coumadin therapy regimen and my diet consisted of "lite" this and that, fat free whatever, and also a switch to turkey based meats(turkey breakfast sausage, turkey kielbasa etc.)  and a switch from regular coffee to what's known as "half caf"  a brand of coffee produced for the Meijer markets that contains 1/2 the caffeine of regular coffee.  And some plant based ersatz meat products.

But then too, spinal issues affecting my legs and mobility left me sedentary for a spell which caused weight gain that my dietary program can't eradicate.  And the surgery to correct it reduced the pain, but still limits the mobility. Add a condition known as lymphedema to the mix.  And due to my age and weight I only drink "zero sugar" soft drinks to try avoiding  a development of diabetes into the mix as well.

For breakfast this morning I sliced a banana into a bowl, added  1 cup of yogurt I "souped up" with raw honey and vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of wheat germ.   And it's been a few years or so since I've tasted any kind of ice cream.

My guess is that it was probably something in the coffee itself rather that the caffeine that caused your trouble with it.  Black coffee can be somewhat harsh for some people's stomachs.  And thank goodness they have developed a few "lower sodium" lunch meats and foods.

Whitefang

[jaxson50]

7 hours ago, OrdinaryNimda said:

If you drink standard green tea, which contains caffeine, with no adverse effects, than it's not the caffeine in the coffee that was doing you harm, but the sugar. It should be completely eliminated from the diet by this age anyway. Keep it up! 

Don't forget the acid in coffee. Tea doesn't have the acid found in coffee 

[nhwildbill]

RE the Coffee...

2 years ago I had my gall bladder removed after it damn near killer me while at a concert (I literally thought I had a stroke).

My intestinal issues magically went away, I do have a fatty liver though and both my doctor and gastroenterologist has told me that drinking coffee is one of the best things to do for it.
I wasn't a heavy coffee drinker before and now have just two cups - one in the AM & one in afternoon.

I'm also 62, don't smoke, very moderately drink alcohol and try not to eat too much sugar.
I would have shortness of breath as well and was tested, they offered me an inhaler and I passed.
I expect losing the weight had a lot to do with ksdaddy's better health the most.  I drink green tea (cold not hot) and with I could drop 10 - 12 pounds but can't seem to.  I maintain a steady weight no matter what I try, I'm sure a complete overhaul of diet would help but my will is too weak for it - yet.

[Pinch]

On 8/21/2022 at 11:15 AM, OrdinaryNimda said:

If you drink standard green tea, which contains caffeine, with no adverse effects, than it's not the caffeine in the coffee that was doing you harm, but the sugar. It should be completely eliminated from the diet by this age anyway. Keep it up! 

Not the same caffeine as in coffee IIRC.  It's some milder variant of it. 

[Whitefang]

21 hours ago, nhwildbill said:

RE the Coffee...

2 years ago I had my gall bladder removed after it damn near killer me while at a concert (I literally thought I had a stroke).

 

That could be scary.  Back in '04 I thought I was having a heart attack.  Chest was tingly and tight and I was sweating like a fountain.  At the ER my BP was so elevated it really concerned the nurses and doctor on staff and they did an EKG which turned out normal.  A sonogram revealed it was the gall bladder.  I had several gall stones that were fused into one big one.  Attributed my elevated BP to the stress over my worry about how I was feeling.  But the worst thing about it all was the catheter I had to sleep with(or try to) for a couple of nights. 😖

Whitefang

[nhwildbill]

On 8/23/2022 at 11:24 AM, Whitefang said:

That could be scary.  Back in '04 I thought I was having a heart attack.  Chest was tingly and tight and I was sweating like a fountain.  At the ER my BP was so elevated it really concerned the nurses and doctor on staff and they did an EKG which turned out normal.  A sonogram revealed it was the gall bladder.  I had several gall stones that were fused into one big one.  Attributed my elevated BP to the stress over my worry about how I was feeling.  But the worst thing about it all was the catheter I had to sleep with(or try to) for a couple of nights. 😖

Whitefang

I hear ya brother, I had pains a couple weeks prior but the ER kept me waiting so long (3+ hours) by the time they looked at me it was over.  I was at a concert, went into the Men's room and passed out from an attack.  I came out of it and thought it was a stroke based on the way I felt, they EKG'd me and I was fine but went to the ER and ended up in there for 4 days after every test yo could get before they figured out it was my Gall Bladder.  Gone the next day and I've never felt better.  I was lucky not to have to suffer the catheter, not eating or drinking and wearing a mask 24 hours a day for the four days was enough for me.  And I'd missed my wife's 60th birthday. 😷

[Whitefang]

What was also a b*tch about the catheter was that after 45 minutes of carefully and slowly moving around to find a comfy position to try and get some sleep I finally did find a good spot  Only to have, a few seconds later, a nurse bounce cheerfully into my room and ask, "Are we ready for our walk?"  😖 "We"?  Just how many of me did she think there were?   And "WALK"?  She gave me the impression she had just come from the pharmacy after trying out a few things.     

After ten minutes I was finally and grudgingly on my feet,  shuffling down the hall like a 90 year old stoke victim, with actual near 90 year olds quickly passing me by.   But one of the worst things about it, even though my situation health-wise wasn't that serious  was that going to the ER was too frightening for my daughters who lost their Mother(my ex) just the month before. 

Whitefang