The Race is On!

[marydell]

So I've stopped taking HCTZ as of last night, while the new doc and I await blood test results for various things. Basically he said if I need more blood pressure correction than my low dose of lisinopril provides, I can take more lisinopril, and shouldn't need a water pill. YAY. I already feel much, much better. I walked up a flight of stairs today, when there was a perfectly good elevator right there, in fact! And I didn't pause to gather up speed first like an elderly fat cat, either.

Now it's a race to see which happens faster:

1. I lose a few pounds because of not needing a constant influx of delicious processed sugar to keep me awake and moving

2. I gain a few pounds because of starting to retain a normalish amount of water in my tissues again

My pants, and my pants budget, are hoping these things happen at a roughly equal pace.


(Note: no weight-loss advice, please)

Comments

[catherineldf]

I'm rooting for the option in which you just feel better overall. :-)

[marydell]

Thanks, me too! So far I feel a lot better, we'll see how it goes over the next day or two.

[adrian_turtle]

This seems like it could be a wonderful solution to the pants problem. At least if your size variation is not in the 14-16 range. (Mine usually is, these days, which makes me grumble about them selling one size to fit sizes 6-14, and another to fit sizes 16-22.)
http://www.devalifewear.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=IS0033&Product_Code=CIRCL&Category_Code=Skirts

Unlike most full skirts with adaptable waists, it has pockets. I have some wonderful knee-length skirts made of sturdier materials, with drawstrings and pockets, that used to look wonderful on me...but are now wearing out and can't be replaced because the companies stopped making anything nearly so useful. Did you know there are "cargo skirts" where the waistband has no drawstring, no elastic, and the waist is the same size as the hips. They're *designed* to fall off when anybody puts something in the pocket--it's not just that they don't fit me.

[marydell]

The circle skirts are awesome if your main volume is somewhere above or below your waist. I don't find them flattering on my potato-shaped self, though--too much fabric. I'm also not much of a skirt person because of the pocket lackage, and because I have to wear tights with a skirt which throws the whole look into the "fancy" category for me. I actually like pants pretty well, as long as I make sure to always have them available in three sizes.

[marydell]

For kicks I went looking for cargo skirts in a couple of places, and LL bean has a couple of good twill skirts, and then I found this hilariously awful thing at Land's End that I just have to share: http://www.landsend.com/pp/PatternLightweightPoplinSkirt~219537_59.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::PV1&CM_MERCH=IDX_Women-_-DressesSkirts-_-Skirts&origin=index

[noveldevice.livejournal.com]

Ranj was on HCTZ for a long time too, and he fought the water retention and stuff too, but it didn't seem to affect him as badly as you.

Lisinopril is magical stuff though, eh! It's based on the venom of a South American water snake, iirc.

[marydell.livejournal.com]

To be fair, I skipped my (supposedly non-drowsy) antihistamine as well, and started taking a nasal spray steroid, so the HCTZ could just be one factor. It definitely made my hands and arms weak, though, from the day I sterted taking it.

Snake venom! Woo!

[noveldevice.livejournal.com]

Byetta (an injectable diabetes 2 drug) is based on venom as well, of the Gila monster. :)

[shweta-narayan.livejournal.com]

Good luck and *good thoughts*

With the cortisol, my weight's been all over the place, and ARGH PANTS SWEARYWORDS. I've taken to just wearing lengha skirts (http://littlebrownbride.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/redorange-lengha.jpg) (ok not that glam) All The Time.

But they lack pockets, SIGH. mostly I want 1990s cargo pants back darnit.

[noveldevice.livejournal.com]

Dear lord, why are we not all wearing these all the time, pls?

I had put a cargo skirt in my gym bag to wear to pub quiz tonight after the gym, but now I'm thinking maybe a sari skirt.

[shweta-narayan.livejournal.com]

Well, some people aren't because of cultural appropriation concerns, which is reasonable; but... heh, I'm totally for them becoming universal wear and more available for MEE TOO :)
(If only there was a way to have that happen which didn't rip off the workers in India, but globalization just sucks that way so IDK).

[noveldevice.livejournal.com]

I understand concerns around cultural appropriation, but...I dunno.

A large part of me screams OMG PRETTY. :)

(I went and pondered my closet, but I'm still going to wear a cargo skirt and a flirty peasant-style top in coral and brown, with yellow espadrille wedges. Changing the skirt I'm taking would have necessitated a complete reconsideration of everything I was wearing, and this is easier. I know you were dying of curiosity. :)

[marydell.livejournal.com]

That sounds like an entirely awesome outfit.

[marydell.livejournal.com]

I have to have pockets, being a sneezy, tissue-clutching sort of person and also being wedded to my pager. I'm also mostly a pants sort of person, which is aided by the fact that if something fits me in the waist, everything below that will be fine, since I am a potato-shaped person.

For a person with spoons and minimal sewing ability, it's easy to add a sneaky pocket to this type of skirt. You* just take two pocket-sized squares of fabric, stitch 3 edges up, then stitch one side of the 4th edge to the inside of the skirt's waistband at a spot that's easy to reach into. You have to stick your hand into the waistband of the skirt to get stuff out of it, so it's not perfect, but for carrying lightweight items it works pretty well.

*"You" meaning a spoon-having person you recruit for this purpose. Your local dry cleaner will likely have a tailor on site who can do this in a snap.

[marydell.livejournal.com]

I wish there was a western version of a Salwar Kameez, because that's a shape that would look good on me. But I don't think they make it in tee-shirt fabric and denim (YET).

[ashnistrike.livejournal.com]

Actually, I've seen something that looks very like that in the local KMart/Sears - they may even come in sizes for those of us who are neither small nor slender.

-Nameseeker

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

With lisinopril, keep an eye out for angioedema (your lips or tongue or whatnot swelling up).

[marydell.livejournal.com]

Good to know! I've been on it for a while, but never without the HCTZ.