Peatfan19
Member
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2018
- Messages
- 40
First time asking for help, any insight would be greatly appreciated, I don't know what to do any more.
I apologize for the long message, but want to provide sufficient context.
I am 50 years old and generally in good health, although I have been living a very sedentary lifestyle over the past 5 years with poor eating habits, and since April last year have been living an extremely stressful life with long hours of driving. I only came round to what I would describe as a Ray Peat diet (i.e. no PUFA, OJ etc.) about two years ago.
I have never suffered from elevated blood pressure or any cholesterol issues. There is also no history of heart problems or cardiovascular issues in my family.
In approximately August 2021 I started noticing pulsatile tinnitus in my right ear in the evenings when laying in bed, as well as occasional dizziness. At the time I did not make too much of it and ignored it. At around the same time I started experiencing a numbness and tingling in my one hand upon waking up, which would normalize after waking up.
Then in late November I suddenly started experiencing occasional sudden, sharp pains in the heart area, especially below the left ribs, and sometimes a bit higher up. This initially happened mostly when lying down, which is apparently a classical symptom of pericarditis. I initially ignored this too, but eventually after a couple of days went to the ER after I also started developing what I would describe as a pounding heart/fluttering of the heart. The ER conducted a ECG, ultrasound and blood tests, with a negative result, no ECG abnormalities, no sign of Troponin in the blood, no elevated D-Dimer levels etc.
The blood test did reveal the following:
Elevated CRP.
High blood pressure.
Elevated LDL cholesterol.
Extremely low Vit D (14.3 ng/mL, normal level 30 ng/mL)
Elevated PTH (88 pg/mL, normal range (by European standards) 15-68pg/mL)
The Dr initially thought it may be a likely case of pericarditis, and prescribed high dose Aspirin for the chest pain, which I continue to use for the past couple of weeks. (I started using 500mg 3x times a day, and decreased it to approximately 200mg 3x times per day currently.) He also gave me a high dose of oral Vitamin D (cholicalciferolum), without any Vitamin K.
About 2-3 weeks later I then had a very distressing incident where I temporarily lost the vision in both eyes for a short while with extremely blurred vision, which the ER ascribed to the high blood pressure. A subsequent comprehensive brain/neck MRI scan did not reveal any indication of a stroke or any vascular issues in the brain or neck. A thorough eye examination also did not reveal any issues with my eyes.
Since then, I have been to the ER twice again with the chest pains, and each time they do not find any indication of underlying heart issues, which is very frustrating.
The cardiologist I most recently consulted ruled out pericarditis or myocarditis.
I found that the chest pains were exacerbated by stress, especially emotional stress, but also hunger and cold, while other times it appears with no obvious trigger.
In an effort to lose weight to bring the elevated blood pressure down I went for approximately 2 weeks on a low calorie diet consisting mostly of apples, cheese and milk, with the occasional egg, as well as copious amounts of honey. I lost 6kg during this period. I am not overweight at all, just had a bit of belly fat which has now all but disappeared. This was irresponsible, and I regret doing this.
As a result I have completely lost my appetite for food, which is frustrating as I know I need to eat more to generate sufficient energy. I haven’t been able to eat much since then, and am forcing myself to eat some toast, egg, OJ, fruit etc. I seem to have developed an aversion to food like meat, potatoes etc, which has been a staple for a long time. Even salt on the tongue seem to be overpowering and I have no desire for extra salt.
The most recent blood test revealed that the Vit D level has normalized (41 ng/mL) although the PTH level is still very high at 66.
The TSH result appears to be within range (1.73 UI/mL), although this does appear on the low side.
The only blood marker which are out of range at the moment (one week ago) are the following: 1) Low ionised calcium level (1.11 mmol/L); low sodium levels (135mmol/L) and elevated glucose levels (5.7 mmol/Ll)
The electrolytes also appear to be normal.
The most distressing thing is that I have since developed what I would categorize as severe anxiety, includes panic attacks and severely interrupted sleep patterns. I am generally a very grounded person, and this anxiety is completely out of character for me.
The tingling in my one hand has also spread to both hands, and both hands are completely numb in the morning, and take some time to come back to life.
Using what I have learned from the forum, I am only able to come up with the following possible theories, and would really appreciate any advice to help me understand and fix this situation:
1) The extremely low Vit D resulted in the elevated PTH as a compensation mechanism, possibly secondary parathyroidism, and may have contributed to some sort of calcification of the arteries, although my blood calcium levels (2.28 mmol/l) appears to be in range and the alkaline phosphatase blood test results were also in the normal range at 77, which is apparently a marker of arterial calcification.
2) The Vit D deficiency resulted in the low ionized blood calcium level, with possible hypocalcemia, which could possibly explain the paresthesia/numbness in my hands? Could this also explain the extreme anxiety?
3) Could the 2 weeks of low calorie diet have resulted in a B1/B12 (or another?) deficiency which may explain the paresthesia/numbness in my hands as well as the extreme anxiety?
I asked Dr Peat about the chest pains, and his response was the following: “Drinking two quarts/day of low fat milk, and continuing the vitamin D supplementation, will lower the PTH. That will improve your oxidative energy production, which will allow you to absorb and retain magnesium more effectively, which will have stabilizing effects on your heart and blood vessels.” I did not ask Dr. Peat in detail about the anxiety and the paresthesia/numbness at the time.
Earlier today I have requested a full and complete blood panel, including serotonin, cortisol, adrenaline, B vitamins, etc which I will share once I have received it.
I am really at a loss here, and any advice would be greatly appreciated, especially for 1) Regaining my appetite; 2) Fixing the extreme anxiety; 3) Paresthesia.
I apologize for the long message, but want to provide sufficient context.
I am 50 years old and generally in good health, although I have been living a very sedentary lifestyle over the past 5 years with poor eating habits, and since April last year have been living an extremely stressful life with long hours of driving. I only came round to what I would describe as a Ray Peat diet (i.e. no PUFA, OJ etc.) about two years ago.
I have never suffered from elevated blood pressure or any cholesterol issues. There is also no history of heart problems or cardiovascular issues in my family.
In approximately August 2021 I started noticing pulsatile tinnitus in my right ear in the evenings when laying in bed, as well as occasional dizziness. At the time I did not make too much of it and ignored it. At around the same time I started experiencing a numbness and tingling in my one hand upon waking up, which would normalize after waking up.
Then in late November I suddenly started experiencing occasional sudden, sharp pains in the heart area, especially below the left ribs, and sometimes a bit higher up. This initially happened mostly when lying down, which is apparently a classical symptom of pericarditis. I initially ignored this too, but eventually after a couple of days went to the ER after I also started developing what I would describe as a pounding heart/fluttering of the heart. The ER conducted a ECG, ultrasound and blood tests, with a negative result, no ECG abnormalities, no sign of Troponin in the blood, no elevated D-Dimer levels etc.
The blood test did reveal the following:
Elevated CRP.
High blood pressure.
Elevated LDL cholesterol.
Extremely low Vit D (14.3 ng/mL, normal level 30 ng/mL)
Elevated PTH (88 pg/mL, normal range (by European standards) 15-68pg/mL)
The Dr initially thought it may be a likely case of pericarditis, and prescribed high dose Aspirin for the chest pain, which I continue to use for the past couple of weeks. (I started using 500mg 3x times a day, and decreased it to approximately 200mg 3x times per day currently.) He also gave me a high dose of oral Vitamin D (cholicalciferolum), without any Vitamin K.
About 2-3 weeks later I then had a very distressing incident where I temporarily lost the vision in both eyes for a short while with extremely blurred vision, which the ER ascribed to the high blood pressure. A subsequent comprehensive brain/neck MRI scan did not reveal any indication of a stroke or any vascular issues in the brain or neck. A thorough eye examination also did not reveal any issues with my eyes.
Since then, I have been to the ER twice again with the chest pains, and each time they do not find any indication of underlying heart issues, which is very frustrating.
The cardiologist I most recently consulted ruled out pericarditis or myocarditis.
I found that the chest pains were exacerbated by stress, especially emotional stress, but also hunger and cold, while other times it appears with no obvious trigger.
In an effort to lose weight to bring the elevated blood pressure down I went for approximately 2 weeks on a low calorie diet consisting mostly of apples, cheese and milk, with the occasional egg, as well as copious amounts of honey. I lost 6kg during this period. I am not overweight at all, just had a bit of belly fat which has now all but disappeared. This was irresponsible, and I regret doing this.
As a result I have completely lost my appetite for food, which is frustrating as I know I need to eat more to generate sufficient energy. I haven’t been able to eat much since then, and am forcing myself to eat some toast, egg, OJ, fruit etc. I seem to have developed an aversion to food like meat, potatoes etc, which has been a staple for a long time. Even salt on the tongue seem to be overpowering and I have no desire for extra salt.
The most recent blood test revealed that the Vit D level has normalized (41 ng/mL) although the PTH level is still very high at 66.
The TSH result appears to be within range (1.73 UI/mL), although this does appear on the low side.
The only blood marker which are out of range at the moment (one week ago) are the following: 1) Low ionised calcium level (1.11 mmol/L); low sodium levels (135mmol/L) and elevated glucose levels (5.7 mmol/Ll)
The electrolytes also appear to be normal.
The most distressing thing is that I have since developed what I would categorize as severe anxiety, includes panic attacks and severely interrupted sleep patterns. I am generally a very grounded person, and this anxiety is completely out of character for me.
The tingling in my one hand has also spread to both hands, and both hands are completely numb in the morning, and take some time to come back to life.
Using what I have learned from the forum, I am only able to come up with the following possible theories, and would really appreciate any advice to help me understand and fix this situation:
1) The extremely low Vit D resulted in the elevated PTH as a compensation mechanism, possibly secondary parathyroidism, and may have contributed to some sort of calcification of the arteries, although my blood calcium levels (2.28 mmol/l) appears to be in range and the alkaline phosphatase blood test results were also in the normal range at 77, which is apparently a marker of arterial calcification.
2) The Vit D deficiency resulted in the low ionized blood calcium level, with possible hypocalcemia, which could possibly explain the paresthesia/numbness in my hands? Could this also explain the extreme anxiety?
3) Could the 2 weeks of low calorie diet have resulted in a B1/B12 (or another?) deficiency which may explain the paresthesia/numbness in my hands as well as the extreme anxiety?
I asked Dr Peat about the chest pains, and his response was the following: “Drinking two quarts/day of low fat milk, and continuing the vitamin D supplementation, will lower the PTH. That will improve your oxidative energy production, which will allow you to absorb and retain magnesium more effectively, which will have stabilizing effects on your heart and blood vessels.” I did not ask Dr. Peat in detail about the anxiety and the paresthesia/numbness at the time.
Earlier today I have requested a full and complete blood panel, including serotonin, cortisol, adrenaline, B vitamins, etc which I will share once I have received it.
I am really at a loss here, and any advice would be greatly appreciated, especially for 1) Regaining my appetite; 2) Fixing the extreme anxiety; 3) Paresthesia.
