Category: My Journey
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Is it the blue or red pill? Adventures in medication adherence
Living a healthy lifestyle of good nutrition, regular exercise, reducing stress and sleep are all important to manage conditions like diabetes, heart disease and cancers. However, sometimes that isn’t enough and medications are needed. For the past year I’ve been taking two medications (a beta blocker- bisoprolol, and a statin- rosouvastatin) religiously. Working in a…
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Reflections on my Exercise Stress Test. My Ongoing Journey with Heart Disease
It’s done! I completed my stress test and I was more than happy to get it over with. Prior to the test, my mind was swirling with questions. Will I be able to last as long? How will taking my beta blocker affect my total time and performance? Last year, 15 minutes into the test,…
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Anxious thoughts about my upcoming exercise stress test. Part of my Patient Journey with Heart Disease
As a researcher focused on heart disease, exercise stress tests are part of my life. I’ve referred countless patients for the tests as part of their care and as participants in my research. Now, I feel like the tables have turned somewhat with my first follow-up test coming up since being diagnosed with heart disease.…
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My First Trip Overseas Since being Diagnosed with Heart Disease
On Friday I arrived back in Vancouver after spending four days in Delhi. It wasn’t nearly as exotic as it sounds since I spent almost the whole time in work meetings with cardiologists and heart researchers from around the world. This was the first overseas trip for me after being diagnosed with exercise-induced palpitations and…