My Own War Zone

For me, and people like me on salt-restricted diets, going through any day is like tiptoeing through a minefield in a war zone. Salt is everywhere, in everything. It's basically unavoidable in all food in all restaurants, and if you didn't cook it yourself, you'll never know until you keel over.

It's like this: Right now I feel okay. I eat something. Oops, now I feel sort of bad. Oh, now I feel better. I eat something else. Uh oh, now I feel bad again.

That pretty much sums up what it's like to have labile hypertension. Your blood pressure goes up....way up. Then it goes down....way down. Sky high, then ten minutes later I almost pass out from lack of oxygen to the brain. So naturally I am always on the lookout for clues as to how to avoid the ups and the downs, not to mention the strokes and the heart attacks.

This morning I brushed my teeth and then immediately drank a glass of water. But for some reason, the water tasted especially salty. It was straight from the kitchen tap, and it's usually fine. I wondered if my toothpaste could contain salt! I use Sensodyne. So I checked it out. And guess what. It does. I use it twice  a day and have for years. I am not supposed to have even a grain of salt if I can help it.

I wonder what bad thing is in Crest, or Colgate. And all the other products we use daily, trustingly, never thinking they are harming us. But suppose they all have side effects like the ones we hear about on TV for all those drugs that are supposed to help us? Dizziness, shortness of breath, confusion, dry mouth, suicidal thoughts -- you know the ones.

Each of us is fighting a different battle. Be careful out there among the landmines.