Hey everyone!

Here are 6 tips I wish someone told me at the beginning of my pericarditis. Read until the end to find my bonus tip.

1/ STAY BELOW 100 HEART BEATS / MINUTE

I received this info from a friend who was able to consult an expert in pericarditis. From there, whatever the other doctors might have said, I kept this advice as my # 1 rule to recover from my pericarditis. Beta blockers helped me (even at a mini-dose of 0.625 mg = 2.5 mg: 4), garlic-mistletoe-hawthorn supplement, chamomile or hawthorn herbal teas. Reduce your intake or try something else if you have too low blood pressure. Try to stick to the 21-day rule when changing a medication or supplement. No exercise if you are still in pain with pericarditis (except for a peaceful walk). Always ask your doctor for advice.

2/ USE AN OXIMETER

It’s light, small and very convenient. In a pocket or purse, I carry mine everywhere to check my beats and my heart rate. Over time, I learned how my heart works and to validate my feelings. Read my blog post The Oximeter to learn more about this must-have accessory.

3/ AVOID STRESS

Stress is the worst factor in inducing a flare. To manage the level of anxiety due to pericarditis needs work (yes, work on myself!) and creativity to focus my mind on something else than the pain. See my blog post Coping With The Pain. Also, this is why very often living with pericarditis is not compatible with a job that induces stress.

4/ SLEEP ON YOUR RIGHT SIDE

Always sleep on your right side. It took me several months to understand what I was doing wrong because the pain was so bad that I couldn’t figure out what was the best practice for avoiding pain and “crisis”. For more details, check out my blog post How To Sleep.

5/ NON-INFLAMATORY DIET

Avoid pro-inflammatory foods such as lectins, processed sugar, coffee, tea, gluten and dairy products. I know, that’s a lot! Check out my blog post Non-inflammatory Diet and the FOOD tag for more info and delicious recipes (more to come soon).

6/ NO PRESSURE ON YOUR HEART

This means nothing that compresses the heart such as bra and heart rate monitor. It seems pretty obvious. But I forget it sometimes, so it’s good to have a little reminder.

BONUS TIP

My bonus tip is to walk every day to avoid muscles loss. Even on the toughest days, I go out for a short walk in the fresh air. This takes a lot of motivation and consistency. I am lucky to have people who support me so that this daily goal remains a success. Read my blog post The Promise for more details.

I hope you find these tips helpful on your journey to recover from your pericarditis. I lost control of my life and my health. These tips remain my guidelines for staying focused on what I need to put in place to do my best to recover.

Always keep them in mind!

FOCUS AND KEEP GOING!

Pericordially yours,

Vali