Now don’t get me wrong, Lipitor is a wonderful drug that undoubtedly saves lives every day. In my case the cure was much worse than the disease.

As is far too common knowledge, through my own stupidity I managed to have a heart attack despite being in excellent condition, having great cholesterol numbers and having good average blood pressure.

Recovery went very well for the first three weeks, then I started to have flu like symptoms without having the flu. I felt like I was running a fever, could not tolerate the sight of food, and had no energy. Lots of theories were put forth, but none seemed to fit completely. We cut back the Metoporol and I felt great for three days, then my blood pressure started to shoot up.

Now I must admit that the Dr. told me in mid July to stop taking Lipitor for a couple of weeks and see what happened. But since that was not likely to be causing problems, why bother.

Anyway, two weeks ago we went away and I did stop taking Lipitor. By the end of the week I felt much better and blood pressure had come down to normal levels. When I got home I took one dose, and felt awful with a return of the high blood pressure. It was agreed I should stop for a month, then try something else.

I still don’t feel 100%, I have an upset stomach about 30% of the time, and a low grade headache part of the time etc. But much of that may come from just being in lousy shape. Seven weeks on a couch does not prepare you for life.

Last week, I was able to go to Cardiac rehab and do the full work out for the first time in three weeks. It was hard, but by Thursday it was better. Saturday I was able to walk three miles, mow the lawn and work on the back porch for awhile without feeling tired. So --- maybe, just maybe things are on the upswing. About time.