Re: Newly diagnosed

[NanaNana]

Hello my dear Bugbear and hello SwimmingfishSusie,
You've cheered me up no end, despite appointment to discuss blood test results with GP next Tuesday!
I have been taught front crawl, so that's what I do, however I rarely put my head in the water and can only take a breath when my right arm goes over. I'm totally ungainly and aware that my head out of the water isn't the right way to do things, but that'll come with 'underwater confidence' (which I seriously don't have right now).
Re-start next Wednesday evening with brand new teacher.

[big bear]

wow, nana,
i must start classes too
youre my inspiration!
love bugbear x

[NanaNana]

Go on then! I think teachers are more sympathetic if you're learning at 'an older age' (eek, dodging the cushion you've just chucked at me).
Spent 3 days last week at posh spa hotel and a whole afternoon being pampered and swimming (friend taught me breast stroke, but my leg didn't like that frog movement, so I stopped). I was talking to a 64 year old lady who couldn't swim (she was just paddling about in the pool) and she comes from our town and said that she might pop along to the pool when I do and enrol into lessons. I told her I was there on my own for 1/2 hour, with nobody watching/no splashing kids or professional length swimmers! She seemed keen, so will see if she actually turns up this week.

[NanaNana]

Appointment for operation came through this week, to have the metal nail removed from my leg. It was for 2 weeks' time. Bit of a shock, as the consultant told me it'd be around Christmas time (18 months after injury). Basing our lives on THAT, we've booked a weekend in London, plus a bonfire night out in a posh place.
I phoned the hospital and told them to postpone it. So they will send me another appointment for late November, hopefully. Christmas on crutches yes, but at least we'd have had our time away.

[NanaNana]

Date now for removal of my metalwork is 10th December.
Also, is Joyful friend's 70th birthday.

[NanaNana]

Trying to get the most in for my swimming and line dancing, before 10 December, we took friend's son swimming (plus restaurant tea) for his birthday this week. Surprisingly, I swam the entire width of the pool underwater (have been practising my 'face in the water, like a torpedo' technique at Weds lessons, but only just about managed it). Well, I put my face in as I launched off from the side wall and somehow, I just thought I'd keep going to see how far I'd get. My 'friend' and son were totally amazed and clapped loads.
So pleased with myself.
I shall do a bit of this, then start swimming, on Weds lesson night next week and see what my teacher says. Can't believe I've done this - me, who couldn't put her head under the shower a few months ago.

[susieq]

Well done Fran

I can only put my face under if I've got ear plugs in as if my ears get waterlogged I get awful earache ! (All due to ear infection I had as a child )

[NanaNana]

Well I couldn't do it without my goggles and nose clip on. I'm not that brave yet.

[NanaNana]

Right then. Before my hospital stint last week, I went for another blood test to check my cholesterol levels which were 5.3, three months ago.
They've gone up to 5.8 and GP wants to talk to me about it again (appointment made for early January).

Is this really such a high OVERALL score (I know there are different types of 'numbers'). How has it increased .5 in three months? I've not been overdoing the wrong sort of food.

[Ian_W]

Is this really such a high OVERALL score (I know there are different types of 'numbers'). How has it increased .5 in three months? I've not been overdoing the wrong sort of food.

The number by itself, is pretty meaningless from a medical standpoint. (coming from a lapsed RGN/Dietician)

Mine is, and has been several integers higher for years, it has to be read in context with many other factors. Many medications can 'inflate' the number, thus not give a true reflection of whether or not your 'score' is related to diet/exercise. For example in my case, my body doesn't manufacture the 'good' cholesterol, which makes the bad cholesterol number meaningless by itself. <snip> I waffled a bit here <snip>. So much so, to the point that my GP, totally ignores my cholesterol levels ... the practice nurse however (who does the annual health check) doesn't take these factors into consideration, and annually launches into her scripted lecture about healthy living.

To be honest, that increase, over that period of time, is nothing that they should have even commented on, as your diet over the few days prior to the test could have influenced it. The Overall score you listed, is just a whisker over the govt's guideline for 'normal' Anything over the Govt's guideline is flagged on your test results, and the GP has to physically 'tick' a box on his screen to acknowledge it. Like all 'normal' guidelines regarding health, they are just that .. a guide. As we all know, humans are a varied and complex beast, and none of us are 'text book'