The review

As I said yesterday we rather nervously went along to our medical review in the afternoon. We gave ourselves plenty of time so there was no rushing to raise our blood pressures.

Again I was seen first. My blood pressure yesterday was regarded as very good, just the sort of level they were wanting. The specialist nurse then went down the list of all the blood & urine tests, one by one. From the stomach pains I've been having this year I had thought there may be something amiss, but no. Both my liver & kidney function had improved over the last year, despite my suspecting I'd maybe drunk more alcohol ie wine. They're even beginning to think maybe I'm getting over the Chronic Kidney Disease (for which there's no cure). Some results were a bit off the accepted norm but within my personal normal parameters. At the end of the day, the worst that could be said is that I'm a little overweight - hardly a surprise. I've never been very slim &, even on that score, they were reasonably satisfied. Since I've been on the thyroid tablets I've slowly, but steadily, been losing weight which is the right direction to be going. Personally I've come to my mother's conclusion. Having a bit extra doesn't harm. It gives you some reserves to fall back on if you are hit by serious illness & don't feel able to eat for a while.

The Fox was next up. His blood pressure was also good this time. Again the specialist nurse went through his results. As with me, some things were highlighted but proved to show it was a case of being a little out of the normal parameters but within his personal ones. One set of blood tests indicated the Fox was fighting off some infection at the time, which is probably why he's been feeling so tired of late. It's hardly surprising with the number of viruses that seem to have been around this winter. As with me, the worst that could be said is that he's a little overweight too, though neither of us is obese. His weight though has gone up. Quite why they have no idea. I suspect it's lack of exercise since his stroke. He is doing far less physically than he used to. The only thing they did suggest is that maybe the time had come for him to have his pneumonia jab & he was duly given some literature to read on the matter.


The thing that still bemuses me is how come I'm still in the unusual position of having almost as much good cholesterol as bad whilst the Fox's is nowhere the same level. We eat pretty much the same. The main difference is that I eat the chocolate he doesn't. 


I'm seriously beginning to come to the conclusion these tests only give you an insight of how you are on a particular day. The medical profession doesn't seem to know half the time why changes occur, whether they be for good or bad. At times I'm left wondering how much better the practitioner of western medicine is than the average witch doctor or faith healer. 


All of this meant we left the surgery with lighter hearts. And in the evening, after dinner, we opened a bottle of wine, a Chilean sauv blanc, & put on some Ella, just to celebrate our apparent good health, or at least good health for people of our advanced years.