Today, in case you were keeping tabs, is Day 29 of the 60 day WARN notice. The organization of my e-mails in to archives is complete and all but a handful of meetings canceled (of the ones I am attending, a few are required and some are for my personal interest). My e-mail and "chat" traffic has dwindled to a trickle, mostly items I am cc'ed on. It is odd how both the time has passed quickly and dragged.
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This week, as part of my "Get the medical appointments in before insurance changes", I had a physical. Physically I seem fine and my usual two concerns - blood sugar and blood pressure - seem relatively well in hand. What was a surprise, perhaps more accurately a shock, was my lipid panel. My triglycerides, which have always been high (apparently), were at 292 milligrams per decaliter (mg/dL) where the normal range if 50 to 150 mg/dL. My HDL was 33 mg/dL (range > 40 mg/dL) and my LDL was 117 mg/dL (range < 100 mg/dL); the ratio between the two was 6.34 (normal 0.00 to 4.44). Cholesterol was a mere 8 mgs about the top of the rang (208 mg/dL; normal 140-200 mg/dL).
Kindly enough in his notes, the doctor did not ask "Are you still alive?". He did, however, suggest a change in diet to more of a "Mediterranean Diet" and come retest in four months:
- Use non-tropical vegetable oils (e.g. olive oil)
- Limit sweets and avoid added sugars, sugar-sweetened beverages in particular
- Avoid fried food and limit red meat consumption
- Avoid processed foods
Finally, my prostate is apparently okay as well. So I have that going for me.
It is good to keep an eye on any health issues which may spring up. The advice 'An ounce of Prevention is worth a pound of Cure' is well founded. I wish I had your options for ability to eat vegetables without fear of consequences.
ReplyDeleteI take blood thinners because i have an artificial heart valve, and vitamin K has a big influence on how well those thinners work. So portions of green leafy vegetables is bad for me. Even carrots - how unfair is that !
I'm sure your hiking and training for them helps you keep your health up to speed. I wonder if the meals during your recent hike may have 'skewed' your numbers
Here is to your health..
Anon - To be fair, the triglyceride numbers have been elevated some over the last few years and having come off a trip last weekend (and not eating ideally) and not fasting for the testing, they may have been higher than normal - but the trend is there.
DeleteHow unfortunate to be unable to eat some vegetables (I say that - there are some vegetables I would happily ignore for the rest of my life).
The hiking and training are helpful and I always see a benefit when I walk regularly and for distance, which I may have more time to do in the upcoming months due to the change in my job situation.
As you get older the bell tolls, that Med diet pops up eh? Keeping active helps a lot though especially mentally. A walk when it's forty above and warmer rather than ten above seems to be more inviting. For me it's two blocks down to the lake path and then a three and a quarter mile jaunt around it, loons and pelicans are visiting on their way Up North this week.
ReplyDeleteNylon12 - Apparently it does. It is something we have done haphazardly in the past. I am still trying to run down in my head where it might be coming from. Possibly dairy and red meat, although I do not feel like I eat that much meat (Dairy I have a ton of, so I will start with non-fat options and go from there).
DeleteI cannot imagine walking for distance in 10 F. 34 F when Poppy The Brave needs a walk seems "over the top".
Yep, health care costs and challenges. If you don’t need any prescriptions that is a plus.
ReplyDeletePreventive tests are important. There are a couple invasive tests I am on schedule for that you don’t mention here. I suppose you’re still on the early side of the age group I am in though.
Franknbean
FnB - I did have a colonoscopy 3 years to good effect three years ago and am not due for another 5 or so. At the moment, my PSA numbers are good - hopefully that is all I will need.
DeleteMy hope is that we will only need the health care short term to bridge until I can find something else, but I need to anticipate it going on for longer than that - after all, if nothing comes through soon, we will need to extend it. To that end, whatever I can do to keep myself in good health makes good sense.
Although not as bad as yours, my cholesterol numbers are slowly creeping up there despite my largely sticking to the menu you list below. For me, I think weight is probably the biggest issue and something I need to address.
ReplyDeleteI started yearly physicals a couple years ago. It has been sort of a shock for me, going from all is good and normal to a ever growing list of "let's see if we can change these numbers a bit."
Ed, I think that weight (really the fat portion) is a contributing factor as it seems like (according to what I read) a reasonable drop can be expected just from that item. I will start with eliminating most sugar and most fat (the unhealthy kind at least) and see how that gets me.
DeleteIt is rather alarming to start having the "Have you thought about..." discussions. That said, I continue to remain grateful that do not require any long term prescriptions.
I just had mine in March. Do you know your family history on heart issues? I've got centenarians on both sides. In my family, if you don't drink or smoke and keep your anger managed, you last forever it seems.
ReplyDeleteMy weight started to fall off due to not eating unless I was hungry. Some days that's just once. Being unable to work out, it's all on diet. Down 30 lbs just from not stuffing my face. My doc said think about statins a while back. I told her cholesterol was just a number. She didn't know what to think. the ratio is somewhat important. Check out where cholesterol became a "bad guy". Hint: President 34.
My tri-gly runs a bit hot. I kind of have a modified keto / carnivore diet. It works for me... so far. As systems age.... adjustments are made.
Anon - Sadly yes, I have heart issues from both sides of my family, although I have relatives that have also lived well into their 90's.
DeleteThat is great news on your weight loss. I think that may be some of what I have to do as well; I have allowed myself to fall into the trap of "more food" when training, which is not always so (to be honest, I may have reached about what I can achieve in terms of training and thus, the need for "extra" protein).
I am reviewing forms of the Mediterranean diet. I certainly like fish and could use more of that as a protein source, although given the location we currently live in it is not as economic as I would like.
Don't forget to hit the dentist, TB! These days, you never know when the hammer may fall... The BIG hammer... Going into TEOTWAWKI with a healthy mouth is gold in the safe! I've had several toothaches over time, a couple of which had me seeing flashing blue lights and looking for pliers to pull the teeth out! Get the cleaning. Get the exam. Get the teeth fixed. If you have a tooth that's growling, know this; it's NOT going to get better by itself! It's GONNA get worse!
ReplyDeleteAs for the cholesterol, my sister in law died of liver failure from taking Lipitor. NO.THANKS, doc! I'll take my chances!
As for "dieting," I've taken to not eating unless I need to eat. I allow myself dessert after dinner. That's it. Otherwise, it three meals and nothing in between, with two of those meals being groaningly
"healthy." ...And no alcohol... Given the crap being put into our food, eating less helps you lose weight, and keeps the crap intake to a minimum.
Pete - Dentistry for me is done (I will have to figure out the next semi-annual cleaning); All others have been notified they need to take care of it within the next month.
DeleteMy goal, so far as I am able (and so far, I have been able) is to manage my health without medications as long as possible; one of the first things you learn in my industry is that all drugs - every single one - have side effects.
Timing of meals is a big thing - sounds like you have got it nailed down. Too often I think I eat more out of habit or boredom than actual need.
Alcohol - My drinking has dropped way off. I perhaps have a single beer or glass of wine every 3-4 weeks, but that it is anymore. One, it is better for me. Two, my tolerance is about zero anymore and more than one beer/one glass of wine is an unlovely thing.
Call me stupid. I don't care. After the Covid gong show ... I don't trust those quacks and shysters farther than I can throw them. My father in law lived in fear of them and did everything he was told. He was in the best shape of any of the grandparents his age, and he was still the first one to die. My Dad smoked like a stack from the age of 5 to age 65 and he's still chugging at 83. HIS dad smoked more than he did and he was 87 when he kicked the bucket.
ReplyDeleteMy brother runs (and wins) death races. He got diabetes. The doctors are monitoring me for it and when I went on a fitness and diet kick my bloodwork came back WORSE than before I got healthy with my lifestyle changes. I don't advocate irresponsibility... but I don't trust the medicos anymore. I believe genetics have a lot to do with the way your number comes up... and when it's up, it's up and there's no use trying to dodge it. But... whadda I know? I may drop dead and go to hell tomorrow... but I'm gonna eat what I want and die like a man! ;)
All things in moderation... including moderation.
I get that Glen. That said, there are also the facts on the ground - in my case, that my family background is pre-disposed to heart issues and diabetes and I know what the aftermath looks like. Also, for every smoker that lives to 85 there is one that dies in their mid-50's. There is playing the odds, and then there doing what you can to push things in you favor in general. And in my case, these things are pretty easy to do. Changing my diet is of minimal consequence at this time. Having it chose for me later is a bigger consequence.
DeleteTo some extent I feel the same, Glen, but I figure I should take at least as good care of the one body I have as I do my car that can wear out, die, and be replaced. ...And I don't use cheap gas or oil in my car...
DeleteSadly Pete, replacement parts for these models are hard to come by...
DeleteI expect you will be fine on the diet, TB. Good luck and God bless. :)
ReplyDeleteI think so too Linda. Mine is mostly dinners. Breakfasts are pretty well set at this point (oatmeal and yogurt) and lunches are often spinach and whatever the leftovers from dinner are, so dinner becomes the critical thing.
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