It amused me to discover that despite this being 2009, despite the huge advances in medical science, hernias are diagnosed using the following two techniques,
I’m not complaining it obviously works, and it’s quick cheap and easy, but I just found it funny.
You can keep your multi-million pound body scanners, just press there tell me if it hurts and cough for me, thanks.
I want to be sarcastic about the nurse appointment today, but the nurse was really nice and friendly so it wouldn’t be fair. I knew I’d put weight on, she asked why, I said bacon cobs. We had a discussion about grilling bacon, not frying it, and I tried to let her know I’m not stupid, I’m actually reasonably intelligent, and while I know what I’m doing wrong with food it doesn’t mean I can change it. Finding food without any of the Unholy Trinity (fat, sugar, salt) that’s still worth eating isn’t that easy, so if I find something which keeps my sugars down, doesn’t put my blood pressure through the ceiling and has too much fat – well I’m sorry but I’m still going to eat it. My feet are still there, my pulse is still present in my feet and I can still feel the little plastic stick thing they push into your toes to prove you still have nerve endings. She was excited about revealing my blood sugar results until I pissed on her bonfire and told her I’d gotten them on Monday, she took it well. And oddly, my blood pressure was really good. ACE inhibitors do have a possitive effect on blood pressure but I’ve only taken two so it can’t be entirely down to those. Maybe being on holiday helps, but I really thought after the last few weeks at work (which were some of the worst in the last 2 years) that my blood pressure would be somewhere around the height of Everest. Just goes to show, you can never be totally sure how your body is behaving.
So, all-in-all an okay appointment, she really was nice even while she nagged me to eat less and lose weight. Can’t really argue with her, and she couldn’t really argue with my sugar results so we were pretty much just shrugging a lot.
The wood pile in the garden is even smaller again – got a saw yesterday and had a go at some of the bigger branches and then snipped some more of the smaller ones. Which means I’m getting perilously close to the worst bit – bagging it all up – I hate that bit.
And while I’m sure 99% of the world will think I’m being crazy – I’m really pleased at swapping out a dimmer light switch in the lounge for a regular old click on off switch, which means we can now use low energy bulbs in the lamp fitting, reducing electricity bills and bulb replacement costs. The trip switch worked perfectly, letting me swap the light switch without having to power the whole house down and other than having to get my fat fingers into a tiny space to screw the wires in it was okay. I’ll probably be fit to own a house by the time I’m 80 at this rate – so you know – we’re making progress. The actual box on the wall is really ugly, and I may try and replace the whole thing with a more streamline fitting, now that I’ve seen the inside I’ve got a better idea how much space there is to work with (none!).
Car goes in for MOT tomorrow – if that goes not too badly it’s going to turn into a fantastic week.
So mixed bag today. Once I realised I didn’t have any appointments today, I thought I’d try and get a phone appointment to get my blood results. Rang the surgery and asked for one, and they told me my doctor was working out of a different location today and I should call there – after it took me about 20 minutes to get through. Still, I called the other surgery, and after another 15 minutes asked for a phone appointment – they don’t do them – but he could see me at 10:30. So, I ended up with a visit to the GP today anyway.
The good news, from the blood test my kidney and cholesterol results are fine. My liver results are ‘off’ but they’re always off and this time they’re off by less than they ever have been before. My HbA1c test was 5.8. That’s pretty good, and the biggest indicator of diabetes related health. It could stand being a little lower, more like 5% maybe and I still need to make sure day-to-day control is maintained.
The bad news is that my urine test showed protein, which means although my kidney blood tests are ok, my kidneys are allowing protein through. Essentially this is caused either by diabetes, or by high blood pressure or by both. The treatment is ACE inhibitors, which means another daily tablet. Yay me – see the NHS did get me something new for my birthday – a surprise! I get to take them for a week and then have more blood tests so now I have another appointment next week to give more blood and then I’ll need another GP appointment 3-4 weeks after that to review the results.
In other bad news – the car needs a new rear silencer (it sounded really bad today), and the MOT is due next week (which we’d kind of forgotten). I guess I know where the money I’ve managed to save is going this month.
But in other good news, Wickes sell mini-trip switches which are the exact right size for our old fashioned fuse box. I bought one 5amp one (after being caught out recently buying low energy light bulbs in bulk only to find out they didn’t fit, I thought I’d start with one thing this time and expand if it was the right option) and it fits perfectly. So hopefully if the Annoying Hallogen Light Bulbs from Hell in the kitchen trip the fuse it’s a quick switch flick to get things back online and no need to power down the entire fricking house.
So tomorrow eye test, Wednesday nurse appointment, sometime between then and next week, car in for MOT.
Then I’ll probably need a holiday to get over all this stuff.
My birthday is in March, and the NHS gets me the same thing every year – a set of annual diabetic check-ups. I get some retinopathy checks (they dilate your pupils and then photograph the back of your eyes). I can’t see very well for a while after that because everything is too bright. I get a visit to the nurse who checks my feet to make sure I can still feel them and that I didn’t cut a toe off without noticing, she tends to also nag me about not losing weight, having high blood pressure, and then asks me if I’m depressed. Before all that I also have to have a blood test and provide a urine sample, did those today. Bled pretty easily, was awkward last time but the nurse suggested it was because I hadn’t had a good breakfast. This time I made sure I ate early and I sprayed the inside of the two tubes quite happily when she stuck the needle in.
Then I get to wait and see how my average blood sugar was over the last three months. I’m not expecting a good result this time – I’ve had bouts of being ill on and off which messes with my control and emotionally I’ve not been strong enough to exert enough control either, so I suspect I’ll be having a talk with the doctor. I’ll resist attempts to change my meds – I can control my sugar when I’m strong and I just need another kick up the arse. I guess his concern will be that after too many kicks I’ll be blind and missing a foot.
I thought a lot about writing this blog post, and in fact as I write it (now! live!) I’m still not sure I’m actually going to post it. I don’t really know who reads my blog any more, I’m not even sure why those who do, do, but I suspect this post isn’t what any of you are expecting.
Don’t click or read on if you’re squeamish or don’t feel you know me well enough to listen to me talk about my bollocks being handled by a strange guy.
I know white bread is bad.
I know that working from home usually means my sugar is generally higher than when I’m in the office.
Mixing the two is not good.
I need to be more careful.
Approaching two hours after finishing my breakfast, and my blood sugar is 6 mmol/L. I had 3 hash browns and 4 slices of white bread (although they were half-loaf sized) and a lot of beans. But I also had sausage, bacon and fried eggs, a solid mix of protein and fat. That protein and fat ensures my body metabolises the carbohydrates more slowly. If I’d had four slices a toast only with low fat spread, the ‘healthier’ option, or even some regular cereal, my blood sugar would be up in the high 8’s or 9’s at this point.
The irony doesn’t escape me.
Still, here’s to blood sugar levels of 6 mmol/L and a Merry Christmas ahead.
Ah Christmas week, a week of relaxing and eating breakfasts you’re not allowed to eat during the rest of the year (well, it’s my tradition and I’m sticking to it!)
This morning Grete had Belgian Waffles with Canadian Maple Syrup (pure) and I’m having (too many) crumpets with butter. Grete has more waffles in the cupboard and some croissants for some point later in the week. I normally cook a fried breakfast on Christmas day but in the last few years we’ve run into scheduling issues. We don’t really get the breakfast done cooked until 11 o’clock or sometimes later, and that pushes our roast dinner back until the early evening. Neither of those things is good for my diabetes really (by the time breakfast is done I’m usually desperate to eat), so this year we’re doing fried breakfast on Christmas Eve and something smaller on Christmas Day, so we can eat the dinner at more like 2 or 3 o’clock.
Ah, crumpets, sweet crumpets already I feel your white flour sugary badness flowing into my blood and making me a little giddy. Soon you’ll lift me high and then dump me suddenly, alone, cold and shaking in the wilderness of high GI food and yet I shall love thee no less and in two days we shall dance this dance again.
Don’t worry, I promise no pictures this time. My gum has finally stopped being sore on it’s own and is now only sore if I poke the socket or press against the underlying jaw through the gum flesh (yes yes, so why do I keep doing it). The gum is growing over the wound slowly, but it’s still pretty tender. I can however, finally, eat on both sides of my mouth again, although it’s going to take some getting used to. On the right side, the gap means I push food down below the top molar into the gap, rather than tearing it, it sort of just pushes it around. I have to jiggle the food around a bit to get it over a tooth edge and hence truly chewed.
Since I have no one else to blame other than myself for this piece of mouth stupidity, I’m still beating myself up about it (it’s a personality flaw). As Grete says, if I believed in God I’d make a great Catholic since I do personal guilt so well.
So it’s progress anyway, and I’m pleased it’s finally getting somewhere. The pain under my tongue has mostly gone which I was attributing to the injections I got at the time, and for most of the time was causing more discomfort than the immediate gum pain. So that’s good, I’m pleased.
I still need to arrange another appointment for 2 fillings and some cleaning, but I’ve been putting that off, partly due to cost and partly due to well, it being the dentist. I’ll try and get that done soon.
Why when you’re ill is soup such a good choice of food? I always like soup don’t get me wrong, but when you’re ill it’s just that much better? The combination of hot stomach warming niceness with easy-to-make effortness maybe? Something about the sight of steaming golden soup and toast evoking memories of being taken care of when you were younger and ill? Who knows.
I won’t try and spoil the magic by working it out in too much detail, I just know that soup is the best food in the world when you’re ill (3 billion women are now thinking, no it’s not, it’s chocolate and ice cream fool!)
So far, wednesday tomato, yesterday mulligatawny (which partly exploded in the microwave) and today winter vegetable.
Soup, we salute you.