Feeling the Pressure

I went to the doctors yesterday to find out the results of some blood tests I had done earlier in the week. I was feeling a little nervous as I haven’t been particularly active over the past couple of months due to the hot weather and my knee injury – try as I might, running is the only form of exercise that I enjoy, and anything else is a poor substitute that bores me to tears!

First up was the HbA1c, the 6-12 week average of my blood sugar levels. Last October it was at a very comfortable 5.6%, but I expected an increase this time. Happily not! I was 5.6% again! Hurrah! Next, liver and kidneys – both fine, inner sigh of relief. Being less active and trying to stay cool in the hot weather had led me to imbibe rather more of the amber nectar than health authorities might recommend, so pleased I had escaped admonition. Then – cholesterol. I stopped taking the statins I had been prescribed eight months ago because I was suspicious about the effect they were having on me. Thankfully, my cholesterol was also fine at 4.5!

All well and good so far, but then came the deflating blow – my blood pressure is still high. This, despite increasing my medication. Very disappointing, although I still think there’s a big element of white coat syndrome that makes it high simply because I’m anxious and fearing the result! After discussion with the doctor we agreed that it may be due to the fact that my weight has increased quite a lot over the past few months, and reducing this (though I’m not actually overweight) should help lower the blood pressure. So it’s time to get serious and get out running regularly again! Strange for me – I’ve never had to think about losing weight before in my life, so I can only blame the diabetes…well, why not!

I need to lose nine kilograms,
That’s twenty pounds or so.
I lost an ounce, or twenty eight grams –
There’s hundreds more to go!

So thank you diabetes,
I’ve never been this way,
I’ve always been light, and that was despite
Eating four thousand calories a day!

A horse between two bread vans
Would constitute a delicate snack,
I’d eat at least two on my way out to work,
And another two on the way back!

It’s not because I am lazy,
Or fill up my belly with junk!
It’s you that I blame diabetes
For the fact that my gravy boat’s sunk!

So I’ll say farewell to you biscuits,
And go put my running shoes on,
I’ll be lighter than air and they’ll all wonder where
That nine kilos of lard can have gone!

Great South Run – 16 days to go!`

I haven’t been writing about my recent running as most of it has been quite short and uneventful. I’ve been trying to keep to a pace and distance that my muscles and tendons can handle without a repeat of my injury at the end of August, which really set me back. My fitness levels are good – much better than they have been for some time., and my legs are quite strong. The problem I have is the durability of my legs. I seem to be very prone to little tears and strains, so I have no choice but to curtail a run once I feel that something may be about to go wrong. If the worst comes to the worst, I’ll hop round the course! Thankfully, at 10 miles the race isn’t insurmountable for slightly dodgy limbs, a marathon would be an entirely different proposition. I’m not sure why I’m having this difficulty, it’s not something I’ve encountered in over 25 years of running regular and long distances, and at a considerably faster pace than I can currently manage. It may possibly be related to one of the medications I have been taking since diagnosis. I’ve been reading up lately about cholesterol and the tablets used to lower levels, known as statins. They are actually linked to potential muscle wastage! I will report back when I have read up on all the facts and the various schools of thought, as I am seriously considering stopping taking them. My cholesterol levels are very low anyway, maybe too low!

So…all that being said, I have just been for a run today of just over one third of the GSR distance. Weather was good for it – cloudy, cool and no significant wind to fight against! I deliberately kept to a modest pace, ever mindful that an injury now would effectively rule me out of, at the very least, an enjoyable day out in Portsmouth. I felt a little lethargic for the first mile or so, but rather than cutting things short I decided to run through the far section of the park and give myself a chance to warm up properly. There were the usual very annoying stops waiting for traffic at the few roads I have to cross. It’s a real pain having to stop and watch an endless stream of cars moving slowly past without a break. Although they could all see me very clearly, not one of them had the courtesy to just pause a moment and allow me to cross safely – sometimes I hate motorists! Having never been a driver myself I don’t really understand the obsession with cars that many people have. I think there are so many lazy people around these days. My own neighbour never walks further than her door to the car and back again, however short the journey. I used to run from work to home in half the time it took colleagues to drive who live on the same street! What a waste of time and money!

Thankfully, I made it back in one piece, and at a reasonable sort of pace. Due to my missed training I’m just hoping to complete the GSR in less than two hours – I’d had ambitions a few weeks ago of under ninety minutes!

Friday October 9th, 2009
Distance
3.4 miles
Time
33’ 21”
Calories
402
Blood glucose before (1.5 hour)
8.7
Blood glucose after
7.4

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

I went for some blood tests yesterday as I have my six-monthly diabetes review next week. One of the things that has been slightly bothering me since all this started just over a year ago is that I’ve never been told the full details of my ‘lipid profile’. This shows the levels of HDL and LDL cholesterol, plus the triglyceride levels, whereas all I have received in the past is my ‘total’ cholesterol level. Ideally, a person with diabetes should try and maintain a total cholesterol level of 4 or less (for non-diabetics the level is below 5). Having high cholesterol is thought to put you at greater risk of arterial and heart disease. However, it is important to know how that total is made up as it comprises two components, one of which is beneficial to your health, one of which is not. It’s quite possible that you could have a low total, but too much of the ‘bad’ LDL.

The only reliable way to discover the split is to have blood taken after a 12 hour fast. Fasting will also allow accurate measurement of another potentially harmful substance called triglycerides. To this end, I marked my test report as ‘fasting’, and fasted accordingly, drinking only water from 9 pm until the blood was taken at 10 am the following day. Hopefully, I won’t get into trouble for this, but I felt it was important to know what the full details were so that I can determine if I need to do anything about my diet if the bad numbers are too high. I would also like to know if it is really necessary for me to be taking daily statins, drugs that help lower total cholesterol. If they’re having the effect of lowering my ‘good’ cholesterol, then they’re not actually helping me!

Cholesterol’s not as simple as at first you may believe,
‘Your total should be less than 4 – that’s what you should achieve!’
But what about the split of it, the so-called ‘good’ and ‘bad’?
If good’s too low and bad’s too high, then maybe you’ve been had!

There’s HDL that’s good for you, and helps to keep you well,
But LDL is bad for you as far as they can tell.
It helps fur up your arteries – that’s not to be desired,
For arteries in furry coats are not to be admired!

But how to find this magic split? A fasting test is needed…
No food nor drink must pass your lips, a rule which must be heeded.
Then LDL and HDL and bad triglyceride,
Will be exposed for all to see, with nowhere left to hide!