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!

The Low Cholesterol Limbo!

Statins are the wonder drugs of the new millennium. Decades of studies have shown that high cholesterol levels can bring an increased risk of heart disease and atherosclerosis, and statins work effectively to lower these levels. People with diabetes are at increased risk of heart disease too, so common practice is to put all diabetics on statins to lower their cholesterol levels and mitigate the risks.

However, the figures can be somewhat misleading and delving deeper uncovers how statistics and studies can be manipulated so that it becomes a very far from clear-cut situation. Much of the analysis and study has been commissioned and paid for by the big pharmaceutical companies that make the drugs they want us all to take. The cynical amongst us might suspect a certain level of bias in their findings…

I’m not really too concerned by that, but what has bothered me is the fact that no-one has set a lower limit on cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is an essential substance for the body, being directly involved in every cell, so we need a certain amount of it to live. Over the years, the cholesterol theory has been constantly modified – first it was total cholesterol, then we had ‘bad’ and ‘good’ cholesterol, ‘safe’ limits were being constantly lowered, seemingly to vanishing point! As a diabetic, the recommendation is that I keep my total levels below 4.0. Using statins, my level last year fell to 2.4, but there was no indication that this was a sign I could achieve healthy levels without the drugs and when I questioned it I was encouraged to keep taking them.

After thinking long and hard about it I have decided to stop taking them and take my chances. I have a slightly increased statistical risk of heart disease – of 100 people taking them, three will possibly have diminished risks, the remainder will carry on as before. Set against my increased risk of heart disease are the decreases in risks of other problems. Very low cholesterol levels have been shown to carry an increased risk of stroke. Also, statins can have side-effects – some minor, but some very serious, including death. So for me, I find it better to let my body find its natural levels rather than directly interfere with its processes using crude and powerful drugs. This may not be right for everyone, as people and circumstances differ vastly, but for me the case and the advantages are not proven. My doctor is probably not going to like it!

A useful book on the topic is: The Great Cholesterol Con

And this website graphically illustrates the risks and benefits of statin treatment:

http://www.nntonline.net/ebm/newsletter/2003/06/diabetes_and_statins.asp

Another article which summarises the case against lowering cholesterol to extremes and exlpains the history of the 'cholesterol is harmful' hypothesis:

http://www.wellnessclubsofamerica.com/Copy_of_Cholesterol_Low_Part_1_c.html

The Low Cholesterol Limbo, how low can you go?
Well, since no-one’s ever told me I’m afraid that I don’t know!
They say ‘four’ for diabetics is where to set the bar,
But my record low is 2.4, so I’ve beaten that by far!

And what’s the prize for winning when my shoulders scrape the floor?
It seems they’ll fill me up with drugs, then lower it some more!
For there might be an outside chance I’ll die of heart disease,
But what about the other risks? Could you explain them please?

For every hundred people who have been ‘statin-ated’
Then there’s a chance for three of them, the risks will have abated…
The statins help us limbo low – but too low is no joke,
For fall too low and it will bring an increased risk of stroke!

I’d rather let my body work the way it was intended,
The doctors might not like it, and they might be quite offended.
But if I learn to live my life in a healthy, balanced way,
There’s every chance I’ll be just fine and dance another day!

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