Annual Check Again

Well, yet another year has gone by.   I attended the Churchill on Tuesday before Christmas for my annual "MoT".  I remain very impressed by the reception I get, as just one of many donors who must pass through their door. They always welcome me with a smile and even remember that the recipient was my brother (who they never met) when they ask after his health as well.

I have had one slight worry this year (see below); health-wise, it has been quite a boring year which, after all, is what one would hope for at any age but especially whe you are past 60! That reminds me of what the examiner said once when I had a pilot's licence and was doing a General Skills Test; we had done a couple of touch and goes and I called "Downwind - to roll" expecting to do another circuit; he immediately thumbed the button and called "correction - downwind to land" (i.e. a full stop landing). Then he smiled at me and said "I'm bored!" It's what you want to hear, isn't it?

My figures this year were much the same as before- notably creatinine 132 and cholesterol 6.0 - and everything else was in the right range. However, my blood pressure was even better than last year at 116/71 and the consultant was even more envious of that than he was last year!

In discussion with the consultant I found out that it is normal for creatinine to vary a lot and also that it is less if you have more muscle - this probably explains why Tim's figure is better than mine!

The one slight worry with my health was that, back in July, I suffered from gout - just the second toe of one foot and the middle toe of the other. At one time it was so painful that I was unable to walk more than 20 yards. It seems that gout is caused by something called purines. These are natural compounds found in many foods which, when metabolised, produce uric acid as their end product; gout is essentially a build-up of uric acid crystals in joints. My urate figure has been high since the first blood test in 2012 amd I thought nothing of it; now, studying the diet guide, I find that there are certain foods which are high in purines, which should be eaten in moderation if not avoided entirely. To my surprise one of these was something that I have eaten all my life, namely Marmite, because it contains yeast extract. The list also includes mackerel (and other oily fish) and stock cubes! So, I am now on a low (or lower) purine diet and we'll see what happens; the gout has not recurred anyway.

That's it for another year, unless something dramatic happens.