It has been an odd year. You won’t need to be reminded that the weather seems to have been foul most of the time, thus seriously obstructing outside work. To add to this problem I find that I have far less strength and stamina than two or three years ago and am not always able to take advantage of suitable conditions to get on with various jobs that need doing. Mind you I think I am doing fairly well, all things considered. The Prostap injections continue, now at three monthly intervals, and I am sure that at my next check-up in a couple of weeks time they will prove to have been doing a good job – they are certainly producing convincing side effects, such as hot flushes which are as strong as ever and the multiple visits to the loo overnight in particular. I imagine that if the side effects are any guide, then the desired effects must be happening equally well.I suspect that another of the side effects has been to promote weight gain, or at least inhibit weight loss, but despite this I felt the need (once the radiotherapy had finished) to lose some weight as a matter of priority. I have managed to lose at least a whole stone since the middle of the year and while this may not sound like much, it has made a big difference to how well I feel. Perhaps I am now at my optimum weight, since it is proving difficult to reduce it further at present. Even so I am pleased with this progress, which has been achieved entirely with the aid of The Harcombe Diet (which I strongly recommend – Google it for more information) – or, perhaps I should say, my best efforts to stick as closely as possible to that diet.
I have also allowed my (probably inherited) inner rebel to come to the fore by simply ceasing to take some tablets prescribed for high blood pressure and for allegedly high cholesterol. These were prescribed by a young locum doctor, no doubt with the best intentions, but very much mistakenly in my opinion. Yes, my blood pressure is high but this happens as one gets older and it is also yet another side effect of interference with hormones. And if Prostap treatment doesn’t amount to interference with hormones then I don’t know what does.
As for cholesterol, I have studied this very carefully over several months, reading several recent books on the subject as well as numerous online documents by respected doctors and others. I have concluded that high cholesterol is less dangerous than low cholesterol and that mine is actually below average so can afford to go higher in any case. Yes, I took the statins for some weeks until the side effects became severe enough to prompt me to question the medication. I actually reached the point where it was becoming very difficult indeed to drag myself upstairs, such was the pain and the apparent weakness in my legs. I also found that my memory started to become noticeably worse than usual and my ability to concentrate and to retain an idea in my head even for a few seconds, deserted me completely. This was even more alarming than the state of my legs. So, contrary to conventional advice, I gave up all the medication and though it took a while to return to normal I am fine now.
I have taken advantage of a couple of days of good weather recently to catch up with tidying the garden of our disabled neighbour. A heavy fall of leaves from very overgrown trees belonging to yet another neighbour had to be cleared, especially from a new lawn that I had managed to establish this year to replace an earlier lawn which had been all but killed by being smothered with such leaf accumulations in earlier years. Often garden work won’t wait and this was a prime example.
It would have been more fun to have been working on the VW campervan. Since having the new windscreen fitted we have been away, hence my new heading picture (more about that on the Granny’s Ramblings blog soon) and I have compiled a new list of jobs to do, which seems to get longer weekly. This includes refitting a protective rubber strip at the front edge of the elevating roof. This strip had to be removed during the windscreen replacement. Refitting it will require dry, mild conditions, careful measurement and assistance from a second pair of hands. The offside armrest on the driver’s seat has become loose, the sliding door needs lubrication and the step below that door needs to be removed so that the area beneath can be derusted and painted for future protection. The heater control does not operate fully, there is a need for extra sound insulation, if possible, behind the engine, a radio or CD player needs to be installed and I have to work out how to fit a reversing camera kit. These and other jobs should keep me occupied for a while and I hope to get a full service done before Christmas. Waiting in the garage is a useful collection of cooking and catering equipment that can be loaded into the van at short notice, together with various equipment for use on campsites and even a portable loo (for emergency use), so we are actually ready to travel and that list of jobs is just a matter of ongoing repair and improvement as might be expected with a fifteen-year-old vehicle.
Phew! I’m tired out just reading your list! It looks as though you had a marvelous holiday, and the work you’re planning for the van is going to ensure some more nice trips.
I’m with you on those statins. They may be necessary in very occasional cases, but they’re one of the drugs that are promoted within an inch of their life. Any time I see another advertisement telling me to ask my doctor to prescribe something, it’s fairly clear what’s going on.
Even though I’m active and do physical work, I don’t do enough walking or get enough of that vaunted aerobic activity. I know it, and have started taking a few steps (!) to remedy the situation.
A little common sense can help in these situations!
I am tired just thinking about the jobs that await me and especially about the cost of the work that I cannot do for myself! However, it was dry and sunny today (though cold) so I have made a start and it is very satisfying work.
The holiday was great but I am leaving it to Granny Anne to tell the story – and there will be pictures.
Exercise and diet have been an issue for me during recent months and I have concluded that exercise, though beneficial in modest doses, is greatly over-rated and there needs to be much more emphasis on diet – and particularly on reversing the brainwashing about cholesterol, fat etc. to which we have all been subjected for the past few decades. But don’t get me started on that!