This past week, I had a follow-up doctor's appointment to tell my doctor, "Uncle!" Yes, it was a "Uncle" to admit that I probably will not be having much success with the go-it-alone, holistic approach to my attempts to lower my blood pressure AND lower my astronomical cholesterol numbers. When the doctor first asked me more than a month ago, about whether or not I've "got stress in my life?" I thought, "well, YES!" But I never really realized just HOW that stress was impacting my health!
Did you see my blog post about Sherry Holder Hunt? I knew Sherry through Squidoo as a fellow lensmaster. She was a beautiful and talented lady; she was a remarkable artist in addition to being a fine writer. Did you see that Sherry was ONLY 48 years old; she left us much too soon, before her time, on April 9th due to a massive heart attack.
Again, I want to say this, “It's been reported that Sherry "might" have suffered additionally from stress in her life.” I don’t know that you need to hear it from a doctor, but don’t we all know that stress can put you at risk! Stress can put you at risk for a variety of health factors; unmanaged or untreated stress can cut a beautiful life short. Need I say MORE???
OK, I’m sitting here studying MY recent VAP Cholesterol Test! Oh dear me!
Total LDL-C Direct = 174 [<130 is suggested] = +44
Sum Total Cholesterol = 250 [<200 is suggested] = +50
Total Non-HDL-C = 194 [<160 is suggested] = +34
Total APOB100 Calc = 122 [<109 is suggested] = +13
Real LDL-C = 150 [<100 is suggested] = +50
You see, I had the “normal” cholesterol blood test prior to the ordered follow-up VAP Cholesterol Test. The day that result came into my doctor’s office, they called me to say I needed the VAP. Then when the VAP results came in, they were even HIGHER than the prior test.
WAKE-UP CALL.
I had thought I could do a life style change and not need medications. However, I was already facing ongoing PT for my hand injury of December 9, 2009. Then, I suffered an injury to my other arm after the follow-up blood test. The doctor diagnosed the condition as a most unusual case of tendonitis in my forearm for the blood drawing event. OK, UNCLE! I told the doctor that I didn’t think I would be able to naturally bring down my cholesterol numbers and reduce my accompanying high blood pressure.
So, I am now on two different meds to deal with the cholesterol and blood pressure issues. I am strongly trying to reduce a huge amount of stress in my life too. Additionally, I am trying to effect a life-style change that will be a complement and give me a synergistic type of improvement in my health.
A lot less time ON THE COMPUTER; more time outside and specifically more time for EXERCISE. SO??? What did I go out and buy? Say hello to Skechers Women's Shape Ups - Strength Fitness Walking Sneaker!
I bought a pair of the black ones from my local mall shoe store. There was a helpful young lady, Samantha, who actually told me she was wearing a competitor’s shoe although she also liked the Skechers brand.
Samantha said that the shoes run true to size, and I would agree. She also showed me the Shape-ups Instructional DVD that comes in the shoe box. “It’s recommended that you watch this DVD first,” she said “and that you ONLY do 20 minutes of exercise the first time you wear the Skechers Shape-ups.”
Me? I’m just happy I’ve got my first pair of the Skechers Women's Shape Ups - Strength Fitness Walking Sneaker! I’m actually studying the line of Skechers and see a couple more pairs in my immediate future.
OK … time to SIGN-OFF as I really should get my exercise program kicked off. Hey, YOU! Let’s KICK SOME BUTT!!!
Showing posts with label cholesterol. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cholesterol. Show all posts
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
When success may be doubtful
It was 6:40am on a Friday morning, this particular Friday morning. I was in my car driving myself somewhere ... I'll tell you about where a little later as it relates to this story. Well, on the radio I hear an OnStar commercial which rings a bell with me as I recall seeing a TV commercial with their feature in operation. It's their "Stolen Vehicle Slowdown." Heard about it?
Googling "OnStar," I arrived at their website and quickly located SVS. I was scanning the page for something I heard on the radio as a tagline to their commercial. What it says about SVS:
Well, I didn't find the tagline, but I did find something similar, "Ability to locate stolen vehicles varies with conditions."
The tagline I was looking for went something like this, "success is dependent upon conditions." Huh? Isn't that true in life and in really ALL circumstances; i.e., that whether or not YOU will be successful at something is pretty much going to depend upon all the conditions or circumstances that come into play?
So, where am I going with my story? Well, I asked hubby to take me, but he said today was a banner-busy day for him. I ventured out early by myself, hoping to be the first in line where I was going. When I arrived at 7am, I noticed the facility was dark, but that the Curves next door was hopping. The sign on the window said 7:30am. Drat, I thought ... let's see what's happening with the women in Curves. I opened the door and was immediately greeted by a friendly attendant who thought I was her 7:30am appointment arriving early. It sure was interesting watching all the women on their stations, going round and round in that circle, and changing stations every time the recorded voice said, "change your stations." Every 30 seconds!
7:30am arrived, and sadly I had to leave Curves. Stepping into Quest Diagnostics, I let one woman go ahead of me and then I signed in as #7. When they called me to the window, after all the formalities, I said, "I am a hard stick." I felt that I had done my due diligence and that THAT meant something. I sat down and a few minutes later another lady called me to the window and said that I now had the pleasure of meeting my patient responsibility there at their facility and would I like to make my patient co-pay payment. "Sure," I said, "I like being responsible." I handed over my HSA card, but the system didn't like it. I was thinking ... er, "when success may be doubtful." I'll look for that bill in the mail.
I sat back down and probably 5 minutes later they called me back. "Sit in chair #1" the girl said. Oh, good, I was thinking. I've sat in that very chair a few years ago and I had success. Jason, a young man with the longest hair, pulled back in a ponytail, that he had been growing for some 11 years, stepped up to bat. "Well, hi there ... you sure do have long hair." I guess I was looking to make a connection with this fine young man who was going to try and draw my blood ... first. "Hello ... I am a hard stick ... you'll want to use the butterfly ... yada yada."
Jason applied the tourniquet to my upper left arm and began to explore his opportunities for success in the crook of my arm. Well, what seemed like ages whilst I was looking at the ceiling, taking deep breaths and trying to think of pleasant things. Well, before you knew it, Jason walked to another station. He conferred with one of the women ... and next thing I knew, the first lady was up to bat. She selected my left hand and went for the tiny vein which was conveniently marked with a bruise from the previous week's adventure at another Quest Diagnostics facility.
"Yes," I said when asked if I was hydrating myself with water. "A couple of bottles; more than usual." I'm thinking because I have the tendency to be dehydrated, that surely contributes to my not having success with my tiny, blood-drawing resistant veins.
"Oweee" and a few tears ... good grief that hurt as she maneuvered the needle seeking that tiny vein. "Did you get it?" I asked. "No," she replied. Good grief, "when success may be doubtful." It was about this time that I "think" I started to work at controlling an escalation of drama on my part. A few tears, some lightheadedness, and perhaps another oweee and some light wimpering. Not quite a drama queen though.
Hello, lady #2 up to bat. By this time, a warmer had been placed on my hand by lady #1 I think and I really thought the needle was still in my hand working on filling up that tube. Nope! The warmer was transferred to the crook of my arm and lady #2 took her shot at it. Holy moly batman, I don't think she got the message that I was a hard stick and used the butterfly. She tried a real needle in my forearm. OWEEE! Boy did that hurt. Two more tries and then finally success!
Only one hour in this facility opposed to the 2 hours of the previous week, but the previous week, it was 5 tubes vs. today's 1 tube.
So ... isn't this crazy that I am devoting my blog post today to something that should be a non-event? I'm asking YOU! Don't they train the techs who draw blood to deal with people who have tiny veins which roll and which are resistant to drawing blood. When the lady at Curves told me I might want to stand in line to be the first in, I told her not to worry ... that I wanted to have the techs warmed up before they took their crack(s) at me.
Ah, what did I tell you when you started this journey with me today? Remember? "When success may be doubtful ... when it is time for a lab tech to draw my blood." Gosh, I'm thinking of OnStar and their commercial this morning. Too bad there isn't GPS technology that can be used to locate the best veins from which to draw blood!
I'm wondering this, how many of my readers consider having blood drawn as an EVENT? Am I the only blogger out there that considers this an event? I'm seriously thinking "success may be doubtful" might be the mantra I am stuck with when it comes time for lab work. Gosh, I sure wish I could change this.
I forgot to mention why I was having my blood drawn today. It has to do with cholesterol ... which makes me think, I will seriously NEED to secure a "low-cholesterol cookbook" for myself to learn some new low-cholesterol recipes.
My doctor ordered the VAP® (Vertical Auto Profile) Test and I'm thankful that it only needed one tube of my blood this morning. Googling VAP, I found that this test is indicated when the patient might be exhibiting risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. I found Atherotech's website and learned that the VAP test ...
TGIF you all. Hope everyone has a great Friday and a wonderful weekend!
Googling "OnStar," I arrived at their website and quickly located SVS. I was scanning the page for something I heard on the radio as a tagline to their commercial. What it says about SVS:
Using GPS technology OnStar can pinpoint the location of stolen vehicles and then work directly with police to facilitate recovery, using exclusive technologies like Stolen Vehicle Slowdown® and NEW Remote Ignition Block.
Well, I didn't find the tagline, but I did find something similar, "Ability to locate stolen vehicles varies with conditions."
The tagline I was looking for went something like this, "success is dependent upon conditions." Huh? Isn't that true in life and in really ALL circumstances; i.e., that whether or not YOU will be successful at something is pretty much going to depend upon all the conditions or circumstances that come into play?
So, where am I going with my story? Well, I asked hubby to take me, but he said today was a banner-busy day for him. I ventured out early by myself, hoping to be the first in line where I was going. When I arrived at 7am, I noticed the facility was dark, but that the Curves next door was hopping. The sign on the window said 7:30am. Drat, I thought ... let's see what's happening with the women in Curves. I opened the door and was immediately greeted by a friendly attendant who thought I was her 7:30am appointment arriving early. It sure was interesting watching all the women on their stations, going round and round in that circle, and changing stations every time the recorded voice said, "change your stations." Every 30 seconds!
7:30am arrived, and sadly I had to leave Curves. Stepping into Quest Diagnostics, I let one woman go ahead of me and then I signed in as #7. When they called me to the window, after all the formalities, I said, "I am a hard stick." I felt that I had done my due diligence and that THAT meant something. I sat down and a few minutes later another lady called me to the window and said that I now had the pleasure of meeting my patient responsibility there at their facility and would I like to make my patient co-pay payment. "Sure," I said, "I like being responsible." I handed over my HSA card, but the system didn't like it. I was thinking ... er, "when success may be doubtful." I'll look for that bill in the mail.
I sat back down and probably 5 minutes later they called me back. "Sit in chair #1" the girl said. Oh, good, I was thinking. I've sat in that very chair a few years ago and I had success. Jason, a young man with the longest hair, pulled back in a ponytail, that he had been growing for some 11 years, stepped up to bat. "Well, hi there ... you sure do have long hair." I guess I was looking to make a connection with this fine young man who was going to try and draw my blood ... first. "Hello ... I am a hard stick ... you'll want to use the butterfly ... yada yada."
Jason applied the tourniquet to my upper left arm and began to explore his opportunities for success in the crook of my arm. Well, what seemed like ages whilst I was looking at the ceiling, taking deep breaths and trying to think of pleasant things. Well, before you knew it, Jason walked to another station. He conferred with one of the women ... and next thing I knew, the first lady was up to bat. She selected my left hand and went for the tiny vein which was conveniently marked with a bruise from the previous week's adventure at another Quest Diagnostics facility.
"Yes," I said when asked if I was hydrating myself with water. "A couple of bottles; more than usual." I'm thinking because I have the tendency to be dehydrated, that surely contributes to my not having success with my tiny, blood-drawing resistant veins.
"Oweee" and a few tears ... good grief that hurt as she maneuvered the needle seeking that tiny vein. "Did you get it?" I asked. "No," she replied. Good grief, "when success may be doubtful." It was about this time that I "think" I started to work at controlling an escalation of drama on my part. A few tears, some lightheadedness, and perhaps another oweee and some light wimpering. Not quite a drama queen though.
Hello, lady #2 up to bat. By this time, a warmer had been placed on my hand by lady #1 I think and I really thought the needle was still in my hand working on filling up that tube. Nope! The warmer was transferred to the crook of my arm and lady #2 took her shot at it. Holy moly batman, I don't think she got the message that I was a hard stick and used the butterfly. She tried a real needle in my forearm. OWEEE! Boy did that hurt. Two more tries and then finally success!
Only one hour in this facility opposed to the 2 hours of the previous week, but the previous week, it was 5 tubes vs. today's 1 tube.
So ... isn't this crazy that I am devoting my blog post today to something that should be a non-event? I'm asking YOU! Don't they train the techs who draw blood to deal with people who have tiny veins which roll and which are resistant to drawing blood. When the lady at Curves told me I might want to stand in line to be the first in, I told her not to worry ... that I wanted to have the techs warmed up before they took their crack(s) at me.
Ah, what did I tell you when you started this journey with me today? Remember? "When success may be doubtful ... when it is time for a lab tech to draw my blood." Gosh, I'm thinking of OnStar and their commercial this morning. Too bad there isn't GPS technology that can be used to locate the best veins from which to draw blood!
I'm wondering this, how many of my readers consider having blood drawn as an EVENT? Am I the only blogger out there that considers this an event? I'm seriously thinking "success may be doubtful" might be the mantra I am stuck with when it comes time for lab work. Gosh, I sure wish I could change this.
I forgot to mention why I was having my blood drawn today. It has to do with cholesterol ... which makes me think, I will seriously NEED to secure a "low-cholesterol cookbook" for myself to learn some new low-cholesterol recipes.
My doctor ordered the VAP® (Vertical Auto Profile) Test and I'm thankful that it only needed one tube of my blood this morning. Googling VAP, I found that this test is indicated when the patient might be exhibiting risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. I found Atherotech's website and learned that the VAP test ...
is the most accurate and comprehensive cholesterol test available today, reporting 15 separate components of blood cholesterol as opposed to four in a standard test ... it is the only cholesterol test to identify markers for Metabolic Syndrome, a precursor for diabetes.
TGIF you all. Hope everyone has a great Friday and a wonderful weekend!