Category: Health and wellbeing

Three years ago, I started the “diabetes prevention” course: a bit more exercise and a slightly changed diet. The last year has been OK on the exercise front, at an average of 3663 steps a day (about 5,000 in the 7 months of “summer” BST, and just over half that in the dark GMT months). I’m happy with that, especially as covid laid me low for six weeks or so. It’s an improvement on 2020-1 (3,304 steps) and 2021-2 (3074 steps).
Less good is my weight. From 74kg at the start of Feb 2020, down to 67.7 in 2021, and 65.2 last year, it’s crept up to 68.4. A target average of 1800 calories a day seems to put on the pounds! I’m dropping my daily ration to 1700 calories … fingers crossed, as I don’t think I can face going back to the 1500 calories of my first year of watching weight.
It’s all a far cry from my working life, where I was steady on 55kg for twenty-odd years!

My sister Jane has just had her 3-year followup DXA scan, and been told she’s progressed from “very mild” to “severe” osteoporosis. My brother Simon has been on meds for it for a couple of years, and I showed up as “osteopenia but not (yet) osteoporosis” three years ago.

My 3-year follow-up was due in November. I’d been told that I’d automatically be called for a repeat scan. I asked about this last summer, as I was seeing my GP for something else, and was assured it would be dealt with. I finally managed to get in touch with a GP today (by dint of contacting them on line and waiting a fortnight for a phone appointment, as is usual for non-urgent stuff). I was informed that there’s no longer any automatic followup, but that she would now refer me for another scan!

There seems to be something wildly adrift about GPs and DXA scans – things 3 years ago weren’t exactly trouble-free!

Today I tested negative for covid – at last! I’ve been +ve since 19th, which rather buggered up Christmas. If I get another negative test tomorrow, I’ll be deemed non-infectious. I’m still feeling generally grotty, so don’t actually expect to be going out, but at least can skip putting on a mask when answering the door to the postie & delivery drivers. I expect it will take a week or two before I feel free of the after-effects.

LFT test today, rather earlier than I have been doing them, as I had an Ocado delivery booked for the 1000-1100 slot. It’s actually slightly more promising: the red line is definitely less pronounced. I’m hoping that this isn’t just an artefact of this single test! Apparently, it’s rare for Omicron variant to show positive for more than 10 days (which I’ve passed), so I’m hoping tomorrow may be clear.

I do still feel pretty grim: headaches, still very snotty, and a bit brain-fogged. I have a kinda nasty feeling that it’s going to be a long haul to return to normal … but winters are always a bit difficult and I usually feel distinctly sub-par between late December and late March with non-specific achy/snotty/sinus things, so it may be difficult to tell if it’s extended covid or not.

Wednesday 28th – Chloe’s birthday. Sadly, I’m missing it! I’m still testing positive for covid, – on the tenth day since the first positive test, twelve days from the first symptom (which was an odd back ache I first thought might be kidneys). A delivery of more LFT tests is due this afternoon, as I’ve got through rather more than I’d hoped: Amazon Prime this time, as everyone else was only offering January deliveries.

Synexus rang at about 1045 – a bit earlier than I’d planned on calling them. The appointment due tomorrow has now been rescheduled for 3rd January, and because of rail strikes I’ve asked to be collected by cab.

Still feeling snotty and headachy, and this morning my wrists and hands ache – though that’s probably because it’s been raining all morning. I’m finding concentration and reading difficult, and last night opted for TV on catchup: it was the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, of which I watched the first one.

My appetite seems unaffected … well, perhaps increased! I’ve put on 2 kg since Christmas Eve, which is slightly alarming. I just seem to be craving carbs at the moment.