Getting hard to trust some doctors

[squatting dog]

The human body has remarkable recuperative powers if given the chance. Of course there are times when medical intervention is advisable.

True enough. I was able to re-hab my fractured upper and lower vertebrae without any surgery.
Now, the burns I suffered that time did require surgery, so, there may be times it's necessary.

 

[WheatenLover]

I was at the doctor on Thursday for test results. According to my Dr. the HDL was a little high. She said she didn't mind because my LDL was so good. I could have mixed those up but anyhow the good cholesterol was very good. I'm glad she didn't start trying to push those awful statins on me. I can't take them anyhow because they always cause me upper leg pain and debilitaingly! I still have some pain from the low dose statin I was taking a few years ago. They should do a long term study on what those statins do to a person's body!

When I was taking Lipitor, I knew what the side effects were and that they could cause long term or permanent problems. When I started having muscle pain in my legs, I went to see my cardiologist and he prescribed Crestor. I haven't had problems since. However, the resident who came into the room stridently disagreed with him. He gave her a short speech about quality of life and that shut her up.

Crestor has similar side effects to Lipitor. Thank heavens haven't experienced any of them.

I think the meds I take - Crestor, blood thinner, high blood pressure - are vital to me being alive. I've been taking them for 23 years.

 

[StillLearning]

I’m taking a low dose of blood pressure pills but doctor has been suggesting me to raise the dosage. It’s hard to figure out what your blood pressure is when taking deep breaths can lower it and and having your mind race can raise it, all within 5-10 minutes. I’m lucky that in the past this doctor doesn’t over prescribe pills. So we will see how this close monitoring goes.

 

[Warrigal]

To be fair, in the 1960s and 70s I remember an awful lot of my parents' friends and relatives dropping dead from heart attacks and strokes in their 40s, 50s & 60s. That's a rarity these days. Not saying it doesn't happen, but it sure seems to be a less frequent occurrence.

My dad died suddenly from a heart attack aged just 57. It was a common thing for men back then. He had angina but the cause of it was most likely his weight, smoking and beer. He was also a returned serviceman, having served in New Guinea during WW II.

Mum lasted until she was 93 and only died then because she decided one day to stop eating and drinking. She was being cared for in an aged care facility and had dementia. She neither smoked nor drank alcohol and was still playing tennis in her 80s.

Based on my family history my GP became concerned when at menopause my usually low blood pressure began to rise, and he sent me to a cardiac specialist for a work up. I was found to have some plaque in an artery near the heart that, if it detached could result in a coronary, so I was put on an aggressive regime to lower my cholesterol using a statin, but the side effect was severe coughing when I lay down to sleep at night. My GP changed the medication to a low dose statin plus another chemical that boosts the statin's effect. No side effects since then.

The cardiologist stopped seeing me some years ago because he judged my heart health to be average for my age. That's good enough for me.

Ever since, I have taken a daily composite for cholesterol and another tablet to control blood pressure. The GP monitors my BP and cholesterol regularly. I am now 82. My diet leaves a lot to be desired in that I am a red meat eater, prefer butter to other spreads, enjoy full cream milk, chocolate and other sweets to substitutes, and I salt my food. However, I am still on my feet enjoying life.

If I am to die of a heart attack or stroke, which is always on the cards, I will go peacefully into that dark night because life has been very good to me and I have no regrets, nor have I any unresolved issues.

Meanwhile I will continue to listen to and co-operate with my GP until he retires, and after that with his more junior partner.