The Doctor!

Well as I start this journey i thought I would start with a visit to my local GP.


My first visit was back  in Nov 2013, it was to ask my GP to do a full blood work up so we could get a internal picture of where my body was at.

Due to Christmas and holidays I had been unable to visit him again to find out the result until today.

I wanted to find out were I stand in regards to my health and if there were any areas that may be holding me back (besides my weight) that needed to be looked at before I started down this road of bettering myself.

Losing weight for me has never been easy at any time and so my thoughts on why, came down to maybe a Thyroid problem or something else that could hinder weight lose.

Unbeknown to my wife and family the time over Christmas was a worrying one as I was not sure of the results from the blood test would come back favourable.

I mean a guy of my age 38 and in less than peak condition I was not expecting a glowing score card.

So my visit to my GP started off like any other visit to him...... late by 45 minutes which is not bad as I have sat there longer in times past!

But once in, it was clear that I was not in for good news.

So lets start from the beginning....

The Blood Tests 

TSH Test Thyroid
Well it seems that I have no problem with my thyroid as the results came back well within range of normal.  So that rules out any abnormality with the thyroid and weight gain/loss problems cant be contributed to it.

What is the thyroid gland?
The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland that is normally located in the lower front of the neck. The thyroid’s job is to make thyroid hormones, which are secreted into the blood and then carried to every tissue in the body. Thyroid hormone helps the body use energy, stay warm and keep the brain, heart, muscles, and other organs working as they should.

Here is a copy of the results for those that like the hard figures

 
If you are interested in learning about this test have a look at this  http://healthengine.com.au/info/Thyroid_Function_Tests

General Biochemistry Test

OK I'm in no way going to try and explain this test as it has so many parts. Suffice to say I had a good result in this area, all within normal parameters.
I will be posting my result soon so that those that are interested can take a look or if you are a professional can view them your self and I would be more than happy to hear what you think about them.

Full Blood Examination 

Once again I'm not going to try and explain this test but once again my results have come back "within normal limits" which is a comfort.

If you would like to know more about blood test check this out http://hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Understand-Your-Blood-Tests-Biochemistry

Now for some bad news

Now this one was strange and really was not on my radar. 

Hydroxy Vitamin D Test

Well it seems that I have a mild case of vitamin D deficiency. Now for those that may not know where we get or vitamin D from it sun light and very few foods! Vitamin D the sunshine vitamin.
Vitamin D is essential for strong bones because it helps the body use calcium from the diet. Traditionally, Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with rickets, a disease in which the bone tissue doesn't properly mineralise, leading to soft bones and skeletal deformities. But increasingly, research is revealing the importance of vitamin D in protecting against a host of health problems.

Symptoms and Health Risks of Vitamin D Deficiency

Symptoms of bone pain and muscle weakness can mean you have a vitamin D deficiency. However, for many people, the symptoms are subtle. Yet even without symptoms, too little vitamin D can pose health risks. Low blood levels of the vitamin have been associated with the following:

• Increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease
• Cognitive impairment in older adults
• Severe asthma in children
• Cancer

Research suggests that vitamin D could play a role in the prevention and treatment of a number of different conditions, including type1 and type 2 diabetes, hypertension, glucose intolerance, and multiple sclerosis.

All things I want no part of!.

Vitamin D deficiency can occur for a number of reasons:

You don't consume the recommended levels of the vitamin over time. This is likely if you follow a strict vegetarian diet, because most of the natural sources are animal-based, including fish and fish oils, egg yolks, cheese, fortified milk, and beef liver.

Now once again that is not me at all, those who know me know that I am a lover of almost everything on that list apart from beef liver......have not had that for a long while :)

Your exposure to sunlight is limited. Because the body makes vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight, you may be at risk of deficiency if you are homebound, live in extreme northern or southern latitudes, wear long selves all the time or have an occupation that prevents sun exposure.

Once again this is not me!

You have dark skin. The pigment melanin reduces the skin's ability to make vitamin D in response to sunlight exposure. Some studies show that older adults with darker skin are at high risk of vitamin D deficiency.

Now I'm as white as white can be and so once again this does not cover why i am deficient.

Your kidneys cannot convert vitamin D to its active form. 

From my research as people age their kidneys are less able to convert vitamin D to its active form, thus increasing their risk of vitamin D deficiency.

Crazy because as I said before I'm out in the sun most of the day and would never had thought that I did not get enough sun light but thinking about it I really only have my forearms exposed, head, neck and in summer my lower legs due to wearing shorts but really that is it, so I'm guessing I need to supplement or brave the sun and catch some rays. Maybe I have not been out in the sun as much as I thought.
I am far from a a sun bather as I don't wish to scare anyone with the sight of me sunning myself!!!!

For more info on Vitamin D there is a wealth of information on the net but once again here is a link
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/vitamin_d?open

  Now for the Big One's

  Lipid Studies AKA Cholesterol's

OK now this one was not so much a shock as what over weight person does not have a Cholesterol problem!

Now in 2007 which by the way was my last visit to the doctor for a blood work up (way to long between drinks I would say) and the these test results that I'm going to publish will have the last know teat as a guide as to how i have been tracking since last tests.
So in 2007 my Cholesterol reading was 5.1 and to those in the know that is right at the high end of normal.
Normal being between 0.0 - to 5.0. So as you can see I just past the test last time or it was close but not close enough for my GP to make a song and dance about it.
But this test, well I out did my self with a big 6.3 not happy Jan!

OK so here is a break down of the test

What is a cholesterol test?

A cholesterol test is a blood test that measures levels of fatty substances called lipids in the blood. Cholesterol is one type of lipid.

Raised cholesterol levels can cause cholesterol to be deposited within the walls of arteries, making it difficult for blood to flow through. This build-up in the walls of the arteries, which is called atherosclerosis, puts a person at significant risk of heart disease and stroke and none of these sound particularly fun!
Abnormally high cholesterol levels may not give you any symptoms, so a blood test is the best way to check how much cholesterol and other lipids your blood contains.Which is exactly my scenario and last thing I want is to find out the hard way.
A cholesterol test measures the amount of cholesterol and other lipids carried by protein-based particles called lipoproteins, in the blood. Cholesterol and other lipids are transported in the bloodstream in these lipoproteins because they are fats, and so don't dissolve freely in blood, which is water based.
These are some of the main lipids measured in a cholesterol test.

• Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. This is the so-called ‘bad’ cholesterol that tends to be deposited in the arteries, causing atherosclerosis. High levels of LDL cholesterol are associated with cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke). 

• High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. As HDL helps carry cholesterol back to the liver, HDL cholesterol is sometimes known as ‘good’ cholesterol. Acting like a clean-up crew, HDL helps keep your arteries free of fatty deposits. It is advantageous to have high levels of HDL-cholesterol.

• Triglycerides. These are another type of lipid circulating in the blood, mainly in a different lipoprotein — very low density lipoprotein (VLDL). Your body converts excess kilojoules in the diet to triglycerides to be stored in fat cells. A raised level of triglycerides can be caused by consuming too many kilojoules, by drinking too much alcohol, or by having diabetes. A high triglyceride level can add to your risk of cardiovascular disease, especially if your HDL cholesterol is low. 

• Total cholesterol. This gives an overall level of cholesterol in the blood.

Last but not the least,OK the big one

Glucose Serum Test

This one I don't mind telling you scares me a bit.

A blood glucose test measures the amount of a sugar called glucose in a sample of your blood.
Glucose is a major source of energy for most cells of the body, including those in the brain. Carbohydrates (or carbs) are found in fruit, cereal, bread, pasta, and rice all thing that I love very much. They are quickly turned into glucose in your body. This raises your blood glucose level.
Hormones made in the body called insulin and glucagon help control blood glucose levels.

Now it is quite evident that from my test results that my Glucose reading at the time of my blood test is far from normal.
In 2007 the result for the same test was 4.7 which was an acceptable number and within the range for normal.
So if fasting before test for 8 hours (4.0 - 6.0 mmol / L) and my result for 2014 was 6.5!
which is above and in the high range.
So unfortunately as advised by my GP it looks like I need to have another test call a Glucose Tolerance test and this will confirm if I have a problem...... the problem being type 2 diabetes.
Not what I wanted to hear at all but there is no need moaning about it, there is only one thing for it....

to FIX IT

From all accounts this is a preventable situation and one I hope to change.
Weight is a major factor in this I think but I'm going to wait and see what the results are from the glucose tolerance test and go from there.

No use jumping to conclusion but if the result is not good then i cant have this situation continue.

BTW this is something that I thought was crazy.......
After going thru all of this with my doctor he hit me with a statement that knocked me for six.
His words " OK Matthew now this is what I recommend for you today is lap-band surgery, this is what would best help your situation." and to this i respond with "OK that seem a bit drastic, couldn't I try losing weight the old fashion way". He said " oh yes you can if you want to do it the hard way but this is a better option so you don't even have to try"
Now that's a sign of the times, surgery before hard work. 
There is something wrong with this picture don't you think?

The End I Promise

Right so that is allot to take in and I'm very sorry if this is more of a Bio lesson but for me I need to understand where I am at and how or why I'm there so that I can better understand how to attack the situation.

If you have never had this kind of blood work done I would encourage every body to do so.
I know finding out that things are not as rosy as you would like is not great but now that I know these things I can work on them.

The human body is an amazing thing, it will put up with and deal with so much before it shows signs of a problems.

But that does not mean it should or can put up with imbalance for long. 

Thanks for reading and I look forward to the next installment..... " THE PLAN "