25th November 2019
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Summary: The author outlines her first health assessment. Blood results and also some subjective health assessments. are discussed. Whilst it may not appear to be particularly exciting reading, this is effectively the ‘before’ photo in the healing journey.
Formatting of This Post
I have grouped my results into two sections:
- ‘Output‘ are the readings that I have had taken, including blood work, weight etc.
- ‘Input‘ are the things I do to try to help my body (or not, as the case may be!).
For ease of interpretation, I have grouped my results into categories, according to my own standards of what I wish to attain…
- My healthy results are in green
- My results in need of improvement are in orange
- My results in need of great improvement are in red
PLEASE NOTE: I am not a doctor/physician. My interpretations are my views only. They represent what I have come to understand through my research and therefore should not be considered medically interpreted.
Output
Vital Statistics:
Height: 172 cm
Weight: 86 kg
BMI: 29
Fitness:
Average Number of Hours of Sleep (Last Seven Days): 7.2 hours
Average Minutes of Exercise (Last Seven Days): 17.1 minutes
Plank (time to failure): 48 seconds
Maximum number of sit-ups (to failure): 7
Maximum number of push-ups (to failure): 8
Time Taken to Cover One Mile: 12 minutes 35 seconds
Resting Heart Rate: 66 bpm
Diabetes:
HbA1c: 62 mmol/mol
Years of diabetes: 38
Complications: Intermittent background retinopathy. This tends to heal itself between one check-up and the next. I have no background retinopathy currently and no other complications.
Inflammation:
CRP HS: 4.5 mg/l
ECR (Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate): 5 mm/hr
Interleukin 6 (IL-6): < 1.5 pg/ml
Kidney Health:
Urea: 4.5 mmol/L
Creatinine: 68 umol/L
EGFR: 88
Uric acid: 160 umol/L
ACR: 0.3 ug/mmol
Liver Health:
Bilirubin: 5 umol/L
ALP: 68 IU/L
ALT: 32 IU/L
GGT: 33 IU/L
Proteins:
Total Protein: 64 g/L
Albumin: 42 g/L
Globulin: 22 g/L
Cholesterol:
Total cholesterol: 3.9 mmol/L
LDL cholesterol: 1.7 mmol/L
Non HDL cholesterol: 2 mmol/L
HDL cholesterol: 1.9 mmol/L
Total cholesterol: HDL : 2.1
Triglycerides: 0.6 mmol/L
Vitamin and Mineral Blood Readings:
Iron: 13.8 umol/L
TIBC: 44 umol/L
Transferrin Saturation: 31%
Ferritin: 112 ug/L
Magnesium – serum: 0.73 mmol/L
Folate – serum: 14.4 ug/L
Vitamin B12 – Active: 137 pmol/L
Vitamin D: 73 nmol/L
Thyroid Functioning:
TSH: 0.84 mIU/L
Free T3: 4.8 pmol/L
Free Thyroxine: 15 pmol/l
My Objective Evaluation Of My Blood Work:
I am overweight and my BMI is higher than it should be. I am definitely making weight loss part of my health goals. I suspect that this may naturally take place as I progress through this healing process anyway.
My HbA1c is greater than it could be. I have had it lower than this. I have been a bit lazy in the last few months. Like my weight, I suspect that my HbA1c will naturally improve as this process continues.
My CRP (high sensitivity) is within normal range but heading towards the top end. I suspected that my inflammation levels were likely to be elevated as a result of my diabetes and excess weight (although I note my other inflammation tests, IL-6 and ECR, are in the healthy range). I am intending to improve my nutrition quite substantially and thus hope to see improvement here.
All other blood results were at healthy levels.
My Subjective Assessmet of My ‘Output’:
My blood work seems generally good, although there are a few ‘out-of-range’ values that I’ll be working on through lifestyle adjustments. I will be particularly focusing on my diet and exercise from here to try to improve those readings.
Despite having a generally healthy picture in my blood panel, I don’t generally feel that great. I don’t feel ill but I just don’t feel like a picture of health. I feel tired by the end of the day most days. I am sometimes irritable. I can feel sluggish in my day-to-day activities. So, whilst I would not be deemed ‘unwell’ by a medical professional, I still feel I can reach for more than I have now.
I don’t exercise particularly frequently and do not take particularly good care of my body’s nutritional needs. I do a sufficient amount to look after my diabetes but I know could fine-tune that too. I would like to substantially increase my general fitness level and increase my cardio workouts. There is definitely work for me to do over the forthcoming months!
Input:
Medications:
I don’t take any medications at all, apart from insulin. No, not even statins (strangely, I’ve never been offered these, despite 38 years of diabetes).
Diabetes:
Carbohydrates per day (average of the last week): 150-200 grams
Insulin dosages per day (average of the last week): 48.2 units consisting of 30.2 units of Novorapid and 18 units of Lantus
Vitamin and Mineral Supplements Taken:
Every Day:
- Pure Fish Oil 1100mg with 70mg Omega 3s
- Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) 4000 IU
- Multivitamin containing: 667 micrograms Vitamin A; 16 mg Vitamin E; 24.5 micrograms Vitamin K; 1.32 mg Vitamin B1; 2.1 mg Vitamin B2; 2.1 mg Vitamin B6; 3 micrograms Vitamin B12; 10 micrograms Vitamin D; 62.5 micrograms Biotin; 300 micrograms Folic Acid; 16 mg Niacin; 7.5 mg Pantothenic Acid; 320 mg Calcium; 105 mg Phosphorus; 100 mg Magnesium; 10 mg Iron; 100 micrograms Iodine; 500 micrograms Copper; 2 mg Manganese; 40 micrograms Chromium; 50 micrograms Molybdenum; 30 micrograms Selenium
- Passion Flower Herb, 2 capsules totalling 600 mg
- Ashwagandha totalling 300 mg
- Zinc totalling 35 mg
- Vitamin C totalling 240 mg
Every Week:
- Evening Primrose Oil 500mg
Whilst I feel that this looks like a lot of supplements, I have honed these over a period of years to optimise my subjective experience of feeling well. I did suffer a lot from anxiety and depression. I believe that this combination of vitamins and minerals play a part in helping me to keep these mental health conditions at bay.
My Subjective Assessment Of My ‘Input’:
My carbohydrate intake (and therefore my insulin requirements) are too high. I will be addressing these in the forthcoming weeks.
I am happy with the vitamin and supplement regime I am on and I am happy with the lack of other medications I put into my body.
My exercise levels are well below what I would hope they would be. They have been much better than this for large periods of my life. However, I want to be cautious about increasing my exercise levels too high too soon because I will not sustain it. A little bit more every week until I get to the point of doing some form of exercise everyday will be a good start. I hope this will then yield gradual improvements in my fitness levels (as measured by my sit-ups, push-ups, plank performance and 1 mile run time).
It’s definitely time for me to get started!
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Natalie is a blogger with Type 1 Diabetes. Natalie's special gifts are questioning the status quo and being a rebel. She is using these gifts to question medical 'knowledge' and find a true cure for Type 1 Diabetes.
