I think Ginger has it all figured out!
We haven’t seen much of the sun the past few weeks, which makes this mornings sunshine all the more enjoyable. It isn’t warm, but it is above freezing. I am now able to wear my sandals again, when going out for a walk.
The pantry project is progressing. One of the advantages of creating the pantry is that we have a clearer inventory of just what we have. A trip to the wholesale outlet for dry goods supplies had been planned. It turns out we do not need to replenish any of our dry goods, a welcome development. The excursion to the wholesale outlet has been delayed until the stores are depleted.
An extremely welcome development in our life is that we are now under the care of General Practitioner, a medical doctor. All of our care, since 2015, has been through walk-in clinics, the hospital emergency department, and a Nurse Practitioner. The Nurse Practitioners were, in my opinion, a superior mode of care compared to walk-in clinics and the emergency department. However, the care received from a GP is much superior to any other type of health care provider. We have had three truly wonderful General Practitioners over the years, the present GP is the most recent of these.
Our GP is knowledgeable, thorough, interactive, enthusiastic, personable, flexible… well, I think you can tell I am duly impressed with this General Practitioner. Of course, no human is perfect, so that I will always be aware of my own health, and always advocate for myself. This approach will be very effective with our new GP.
Our previous NP referred me to an endocrinologist, as they were advised to do by my Vascular Surgeon. The endocrinologist has worked with me so that my blood lipids, including cholesterol, are normal. My new GP worked with me to reduce my blood pressure, and it is now normal. So, for the first time in my adult life, my fat lipids, and my blood pressure are within normal range. This is very good news, and it feels surreal not to have to concern myself with these issues.
Of course, it goes without saying, that in addition to the medications, and medical advances, I have adopted a healthy lifestyle, good food, daily exercise, a good nights sleep (intermittent!), and stress levels controlled as much as is in my power. I don’t know if I will live longer with all these measures, medical and lifestyle, but I will be more comfortable for the years I have left in this mortal coil.
Worldly
Weather
3°C
Date: 1:00 PM EDT Monday 7 April 2025
Condition: Partly Cloudy
Pressure: 100.9 kPa
Tendency: Falling
Temperature: 3.2°C
Dew point: -2.9°C
Humidity: 64%
Wind: S 20 km/h
Visibility: 24 km
Quote
“In literature as in love, we are astonished at what is chosen by others.”
Andre Maurois
1885 – 1967
So glad to read that things are improving for you on the medical front. At this stage of life, any stressors we can remove make life better.
Wendy, thank you for your kind thought. You are so right, removing stressors is so important. I remember my Mom referring to something Dale Carnegie wrote: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
I’m so glad you’ve finally gotten a GP!! It makes such a huge difference, though I’m finding there are areas where specialists can drop the ball.
A few months ago, I asked a specialist if there was a local dietician who could help me with some proper eating after I’d been on liquids for a few weeks after having a blocked bowel. All she could do was tell me that the local dietician was tied to a private clinic and she didn’t know of any others. In the end I had to do a lot of search and finally found some diet information from the UK. Apparently, you’re on your own in rural Ontario guessing how to come back from a liquid diet
Thank you Teri, I am thrilled to have a GP, just thrilled. And as you say, it makes a huge difference. The Nurse Practitioner didn’t really coordinate the information from the various specialists I visited, they were great at referring, but the crucial role of putting it all together wasn’t well played. So far the GP seems to be on top of that, time will tell.
Your experience looking for information on diet information is very disappointing! The community clinic where I live did offer consultation with a dietician, one positive aspect when we were under the care of a Nurse Practitioner. I did however find this site, and wonder if it would be helpful.
https://www.torontocentralhealthline.ca/displayService.aspx?id=203262
Diet is such an important aspect of health and health care.
I hope you found information that got you through the process!
Thanks for the referral, Maggie. Fortunately, I was able to use the UK info I found and got back onto a normal eating plan. Good thing, too. I lost 45 lbs during the 3 months I was dealing with the blocked intestine.