Apologies if I've not replied to emails or been in contact for the last 4 days or so. If you've mailed, visited or phoned, my apologies, I don't remember. Totally out of it. High fever, hallucinations, rambling (more than usual) and lots of other unpleasant things you really don't want to know about. Seems there's a very nasty influenza bug about.
The blessed Bear has spent most of the last week being awake with one or another of us, and she's getting some well earned, and well overdue sleep. She's tells me she's not being getting more than two hours unbroken sleep for days.
Unsung hero.
Everything on hold for a couple more days.
Monday, 15 December 2008
Saturday, 6 December 2008
Mix'n'Match
At a routine medical, I'd lost a couple of kilo's in weight, but managed to put an inch on my waist. However, my blood pressure for the second time in a row was 104/64, the lowest ever (Yay!). It was so low compared to the last few years that it startled them, and we had a bit of fun re-checking it 6 times - three per arm, manually and on the machine!
As usual, I joked, that if that's the case, I can stop taking meds altogether. And as usual, they said that in their expert opinion, the technical term for that is spelt seriously d-e-a-d. :)
That led to an interesting discussion about the side affects of medication.
On the rare occasions I've had additions to my tablets, we've always gone through the possible side affects the manufacturer reports and any diet changes. For instance, I can become quite ill if I have contact with anything containing grapefruit or pineaplle, and as I've discovered on two occasions, if I don't take any tablets, I develop powerful flu-like symptoms and become unconscious.
I was intrigued to discover that though it's possible to check how any two tablets interact with each other, it's actually quite difficult to determine how a whole group of medications interact. My dig around the net seems to confirm that.
Below is a list of my 'core' tablets - the tablets I've been taking for a long time, that are unlikely to change, and I'll be taking for the rest of my life. If anyone knows how to work out the possible downside of the combo, and suggest any remedies (short of changing them) I'd be pleased :)
Clopidogrel Hydrogen Sulphate 75 mg once daily
Asprin 75 mg twice daily
Atenolol 25 mg once daily
Felodipine 10 mg once daily
Doxazosin Mesilate 4 mg twice daily
Ezetimibe 10 mg once daily
Ramipril 5 mg twice daily
Cocodamol 500 mg twice daily
Pravastatin 40 mg once daily
Metformin Hydrochloride 500 mg three times daily
Folic acid 400 mcg once daily
Cheers!
You might remember that a little while back, I was promoting the uk Stroke Associations F.A.S.T. campaign.
F.A.S.T. Stands for Facial weakness, Arm weakness, Speech problems, Test all three.
It's thought if people are aware of the classic symptoms, then thousands of lives might be saved by getting people into hospital for prompt treatment. Well, you'll be pleased to know that the UK Gov have promised a 12 million UKP for a public awareness campaign, as part of a 100 million UKP three year stroke strategy. Report Here
The Stroke Association (UK)
As usual, I joked, that if that's the case, I can stop taking meds altogether. And as usual, they said that in their expert opinion, the technical term for that is spelt seriously d-e-a-d. :)
That led to an interesting discussion about the side affects of medication.
On the rare occasions I've had additions to my tablets, we've always gone through the possible side affects the manufacturer reports and any diet changes. For instance, I can become quite ill if I have contact with anything containing grapefruit or pineaplle, and as I've discovered on two occasions, if I don't take any tablets, I develop powerful flu-like symptoms and become unconscious.
I was intrigued to discover that though it's possible to check how any two tablets interact with each other, it's actually quite difficult to determine how a whole group of medications interact. My dig around the net seems to confirm that.
Below is a list of my 'core' tablets - the tablets I've been taking for a long time, that are unlikely to change, and I'll be taking for the rest of my life. If anyone knows how to work out the possible downside of the combo, and suggest any remedies (short of changing them) I'd be pleased :)
Clopidogrel Hydrogen Sulphate 75 mg once daily
Asprin 75 mg twice daily
Atenolol 25 mg once daily
Felodipine 10 mg once daily
Doxazosin Mesilate 4 mg twice daily
Ezetimibe 10 mg once daily
Ramipril 5 mg twice daily
Cocodamol 500 mg twice daily
Pravastatin 40 mg once daily
Metformin Hydrochloride 500 mg three times daily
Folic acid 400 mcg once daily
Cheers!
You might remember that a little while back, I was promoting the uk Stroke Associations F.A.S.T. campaign.
F.A.S.T. Stands for Facial weakness, Arm weakness, Speech problems, Test all three.
It's thought if people are aware of the classic symptoms, then thousands of lives might be saved by getting people into hospital for prompt treatment. Well, you'll be pleased to know that the UK Gov have promised a 12 million UKP for a public awareness campaign, as part of a 100 million UKP three year stroke strategy. Report Here
The Stroke Association (UK)
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