Tuesday, October 14, 2008

More Medical Updates

Yesterday was the orthopedist visit for Anime. We are lucky in that fact that after much poking, prodding, bending, stretching, & questioning, the orthopedist declared her to have tendinitis in her knee. Remedy? A knee brace, two weeks of physical therapy, a return to the orthopedist two weeks hence, and NO volleyball (or sports of any kind actually). Sucks to be her, as by the time she can return to volleyball, the season will be over. She thinks this has ruined her shot for making the freshman team next year, but there is still junior olympic volleyball in the spring to prep her for that. I had tendinitis in my foot my freshman year of high school so I can sympathize somewhat with Anime. I'm relieved that it is something minor (although it doesn't seem minor right now) versus something major that would require surgery.

Switching over to me (and yes, it's always about me :P ) I finally received the results of my heart screen. Good news on something! My EKG was normal. My CT scan for calcium in my arteries scored at zero, which is really, really good. My risk for developing heart disease currently stands at 3%. The rest we already knew, a body mass index of 27.5, HDL level of 27 (so not good), and a cholesterol level of 283 (so really not good - excuse my poor grammar). I have increased my activity level by walking 3 to 4 times per week and have started to include Pilate's in my life again (albeit inconsistently). Mr. Irony is cooking heart healthy meals for me, I eat no meat except fish now, and have given up all dairy. I've also increased my daily intake of veggies. On a side note, soy ice cream isn't all that bad I've found. Once I have medical insurance again I will take up the cholesterol issue with a doctor to explore can be done medically. I hate taking medicine so if you have any tips as to what else I can do using natural remedies, send them my way!

5 comments:

Vanessa said...

Aside from eating oatmeal, I have no advice. Glad good news is coming your way though.

Anonymous said...

Stick with the plan. Often dietary management and weight loss plus exercise can improve many of our health problems these days. Good for you!

~**Dawn**~ said...

A friend of mine whose cholesterol is borderline was told by his doctor to specifically eat an apple a day, in addition to eating a healthy balanced diet. So far, he's not on any meds!

Major.Sunshine said...

I'm no doctor, but my guess ifyou've given up dairy would be to make sure you're on a calcium suppliment (ask Dr. of course) I'm just saying b/c at my annual physical Dr. was pushing calcium intake b/c most women don't get enough for their bones.... blah blah... I know, you don't need medical advice from me. Sounds like you're on an awesome track! Congrats on the healthy results and keep up the good diet & exercise... wish I took as good care of myself :D

Nichole M said...

That's sort of good news about your daughter. No surgery! And good for you for taking the right steps to living a healthier and longer life.