Heart attack

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Spring is in the air!

It was quite frosty first thing this morning, and there was ice on the car when I looked out of the kitchen window early this morning.   This soon disappeared as the sun came out and it's  been sunny and bright all day. There are daffodils and crocuses out all along the verges of the grid roads around Milton Keynes and the leaves are starting to sprout. Spring is definitely here, but it seems incredibly late.

Carol has been off work all week. She has had a really nasty cough and she had a doctor's appointment on Monday and got a prescription for antibiotics. I had a blood test at 9.30, but the nurse couldn't take any  blood as she couldn't find a vein. She attempted from both my arms, but no success. I immediately made another appointment for the following Monday. I just hope it works this time.

As I write this, Carol's cough is really no better. The antibiotics don't seem to be working. She will have to have another doctor's appointment on Monday as she had a sick note and it will need to be up-dated. I just hope this cough clears up soon. 

Last time I went to the doctors for my appointment the doctor insisted that I take a further statin in the morning, but, from past experience, I'm non too keen, as the side-effects are unpleasant.    I have started taking yoghurt drinks with plant sterols. There is a  brand called Benecol which I have used, but that particular product is very expensive. We have managed to buy a similar product from Aldi, which is about half, if not more than half, the price of Benecol.  You can buy 'own-brand' versions of these drinks from supermarkets such as Asda and Sainsburys, but you will need to have a look in the dairy section of your favourite supermarket to find out what they sell. You can also get spreads and cooking oils with sterols in. I'm now not sure of the exact spelling of sterols, so do check that also.  Is it stenols or stanols? Or, indeed, sterols? There is some confusion when I put the word into Google. Anyway, I digress.  As I was saying, these products are proven to reduce cholestrol. I'll try anything that reduces my cholestrol levels without having to take statins. I also eat oats in some form or other for breakfast as that is supposed to help reduce cholestrol. Another brand is Flora Activ, and they have a full range of products including spreads and yoghurts as well as the yoghurt drinks

The dogs are really loving the sunshine. Alfie has been running in and out of the house through the French windows and likes to lie in the sun. Poppy barks at people as they walk past on the Redway.

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