Sausage Saturday

On my only 'lie in' day I was up earlier than usual. I had to be at church for 7.45 for the 30 minute drive to Woodhatch Farm, Tawney Common. 5 men from Christ Church were going to the men's breakfast run by the Nationwide Christian Trust at Mulberry House. There are about 65 men there and no women or children.  The speaker for today is Neil Harvey. On arrival I am directed to a car parking space. The driver of the car in front is a friend from years ago, who I haven't seen in ages. We have a lot of catching up to do. There is plenty of time to talk before the morning gets started.
About 9 o'clock breakfast is served. A traditional English breakfast, and I'm really hungry now, having succeeded in my first 'breakfast only Friday'.  I have started these in Lent, but that is really just a means of getting started.  The purpose is to loose weight, but after Friday I'm sure I'll have other things to report on later. Anyway, the full English is served - Bacon, scrambled egg, sausage, tomato, backed beans, hash browns.  I'd been OK with the tea, coffee and orange juice, but the smell of bacon makes me really hungry.  I eat the lot, none of my careful removal of fat and avoidance of sausages.  It is my first sausage since my cholesterol shock 5 year ago.
There is good chat over breakfast about food, the redefinition of marriage and other assorted topics.  After that we worship (3 songs only - nothing else) and then it's the main event.
The room is quiet as Neil starts his story.  Some jokes about Wales to get us in the mood are followed by the real story.  A boy born to young parents, who split up, brought up by grand parents, never fitting in anywhere and turning to a life of crime.  It's a classic story.  This one is different though.  This one has smatterings of Sunday School and contact with Christians.  This one has the power of God.  I will not ruin the story for you, in case you get the chance to hear him.  Ultimately he becomes a pastor, the details of that are in the link above.  It shows God's redemptive power.  It shows we can all be saved.
There is little talk about the story on the way home.  The drama of it will take time to sink in.  Time was a major element of Neil's story.  Without time to spend with God there is no hope of building the relationship and trust required to follow Jesus properly.

4.3

The drugs are working - which is really good news.  After three weeks on Statins my Cholesterol score has dropped from 6.9mmol/l (millimoles/litre) to 4.3mmol/l.  Target is under 5mmol/l.  Now I'm praying I'm not one of the very few who suffer some really horrible side-effects after about 3 or 4 months of taking them. That's not the only down side of my treatments.  A study has revealed that Calcium supplements increase the risk of heart attack.  I had just re-started taking the calcium.  I may need to reconsider as my calcium levels have always been within the expected limits.  So the next thing to measure is blood pressure.  I'm told I can get a home machine to take my own measurements.  That will be another thing to add to the spreadsheet I keep of weight and waste-line measurements. 
Isn't getting older fun?

Health update / Lost Son

Since returning from holiday I have joined what has been called the biggest drugs trial of all time - giving everyone who is over 50 and has an elevated cholesterol reading statins.  My last Cholesterol reading was 6.9, up from 6.7 in a little over a year.  I was offered the chance to take these tablets - to try them and see if they are OK.   I'm told they save 6 of 100 people in 10 years.  It doesn't sound impressive, so put another way my chances of a heart attack in that time go from 1 in 4 (25%) to 1 in 5 (20%).  The latter is a more convincing statistic (to me anyway).  So every night (but one - it was late and I forgot - memory pills next!) I have taken a 20mg Simvastatin tablet.  Soon it's back to the doctors - to get my blood measured again, I expect.

The main reason for the entry is really to mark the 18 month recovery period for the broken (smashed, destroyed, mangled) shoulder.  Most days I would not know that I had received such an injury.  I rarely experience pain and have adequate movement to live my normal life.  In reality the range of movement has continued to increase since I stopped the physiotherapy but the increase is slow.  I have also compensated by using other movements to achieve my aim.  I have noticed recently that I have started reaching for things with my right arm - a good sign.  The osteoporosis tablets have stopped - the side effects are too extreme to continue.

This morning we were woken to sounds of barking.  Brody (our chocolate Labrador) had returned home and found his way into next door's garden - and their dog was barking.  Andy was missing.  A phone call soon established what had happened.  Brody had run off with another dog, got himself lost, and decided to come home.  Andy was still in the meadow looking for him.  

8.4 out of a possible 5

Sounds like a good score doesn't it. It most definitely is NOT. This is my cholesterol level from a couple of weeks back. The excesses of Christmas - too much 'rich' (i.e. fatty) foods - not enough exercise (too much working from home). This has led to a fairly radical change of diet. Out go the chocolate bars, tins of sweets, cake & cream, sausages, cheese & cheese and more cheese. In come the vegetable soups, vegetables, skinless chicken, and lots more fruit. Sometime soon I'll have to get it checked again - to see if there's been any progress.

While I'm sitting here wondering what to have for breakfast, I read this.

I can't write anymore after that