Hi,
I am new to blogging, but I think the idea is absolutely fantastic… It’s good to hear stories of how other people are coping, the different difficulties individuals face, and how they overcome them. It also seems to be a brilliant way to support each other when, at first, we think we are alone with the various conditions we suffer…
Firstly, a little about myself…
Up until February 2013, I had considered myself a very fit, healthy and active 26-year-old who was rarely sick and virtually never visited my GP … that was until I changed GP surgery… I went for a routine appointment with the nurse for a new patient medical… that’s when I (or at least they) started to find bits wrong!…. At first, my blood pressure was very high… the nurse didn’t want me to leave the surgery until I had seen a doctor and had my blood pressure double-checked… It was still high, but they did not understand why I am not overweight; I do not take salt or eat foods high in salt or fat, I drink very little alcohol, and I exercise very regularly – I compete in Mountain Bike Orienteering Races 1-2 times per month am out training almost every minute I can get! I was sent for a 24-hour blood pressure test and a kidney ultrasound – to this day, I do not understand why they asked for an ultrasound, but they’re the experts! Anyway, it came back as I do have hypertension (and am now on two types of blood pressure tablets), and the ultrasound showed that one of my kidneys was scarred and had shrunk and that the other one was enlarged!!! I was then referred to Nephrology, and they are still doing their investigations to find out the causes of the shrunken kidney.
I try not to let my health problems/concerns interfere with what I love doing, and that is getting out into the outdoors; I love mountain biking, hiking and trail running and have just won the mixed teams over 21’s category nationally for Mountain Bike Orienteering for a second year running, I am currently training for two 2-day mountain bike adventure races in 2014 and the full 2014 race season.
I am also preparing for a hike up Snowdon on New Year’s Day morning – what a way to start off a new year.
Hope everyone has a happy and healthy New Year!
:-)
