Nasty shock off doctor this morning

[pollylocketpickedapocket]

Cholesterol and blood pressure through the roof. I’m 41 bmi 28.
I’ve had a shocking lifestyle the last couple of years, fried food , alcohol takeaways nearly every day.
I’m at higher risk of a stroke or heart attack.
I had concerns about my liver as my appetite has decreased and I’ve developed discord eczema.
I’m in shock, I knew I wasn’t as healthy as I used to be but didn’t know things were this bad.
A scan I had a year ago shown fatty liver although I wasn’t told till yesterday.
I’ve also had jaw pain occasionally over the last few months, last maybe a minute, it’s very occasional so I’m worried about that too.
Dr said he’ll see me in 3-6 months and to make lifestyle changes.
I’m worried sick, I’m a single mum to a 5yo
Do I need aspirin or what? Anything that could help.

Honestly don’t panic. Just lay off the alcohol and fast food. There’s loads of recipes and food ideas online. No smoking, plenty of exercise too.

I’d be very angry having not been told about the fatty liver. I would be writing a complaint to be honest as that’s unacceptable to have not been told

Focus on healthy meals and exercise - the opposite to the takeaways etc. Can you walk your DC to school / get them a scooter so you walk more quickly to keep up?

The doctor would have prescribed any medication you needed so don’t worry about that. I had a medical shock aswell recently and honestly it is for the best. I totally understand you are scared but use that fear to make changes. Good luck

I think you need to make massive changes but please don't be put off by thinking its important you do it all at once. Give yourself a realistic plan so you can cope with the change. So, gentle exercise twice a week, after 3 weeks see if you can add something new. Start cooking at home twice a week and do batch cooking so you can defrost something on busy nights. If you get your child involved it will be fun for them to do things with you and a great motivation. Good luck.

"A scan I had a year ago shown fatty liver although I wasn’t told till yesterday."

WTAF?
Why did you have the scan in the first place?
Was there any follow-up after the scan?

First of all - please don’t panic. It’s BRILLIANT that you’ve found this out now in time to make changes. That’s a really important step.

Secondly, I’d join WW. I did it over lockdown and am evangelical about it! The app makes everything so so so simple and easy, and the recipes are lush. There’s a huge supportive community (this is all on the app) who’ll cheer you on and give you inspiration and help, plus online exercise videos, plus online coaching sessions, plus online motivation tapes, plus you can just scan the barcodes on packets and get the points straight away. It’s a piece of piss.

I lost 4.5 stone in a year and it was fun. I’m 50 now (yikes) and thought it’d take years but it fell off.

I’d do that. It quietly revamps your lifestyle.

Don't panic. Small, consistent changes can have a big impact. You know what you need to, so just crack on. Think of it as taking good care of yourself. Good luck 🙂

@AnotherEmma

"A scan I had a year ago shown fatty liver although I wasn’t told till yesterday."

WTAF?
Why did you have the scan in the first place?
Was there any follow-up after the scan?

I had an abdominal scan because of diarrhoea and pelvic pain. I’ll be contacting the practice manager today for the complaints procedure.

Stop drinking - it's is the one thing on the list that will help you almost immediately feel better. Then eat a bit better and do some exercise and in 6 months you'll be a new woman.

I had high cholesterol which was picked up in a blood test I had done when I was aenemic. My Bmi was just under 25 so I wasn’t overweight but I was close to it. Quite small dietary changes (pastry, specifically) brought it down. I’m not great at exercising but I make sure I get some walking in everyday even if I have to force myself out for 20 min before going to bed

@DeclineandFall

Stop drinking - it's is the one thing on the list that will help you almost immediately feel better. Then eat a bit better and do some exercise and in 6 months you'll be a new woman.

Alcohol has GONE!!!

@pollylocketpickedapocket First of all don't stress! You could of gone years without knowing you had high blood pressure and cholesterol I know many who have my dh included!!
You know now so do everything you can to turn it around do it slowly to adjust bit by bit, out of interest how high are we talking cholesterol wise?
My cousin had a cholesterol level of over 10 I didn't even realise it could go that high but he's turned it around with lifestyle changes, he ate a lot of takeaways and convenience foods like microwave meals so he cut them out slowly but surely and has cut his cholesterol in half now.
Good luck you can do it 👍

[quote kissmelittleass]@pollylocketpickedapocket First of all don't stress! You could of gone years without knowing you had high blood pressure and cholesterol I know many who have my dh included!!
You know now so do everything you can to turn it around do it slowly to adjust bit by bit, out of interest how high are we talking cholesterol wise?
My cousin had a cholesterol level of over 10 I didn't even realise it could go that high but he's turned it around with lifestyle changes, he ate a lot of takeaways and convenience foods like microwave meals so he cut them out slowly but surely and has cut his cholesterol in half now.
Good luck you can do it 👍
[/quote]
I’m not sure, I think 5??? Could be wrong

Please don’t panic!
Just think of it as the telling you needed!
No alcohol, change in diet, go for walks aiming for 10,000 steps a day, this can be worked up to over time but all can make a massive difference.
Good luck

So many of us, maybe even the majority(!) of us who are the same age will have these problems too but we don't realise it or don't care. At least you know and you can tackle the issue, that means you're already ahead of most people.

Think of it as the nudge you have obviously been needing and turn it around
You are a role model to your kid also so it can only benifit you to start being healthier

It wasn’t that long ago I was as fit as anything! Blood tests shown my cholesterol was ok 2 years ago. I will definitely be making changes, alcohol is gone, I will start swimming and cutting out fried food,

Make the changes to diet, exercise and lifestyle and have the review. You can reverse this. Aspirin is not necessary as a first line treatment.

I had the same last year went for my pill as normal blood pressure sky high wouldn't give it me anymore and have been on medication since. I dont drink or smoke though but was a stone overweight and needed a diet overhaul. It's been the push I needed and I have lost over a stone in the last year BMI down from about 28 to 24 am still working on the healthy diet. Just let it be the kick needed to change.

My GP told me to have a daily benecol as part of the solution - she says she does the same. Every little helps

Op I am making similar changes at the moment and I am finding the Second Nature app really excellent, it is 12 wks long and approx 40 quid a month. It is the app that the NHS recommend, not a quick fix, it takes you through all the stages of rehabilitating yourself in terms of diet and exercise with lots of useful articles, measuring tools, support from a group doing the same thing, with as much or little interaction as you want and a lead from a coach. It also introduces realistic, sustainable, new habits slowly over the 12 week period. I am a long standing poster here, do not work for them or anything I promise, I am just finding it very useful!

I have a fatty liver too and the first steps I have taken is to only eat brown bread and no more than two slices of that a day. I have also given up sweets, cakes, biscuits etc and no longer take sugar in my tea. I do eat carbs but a moderate amount and try and fill half my lunch and dinner plate with salad or vegetables. I am also drinking more water. Just these few steps will help enormously and livers, if not too far gone, can rejuvenate! Good luck!

@LIZS

Make the changes to diet, exercise and lifestyle and have the review. You can reverse this. Aspirin is not necessary as a first line treatment.

Ok but I’m a bit worried about the jaw pain?

Fatty liver is probably in most of us. It's a chronic thing with sliding scale of potential risk. NHS would grind to a halt (with notification process & puzzling over proactive specific treatment plan to follow) if they flagged up all the maybe maybe problems in people's scans & test results. It's not like you thought you had a healthy lifestyle all this time. I don't think you have grounds to complain.

Don't panic. Just lie off the alcohol, takeaways and greasy foods. That alone should really help along with gentle excerise every day.

a good diet and exercise is all you need, the body is very forgiving. If you can do that then you're reap the benefits in 6-12 months and feel fantastic in the making. Better than being medicated.