DH and blood tests

[Orangesandlemons77]

I managed to get DH to go for one of those over 40s health checks at the GP. He's mid 50s and a drinker.

He's thin and does run and swim, the blood pressure came back OK and they didn't do the HB1AC test.

But the cholesterol came back very high (over 8 in total) his QRisk score was 7. Also he is anaemic and they want to repeat that test.

Also his resting heart rate was low (around 50)

Had a look online and some of these things seem to be linked with alcohol. Although he doesn't eat red meat so that could also be linked to the anaemia. He's started an iron supplement.

Has anyone else found similar results with alcohol please? I'm worried about heart disease. I thought the GP might follow up the cholesterol test but they don't seem to have.

He also told them how much he drinks so they are aware of that. they told him he was having the weekly allowance in one night and asked if he wanted any help stopping- he said no.

At over 8, I'm surprised they've not discussed statins.

They have asked for repeat blood tests which I thought was for anaemia but might be to check this as well.

I just checked the NHS site and it says the following so I guess as his Qrisk score was not over 10 this might be why?

"If you do not have any form of CVD, statins may still be recommended if you're thought to be at a high risk of getting the condition.
The current recommendation is that you should be given a formal assessment of your CVD risk if you have at least a 1 in 10 chance of developing CVD at some point in the next 10 years."

Why does he drink so much? Is he self medicating for chronic pain or something?

He may not want help ‘for drinking’ (worst way for a GP to raise the issue of alcohol dependency) but he may want help for whatever is the cause of his need to drink.

Stress and anxiety I think. Habit. I wonder if he might be depressed and need antidepressants but he won't ask about that. He is trying to stop drinking every night and has got it down to maybe 3/4 nights a week and drinks a bottle of wine those nights.

Ok, so if it is stress and anxiety, would he be ok with asking GP for something to help with stress? Being the “sandwich” generation with teen/adult kids plus aging parents is the most stressful time of life.

Does he drink at night to help him sleep? Suffering insomnia due to stress and hormone changes is super common in your 40s and 50s, over 80% of men and women in this age bracket report trouble sleeping. So would he consider asking for something to help with sleep? Doesn’t have to be sleeping pills- also addictive- but something milder like melatonin or a referral to a sleep study to see if he has apnea or restless legs or whatever and they can design a sleep routine for him to help.

My cholesterol is almost 7. When I asked the dr about statins he said my blood pressure and weight are normal so they don’t think it’s necessary. I was surprised. I like a drink too. I think they look at the overall picture.

A single cholesterol level in fit people who eat well can sometimes be unhelpful. My LDL is slightly raised but newer research shows that not all LDL is bad. If you eat a lot of good fats then sometimes this shows as LDL (I’m a bit hazy on the detail sorry). But my HDL is also higher due to a good diet and lots of exercise meaning my ratio is perfect. My triglycerides are low and my HBAC1 great. GP says to ignore the raised cholesterol but mine is only borderline. Worth exploring though given the weight and exercise?

Runners can become anaemic if not eating enough iron due to something called foot strike hemolysis and sweating. Basically both lose iron more than usual.

Resting heart rate sounds typical of a runner

Whether he’s drinking too much is another subject though.

You've hit the nail on the head there. We do have teenage children and elderly parents, his dad died in covid years and his mum is quite dependant on us since then.

He also does use it to help him sleep.

Did the GP advise the iron supplement? If it was them then that’s fine, but if not it may be better to wait for the repeat tests - anaemia in alcoholics & men is usually more complex than in women and iron deficiency is less likely to be the problem. The booze may well be behind the lipid results too.

re the drinking - if he’s getting through nearly 100 units/week (if you mean he’s drinking the weekly limit every day) and doesn’t want to stop then he’s setting himself (and you) up for a really difficult future.

He has started with iron tablets but the GP has advised repeating the tests, I will try and encourage him to go for them yes I agree on the alcohol and hoping he cuts down or stops. That's up to him to do though there's only so much I can do. I don't drink myself.

Ah I am so sorry I lost my dad in Covid years as well and couldn’t make it in time due to lockdown travel restrictions so I can sympathise as those were traumatic years for so many.

I guess if you can gently convey to him that feeling stressed and anxious is not only super common for our age bracket but also not to be embarrassed to seek support for these. Lessening the stress and anxiety he feels and helping him find different, not harmful ways to medicate and cope with it (as obviously can’t fix what is going on in the world- except perhaps learn to ask for practical help if that applies ), is nothing to be ashamed of as what he has and is dealing with would be overwhelming to anyone else.

You could look at your day to day as a family and brainstorm what could make things better for all of you. For example, we haven’t gone grocery shopping since 2018. We use home delivery and it is worth it to have what feels like a double long weekend as the grocery shop seemed to dominate at least one day on the weekend.

Thanks SugarandSpiceandAllThingsNaice

Yes I will try and do that, also encourage him to go back for the repeat tests and he tends to avoid the doctors. Not easy is it, but he needs to look after himself as well as worrying about everyone / everything else.

We also have an online shopping delivery which helps, I agree.

My DH was the same with alcohol. It affected his health, his BP was too high and he started on medication. They couldn’t get his BP under control, so he suddenly stopped drinking. I think he was scared. Unfortunately I think all that booze affected his pancreas. He died very suddenly just before last Christmas with acute pancreatitis and major organ failure.

Show this to your DH @Orangesandlemons77 .. excessive alcohol intake can kill you.

Cholesterol can be genetic (I have strong family history of high cholesterol, I’m aged 30, extremely fit and healthy with a good diet and mine was 6.8 last time it was checked).
Did his bloods include LFTs?
He sounds like he’s managing his anxieties as best as he can with exercise, I wouldn’t say his alcohol consumption is along the lines of alcoholism from what you’ve said but more of a coping mechanism. Promethazine is a great medicine to help with insomnia. I’ve never known someone to have a good night sleep with alcohol!

I'm so sorry to hear that. Yes it is scary, I know that the liver can be badly damaged before it starts showing symptoms. Maybe in a way I was hoping that getting him to go to one of those health checks might show something up.

It would be good if he could have one of those liver scans fibroscan or something.

It's up to him to make changes but I will try and encourage him, thank you.

Thanks for the tip. I will mention that. It may be genetic, his mum is slim but has very high blood pressure and high cholesterol

I think he has LFTs for monitoring another condition but not sure. I can ask him.

Wishing you the best. Really it’s up to him, you can’t do any more than you are doing already.

There is a liver and kidney function blood test. I get one every three months due to medication I am on that can damage both as a potential side effect so they have to monitor me.

Yes, he is on an immunosuppressant (Humira) so I think he gets those too.

You can get a free liver fibroscan at these roadshows if any are near you.
britishlivertrust.org.uk/information-and-support/love-your-liver/roadshow/

Thanks

How much does he drink? As a non drinker you may be overestimating his consumption. I’d say a couple of glasses of wine each night is no problem. A bottle of wine or a large amount of spirits is a problem.

We do have healthcare with benenden which would cover a referral to e.g. cardiology or for a liver scan

It's a bottle of wine several nights a week, was every night but since seeing the doctor has managed 2/3 nights off, sometimes has brandy instead but not at the same time.

A bottle to himself each night, not just a couple of glasses.