Unwell Again!

I am sick.

I have a chest infection.

Life is unfair!

I have been unwell on and off for weeks now. Maybe months? I lose track of time easily these days.

A quick recapitulation - Recently I had a really bad cold, suspected appendicitis that saw me visit the Emergency Department, I became hypoglycaemic twice in three weeks in an attempt at eating less...and now I have a chest infection.

I went to the doctor on Saturday morning. Having been unwell for a a while, I had went along previously and had blood tests done. For the most part my results were normal. My levels of vitamin D are very low. Vitamin D can be sourced partly from diet and is produced by the skin after exposure to sunlight (ultraviolet B light). My levels are half of the recommended minimum.

Low levels of vitamin D is common among people in Australia, due to the expansive health promotion advising that people stay out of the Sun. Hats, sun block and sensible sun avoidance behaviours all contribute to this problem. While you are reducing your risk of skin cancer, you are putting yourself at risk of other problems. It is true when people say "You have got to die of something."

Vitamin D, along with complicated processes within the body, helps protect from microbes, reduces systemic inflammation, enhances neuromuscular function and impacts on bone health, strength and density.

So, vitamin D supplements appear the way to go.

My test results were ambiguous in that there is a query of whether or not I may be diabetic. I am to go for a glucose tolerance test, which will give a clear, definitive, answer.

I also was given some advice regarding losing weight. The doctor I saw has lived in several countries, in addition to Australia. There was an implication that the food in Australia was in some way "wrong", and to avoid all processed foods as far as possible. This of course would be similar advice I would expect to receive anywhere, but there definitely was a suggestion that something almost sinister was happening to our food here in Australia.

Recently, in fact, there have been a couple of features on a topical news programme about how our food isn't of the quality it should be. Some of our fresh orange juice, sold in supermarkets, are 2 or more years old. Not fresh at all. In addition, there has been a poor practice of meat being sold, out of date, and having best before dates erased from the packaging. Pretty scary stuff. No wonder I am not well.

A lot to consider.

I was also given some antibiotics for the chest infection. Fingers crossed that they will be effective.

*

On a happier note, friends were over from the UK. We caught up with them and had some lovely
(healthy - ish) meals. It was really lovely to see them again. It was odd how Scottish my friend sounded. Her husband is English, and his accent was less striking. I find a lot of people in Adelaide have an English aspect to their accents. But my Scottish friend sounded incredibly Scottish. This would lead me to think our accents are more diluted than I had thought.

They have family elsewhere in Oz, and came to Adelaide to see us. They are beautiful people, and it was sad to say "bye" again.

I hope next time we see them, I will not be coughing up a lung. Or spaced out on antibiotics and cold & flu medicines.