Health at 60

For my father - I'm sure that on the day I was born, he never expected to be around when I would reach my sixtieth birthday!

Here we go then - I'm 60. I need to get over it.

Overall - I can't complain healthwise. But time takes its toll, wear and tear is evident. Healthcare vs magic.

Back in June I went to the doctor, I felt a numbness in the big toe of my left foot. A heart thing? Better get checked out. First check was blood pressure. It was through the roof (200/110, something like that). The doctor would not let me out until I'd swallowed a couple of pills and the blood pressure came down to a more normal measure. Next was a whole battery of tests - ECG, USG, blood and urine samples - all were fine.  The doctor told me that were I an obese guy who smoked and did no exercise, she'd know what to prescribe, but in my case... I was told to buy a blood pressure gauge and to measure it for two weeks and come back.

Which I did. Bringing with me a graph which showed a steady day-by-day lowering of my blood pressure, but still it was on the high side (146/102).

The doctor prescribed me some pills for blood pressure. I asked "How long for? A month? Till the end of the packet" "No," she replied. "For the rest of your life."

Gulp.

"Your body is getting older, think of these pills as a pair of reading glasses," she said, asking me to come back in a month's time for a check-up and a repeat prescription.

What happened next is interesting, and I'd be keen to hear your views.

I bought the pills, but didn't even open the packet. I'm not going to take these drugs for the rest of my life just because a doctor says so based on the evidence of two weeks.

I determined to get the blood pressure down naturally. Further improve the diet, intensify the exercise. Meditate on the breathing. Do anything but take these drugs.

And over the weeks, by the time of my next visit, my blood pressure was consistently lower (114/78). Something the doctor ascribed to the medicine. I didn't tell her that I wasn't taking it. What I was taking was the readings; three in the morning and three in the evening, to get an average, to ensure consistency and accuracy. Yesterday's average is fine (116/76, see chart below).

Category	systolic, mmHg	diastolic, mmHg
Hypotension	< 90	< 60
Desired	90–119	60–79
Prehypertension (high normal)	120–139	80–89
Stage 1 hypertension	140–159	90–99
Stage 2 hypertension	160–179	100–109
Hypertensive urgency	≥ 180	≥ 110
Isolated systolic hypertension	≥ 160	< 90

I should still aim to get it lower (ideally 110/70) and keep it there. My father is 94, my mother died at 88 - whose heart have I got? Even if my mother's, with better diet (no cake or biscuits, lots of fruit and veg) and plenty of exercise, the odds of getting to 90 are very good.

What was the cause of the numb toe? Turns out its a skeletal thing. Bits of my bone are growing strangely (think bone spurs). I have these spurs sticking out of both elbows, and the X-ray apparently shows growths in my spine which are pressing on the nerve that goes to my left toe. It's nothing serious, but it's something I should monitor.

Monitoring is all important. Be conscious of the slightest change to how the body feels and responds, but before gulping down pills, consider the matter carefully.

I am blessed with a father who's in remarkably good health, mentally and physically. Yet there are ills that flesh is heir to - like my father, I sometimes find it difficult to swallow certain foods - something that came on after my 40th birthday. Like my father I get leg cramps on summer nights. Like my father, I have itchy skin on my back. Like my father if I'm bending down for any length of time, I find it uncomfortable to stand up straight quickly. And our eyesight has got worse along the same trajectory (weak left eye, right eye needed ever-stronger reading glasses). But these are not major health worries.

When it comes to the blood pressure, I shall be taking it easy. Not arguing about politics with cretins. Just walk away from conflicts. Avoid TV news, avoid people I don't like.

My father worked until he was a few months short of his 70th birthday - a good target to aim for.

This time two years ago:
In search of vectors for migrating consciousness

This time three years ago:
Slipping from late summer to early autumn

This time four years ago:
Turning 56

This time five years ago: 
Turning 55 

This time six years ago:
Turning 54

This time seven years ago:
Turning 53

This time ten years ago:
Turning 50