Health

Ive had some health scares in recent days. Ok, not "scares" but things to keep in mind. First off I got some blood tests to check my fats, cholesterol and triglycerides among other things. For a while now I have had symptoms of frequent urination, fatigue, weight gain and excessive thirst. All tell-tale signs of...

I was relieved however to find that my blood sugars were not excessively high. It turns out the above symptoms may be coming from excess hormones produced in my thyroid, but I have yet to investigate that issue. They mainly wanted to look at four things: my general cholesterol, my LDL (bad cholesterols), my HDL (good cholesterols), and my triglycerides (carbohydrates). The ideal levels for these are as follows (mg/dL):

Cholesterol: less than 200

LDL: less than 100 (for adults)

HDL: greater than 60

Triglycerides: less than 150  

I won't give exact numbers but my cholesterol came out just below 200, which is no cause for concern. My LDL was a little high (just over 100) and my HDL was significantly low. My triglycerides came in the next highest bracket above the normal range, but doesn't fall into the high risk category of 200+ mg/dL.

Partially to blame for this is my diet. Although I shy away from fatty foods, I crave carbohydrates, which is causing my weight gain and high triglycerides. If I were to make a rough breakdown of my diet in my head right now, I think it would look something like this:

Probably not very accurate

Although I dodged the bullet that is diabedes and am in the clear for now, I'm not as healthy as I can be or should be for my age. Exercise would solve almost all of the above problems. Lowering my LDL and triglycerides and boosting my HDL. However like most people, I have difficulty motivating myself to do so. But it also leads into another issue of mine. Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating).

I love the cold. Unlike most people, I find it comfortable. It has to be well below freezing before I start to complain about being too cold. During the summer, I love the scenery but dread the weather. Even a little of physical activity causes me to sweat buckets. It is uncomfortable and irritating. I makes me dread the thought of exercise even more. Thankfully I am able to take refuge in at least one activity that won't kill me. Swimming. Since I don't need to worry about perspiration or overheating, I can swim until my muscles ache. So Im going to try to swim at my college's indoor swimming pool whenever I get the chance and hopefully get into the habit of fitness.

Another issue of mine is at the dentist. For the past few visits Ive been told my gums bleed too much because I don't brush as much as I should, causing increased blood flow to fight the bacteria that build up. Neglecting this for too long can eventually cause gingivitis (chronic inflammation of the gums). However, it has been improving in recent months. Yet, I have strong teeth and no cavities ever! But in recent months Ive been noticing callus' on the side of my tongue. I was told that these were caused by me biting my tongue repeatedly in my sleep. The bad thing is that forcing your tongue to heal itself from biting injuries over and over again can eventually cause the cells to become malignant. In other words, tongue cancer is the absolute worst case scenario. But given my age and risk factors it's very unlikely. Still, to make sure they want to biopsy my tongue. So at least I have that to look forward to. Most likely I'll end up getting a mouth guard to wear at night to prevent my jaw from closing all the way and biting my tongue while I sleep.    

I may not be a prime example of human fitness, but I am grateful to be in overall good health and to be free of disease and other more serious ailments.