Monday, September 24, 2007

Is it a matter of Interpretation?

Went with m-i-l to the docs last week to collect the results of her blood test. As we entered, the doc, who is a family friend said: Hey! Your test results are so good. You can go out and celebrate!

Wow! I was envious. M-i-l and I have almost the same diet. We have most of our meals together, and usually eat the same things ... except that I have oatmeal most mornings, and she doesn't. How come her blood test results are so good and mine needs me to change my diet? Then I whipped out my last blood test results (the one that has shown a slight improvement in cholesterol levels) for the doc. Doc looked at it and said: Well, your numbers are very similar. Good cholesterol levels (hdl) are high, bad cholesterol levels (ldl) are borderline high but looking at the overall ratios, cholesterol levels are good!!

I broke into a big grin. Does that mean that I can go off my oatmeal diet and go out and celebrate too? Anyway, we went out for lunch on saturday, and I enjoyed my maryland crab cakes!! The doc did say that I could have all the crabs and prawns I wanted, just keep away from the roe.

But I still have a question: Why did the cardiologist tell me I still had to keep to my oatmeal diet and to reduce my cholesterol levels? Is it a matter of interpretation of the results, or that the cardiologists is more "kiasu" (cautious), or she wants to keep me going to her clinic to keep her business going?? I really don't know!

5 comments:

Bkworm said...

i guess it depends on how much emphasis is placed on the meaning of cholesterol by each doctor. But I guess, it's ok to 'binge' once in a while. The key is moderation. Hehe, I am trying to practice it..so that I have excuse to eat what I like and not only oatmeals and all the other boring foods *wink*

KopiSoh said...

Because I think you are younger, the standard for an older person are very different from a young person. Macam if you are 20 years old and your cholesterol is borderline high then no good lor but if you oredi 80 years old, borderline is very good liao because most of your peers maybe in the high range.

Sasha Tan said...

I think it depends on the person itself. Although 2 person can eat the same thing and have the same lifestyle, don't mean that the level of health are the same.:)

Anonymous said...

If she wanted to keep you going to her clinic, she would have told you to dump that oatmeal diet so that you have "more reason" to visit her :O
I find it strange that most doctors tell us to avoid crabs and prawns as high cholesterol food. Actually I think beef has higher cholesterol than prawns.

Anonymous said...

What can I say, as long as you feel good within yourself, your doctor is happy with your results and even told you that you can have crabs but not the roe...well done!!

If you don't mind oats, then it is not a bad thing to keep to this diet for breakfast. Over here, a lot of English simply love oats for breakfast.

I make flapjacks with oats and oats biscuits seeing that it is a healthy thing to eat as snacks.

Enjoy your crabs! :)