Category: Weight Loss & Health

Australia really is an expensive place to live - Looking after my health!

12/11/2023

If I'm honest, it's been quite a debilitating week. I had a visit from the big boss in Sydney this week, so have been busy making sure everything was in tip-top condition. I have a wonderful team at work, so I had no reason to worry - the place was looking fantastic. As a business, we passed with flying colours, and I was delighted to accept the praise we were given on behalf of the shop. It goes without saying, how pleased I was with the outcome, and it makes all the hard work I have put in worth it. I have worked long hours since I arrived in Australia and finally my dedication and commitment is paying dividends.

On top of my busy week, I have also been suffering somewhat. Last Monday, I went to the Doctors about a few health issues I currently have. The one good thing about the health system in Australia, is I can pick and choose the Doctor I want to see. Paying to see a GP does have its advantages; it may well cost me $120 a time to see one, but I was able to see a Doctor on the same day I booked the appointment, and as an added bonus, the GP I chose, specialises in men's health; fortunately, I was able to see him, without any difficulty. Unlike the UK, I was allotted a half an hour appointment and was able to explain the various symptoms I have been experiencing, in an understanding and unhurried environment.

As a person, I have always been prone to cysts, they are literally all over my body. These tiny lumps and bumps come and go, and many of them have been with me for years. Since losing weight, I have also become more body aware, and if I get a new lump, I notice it straight away. I also know what a cyst feels like and if I need to see a professional.

Over the last few months, I have started to get some strange lumps on my head, particularly on the crown. I have done everything to get rid of them, but they just will not go. Last week, they had got so big that I just had to go to the surgery. Obviously, living in Australia is a concern, because of the possibility of skin cancer. Having had a skin check done recently and given the all clear, I wasn't unduly worried, but nevertheless, I could not continue walking around with an open sore on my head - a trip to the clinic was most certainly in order.

The new Doctor took one look at the lump and instantly knew what it was. According to him, I had a streptococcus infection, that usually lies dormant in the body, but sometimes, on occasion, comes out in skin infections, similar to acne. Now, I have never had acne in my life, but I can definitely vouch for how bloody painful it is.

In truth, I have no idea what Streptococcus is, but he briefly told me it was MRSA, the super bug that was all over the news in recent times, infecting hospitals in the UK. Suitably alarmed, I asked him what could be done about it. He has put me on a course of antibiotics for four weeks and prescribed a medicated head wash and antibiotic nose ointment. I literally came out of the pharmacy loaded with drugs and at a cost of $80, it wasn't cheap.

On top of the medication, I have also bought zinc tablets to help boost my immune system as well as some extra strong probiotic tablets, for the duration I am on medication. All in all, I am out of pocket by over $300 - it isn't cheap to be ill here, but hopefully it won't be too long, before the strep infection is cleared up.

Today we have been out and about shopping and having lunch, even though I am feeling decidedly under the weather. I have never liked antibiotics, and they really are playing havoc with my system, so tomorrow I will just be taking it easy before my dentist appointment on Monday, and yet more money to pay out!

Australia really is an expensive place to live, but for now at least, it is home!

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Health Check!

12/8/2023

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This week I had a check-up at my local surgery; this isn't something I often do these days because of the costs involved, but sometimes you have to do what is necessary in order to gain peace of mind. Making an appointment to see a GP here in Perth is actually a joy compared to the UK, but it does also have its downsides.

I remember back in Portsmouth, not that long ago, the difficulties I used to have arranging a consultation with a Doctor, and the mad rush, normally on a Monday morning, to phone my local practice, trying desperately to speak to a practitioner. Of course getting to see a GP was a rare occurrence; after being triaged via a telephone conversation with a receptionist, who generally thought they knew more than a Doctor, you were passed down a very long line of officialdom, and finally, if they thought necessary, an eventual chat with someone on the phone. Generally, the Doctor would phone you back in a few hours and fob you off with more medication, rather than investigating your symptoms properly.

For me, It was a fact of life, sitting on the phone for hours on end, sometimes, in excruciating pain, being told I had indigestion. As an individual, I knew my own body and I understood when something wasn't right. This went on for months, and if I hadn't screamed as loud as I did, I never would have got to the root of the symptoms I was experiencing.

I lost count of the number of times I was called a hypochondriac, not only by professionals, but also my own extended family. They had no idea of the pain I was going through, and should never have judged me in the way they did. In the end, after nearly a year and a half and demanding tests and answers, even during the pandemic, I finally got some answers. I had to have my gall bladder removed, and slowly my life got back to normal; I could live again and was just happy I had persevered, even during the most challenging of times.

Sitting here in Australia, I can see just how much of a mess, the NHS back in the UK is - I watch it on Sky News every day. Things have got progressively worse since I left, and most people wouldn't push as hard as me, to get the treatment they need. I think I heard, yesterday, that there were over seven million people on the waiting list for operations - that figure shocks me to the core and makes me think how lucky I am to be in Australia.

Here things are very different - on Monday morning I phoned my local GP surgery, and was given an extra long face to face consultation that very same day. Of course, there is a difference in Australia - I have to pay! I can see the horror on peoples faces already, just thinking they would have to pay to see a Doctor, and to be honest, I used to be just the same. The appointment cost me $120.00; for that I was given unlimited time with my Doctor, who was able to interact with me on a level, that just doesn't exist in the UK.

For a few months, I have been experiencing weeping sores on my head; several of them underneath moles, that have changed in recent weeks. In Australia, skin cancer is a big deal, and if you notice something untoward going on, especially with moles changing colour, size and consistency, it's time to make an appointment, which I duly did. Having a bald head and venturing out on hot summers days without a hat, as I have in the past, is something I shouldn't have done, and I am fully aware of the consequences now, after my visit to the surgery.

My GP gave me a thorough examination and skin check, explaining the different types of moles, lumps, bumps and cysts on my head. He explained that as far as he could tell, there were no problems, but a reoccurring issue on my face could be a cause for concern going forward. With immediate treatment this could be kept in check without any issues in the short to medium term, but there could come a point where treatments don't work, and the outcome could be more serious.

Now I am fully aware of the consequences of my actions, I know what to do to protect my skin from the ravages of the Australian summer, so should be far more prepared this year. I can't help thinking, however, that my past lifestyle choices may well have been responsible for the issues I have today. I lived in Australia before and Spain, and didn't look after myself as much as I do today. Any future problems could well have started years ago, resurfacing later in life; that is of course the same for every one of us.

All of us should think twice before venturing out in the sun without protection, and it's something I need to take notice of, especially now. On top of my healthy lifestyle, exercising and looking after my metal health, I will now have to factor in the harsh reality of the climate down under. It's almost strange to think how unfit I used to be and just how lucky I am to still be alive, let alone living in Australia, and enjoying a life others can only dream of.

Things are very different in Australia; I'm not in the Doctor's surgery every week as I was in the UK, but I also don't have the health issues I had in Portsmouth. Unlike Britain, my concerns aren't dismissed or brushed aside, they are listened to, by a supportive health system and a network of family who only want to see the best for me. Now I am finally in a good and prosperous place, I want to live a long, fruitful and healthy life; I can do that here. As I continue to build a new life down under, I am happy to pay for things that I wouldn't have paid for back home. Getting the best standard of care comes at a price, but for me, it's a price worth paying and a price all of us will have to pay eventually, no matter where we live in the World.

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Thoughts for the Weekend!

30/7/2023

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Building a Healthy Future - 5 years of progress!

23/4/2023

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My Weight Loss Journey - October 2021 - April 2023!

Returning from Spain in 2018, I had the opportunity to rebuild my life, in a way I had never done before. With Darrell remaining in Gran Alacant, I could start to live healthily, and begin repairing the damage caused by years of neglect. Step one, after 34 years, I decided to finally give up smoking. I was feeling physically sick every morning, and coughing my guts up for the first few hours of the day, which was a worrying sign and not something I wanted to continue. The time had finally come to chuck the cigarettes in the bin.

Anyone who smokes, does so for their own personal reasons. I started at school, so I could avoid PE, a subject I detested. Rather than kicking a ball around a pitch in the freezing cold, I dodged games and sat alone just outside the school gates puffing away on a fag. To be honest no one back then really cared, and the fact I could just walk into the local newsagents in Valentines Close and buy a packet of 10 JPS, without anyone so much as batting an eyelid, meant I could quietly smoke to my heart's content. Physical Education was pretty traumatic for me, I hated it, in every respect. I was the chubby kid, no one wanted to pick to join a team and the thought of playing football, cricket or rounders with a group of alpha male teenage boys was horrifying. Anxiety made me reach for the cigarettes all those years ago, and it was also instrumental in making me give up in 2018.

When you are feeling unwell, every day, you know it’s time to change your life. Starting a new journey, in Portsmouth, meant I could finally close a chapter on my past. With willpower and determination, I was able to kick the habit. There was no vape, no patches, pills or hypnosis and except for a couple of slip ups early on, I was, and still am, finally free of nicotine; this was an amazing achievement for me, not least because of my previous militant smoking credentials.

Of course, giving up cigarettes does have many downsides; I started to pile on the pounds more than ever. Instead of reaching for a cigarette when I was stressed, I started to snack – sweets, chocolate, pies, pastries, in fact anything I could get hold of. With Darrell still in Gran Alacant, my anxiety levels were soaring and with little or no support from anyone else, I really could have done with a smoke, but I resisted and continued to strive towards the end goal; with every day that passed, it got easier and easier. Eventually I didn’t give cigarettes a second thought, but my eating was out of control and by 2021, I was so overweight it was effecting my health.

It was an effort to get out of bed every morning. My back and hips were painful, my legs hurt more than when I went to bed, and my feet were throbbing and burning. Walking up and down stairs was an effort, and my fifteen-minute walk to work felt like a 26-mile marathon. I was the most unfit I had ever been, and my circumstances were making the situation worse.

Deep down I was extremely unhappy in Portsmouth, although I never tended to show it. In truth, I had never liked the city, even though I adored the people; I felt trapped every day and there was nothing I could do to change it. As much as I would have loved to speak to someone about the pain I was feeling, I just couldn’t; no one would listen. I can't thank my family enough for giving me a roof over my head when I needed it most, but they were not the most empathetic bunch of characters. I found solace in food, because it was the easy way out, and it helped me deal with the low mood I was feeling every day.

My work colleagues were the ones that got me through the next few years, as I began to distance myself from the bad influences in my life and spend most of the time alone. When the pandemic took hold in the UK, it was the perfect opportunity to change every aspect of my being, and I started to walk at least 5 km a day. Darrell was trapped thousands of miles away in Australia, but alone with my thoughts, I began making plans for the future, and those plans began with keeping fit and losing weight.

In October 2021 I weighed more or less a hundred kilos, I was at the Doctors every week and was in bad shape both physically and mentally. The GP did what she could to help, but I had to change my lifestyle, if I was going to feel well again. My circumstances were deeply depressing and were just making the ailments I suffered with worse. The decision to lose weight was born from anxiety, stress and a desire to feel good again. I wanted to walk without pain, eat without overeating, and begin to restore the life I once had.

Changing what you eat isn’t easy, I had tried many diets in the past, and failed spectacularly every time. I wanted it to be different this time, and went on a strict calorie controlled diet, meticulously watching everything I ate. Unlike previous attempts to lose weight, this time I would eat anything I wanted, in moderation of course, and would keep one day a week free to indulge in the finest things in life. This was the way I achieved my goal; for six days a week I did everything by the book and on day seven I would let go and enjoy myself, eating and drinking whatever I wanted. So far it has worked well and a year and a half later I am down to 72kg, after shedding a quarter of my body weight

Today I am in a good place and still looking after myself well. I walk at least, 10000 steps a day, and continue to follow a healthy eating regime. I have adjusted my diet plan to take account of my new weight, and I am not as strict as I was before. Having learnt to regulate my food intake, today I eat to live, not live to eat. My weight has finally levelled out, and I am quietly confident I will remain committed to this new life I am following. For me, the pandemic was positive in many respects. Initially I was scared into losing weight, because of the complications of Covid, but as time went on I started to enjoy the new freedoms weight loss brings, and today I am finally happy with myself and the road I am on. Only time will tell if my hard work pays off, but until then, I will continue to strive for a fitter, healthier life; it’s certainly been a long time coming!