Testing Update

Warning:  I'm an old man and I'm at the age when talking about my health is becoming more and more common.  This post is such a health post.

This week I went to two doctor's appointments.  The first was my biannual check up/blood draw.  Things didn't go as I'd hoped.  I met a new APRN (nurse practitioner) as my old one had changed jobs.  I like her.  She seems thorough and attentive.  We talked about my medical history, I had blood drawn for testing, and got vaccinated for tetanus (for our trip to Guatemala) and pneumonia.

My blood test results were disappointing.  I'd hoped to get my A1C and blood glucose down to a normal level but they both went up slightly since my tests last May.  It's frustrating when you exercise and watch your diet, things that were effective in the past for me, aren't enough anymore.  So I'm still pre-diabetic.

My lipid numbers (cholesterol) were mixed.  My bad cholesterol was too high (but trending downward) and my good cholesterol was going down (and trending downward).  I've only had 'good' good cholesterol levels once in the last twenty years so that wasn't surprising.  I have gained a little weight and I've noticed my lipid numbers are not as good when I'm heavier.  I am working on the last six or seven pounds but they are struggling to hang on.

The second appointment was with my new urologist.  She is a PA (physician's Assistant) of my previous doctor who also changed jobs last year. We discussed removing the remaining kidney stone I have.  My surgery will be in early March after I get back from our Guatemala trip.  It's outpatient so it should be fairly routine.

The PA is also concerned with my PSA.  While my numbers are in the green range, it turns out that after the prostate surgery I had in 2023, it should have been lower.  So ... I will be getting an MRI later this month and a biopsy will be taken when I get the stone removed.  My last MRI and biopsy taken prior to my surgery were clean so I expect they will still be clean.  Fingers crossed.