iL Dottore Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 I tend to be rather sceptical about Cholesterol levels scince two froends who have had heart attacks had level recorded at about 4 which is normally considered good. Last year Marions doctor advised her level was high but as the majority was the 'good' type it was best to leave it. One of the above friends has had a lot of trouble with statins after the chemists swapped to a generic form to which he proved intolerant (possible wheat content) so now has to use a particular chemist who will still stock the original. As I will reach 65 this year I am expecting the doctors to recommend some of these things for me personally I would prefer to rely on exercise and change of diet if necessary rather than taking medication. Don My GP claims that if there is one class of drugs that has made a significant impact on his practice, it's the statins. Allowing him to manage cardiovascular disease (of diverse origins) much more effectively. One of the problems with using statins (as well as other medications) is that generics can be less effective than the original. In order to get a new drug approved, registered and marketed an awful lot of scientific and medical data has to be generated to support the new drug claims, whereas a generic drugs do not have to demonstrate any preclinical or clinical safety or efficacy data in the intended patient population but need only demonstrate bioavailability and bioequivalence to the brand-name drug. But bioavailability and bioequivelance is only part of the equation (I remember a presentation given by a professor at a clinical pharmacology seminar where he looked at several generic versions of a widely used drug. Although theoretically bioequivelant, the data he presented showed that some were only partly absorbed after ingestion and one version managed to make it's way through the body completely untouched! [i remember the presentation well, because of this particular bit of data he showed]). I'm not against generics per se, but I would like to see a somewhat more rigorous testing put in place for their approval. Exercise and diet are to be heartily recommended, but if you have this misfortune to have a LDL receptor gene mutation, you'll need help. Furthermore, a combination of risk factors will also mandate medication use. Personally, I avoid taking medication as much as possible - simply because I'm a stoic and can adequately tolerate my various joint related aches and pains. But I do cave-in and take drugs when absolutely necessary (like when I sliced my finger open in the workshop, damned if I was going be sewn up without adequate local anaesthesia). Anyway, good luck at 65 iD 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium NGT6 1315 Posted January 16, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 16, 2014 Evening all. Can't anyone make the day have 48 hours, so that I could sleep for 24 of them? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted January 16, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 16, 2014 The Sunny South Special, later Express, was a LNWR service from Liverpool & Manchester via Brum to Brighton & Eastbourne. It enabled a bit of loco info exchange between the LNWR and LBSCR, I think, with through running of both companies' locos between Rugby and Brighton in November 1909. ISTR Hamilton Ellis felt the Whale Precursors to be rather heavy on coal consumption, while the Brighton's I3 did rather well by comparison. It is suggested than Bowen-Cooke, having seen the effect of superheating on the I3, decided to add it to his George V locos. Sorry about the lapse. A sunshine and showers day has now eased off to general overcast - but I can see lightning flashes in the distance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold colin penfold Posted January 16, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 16, 2014 Evening all. Can't anyone make the day have 48 hours, so that I could sleep for 24 of them? No, because some git would make me work 16 of them Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold BoD Posted January 16, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 16, 2014 After recent tests 'they' are recommending that I have statins and a daily aspirin or equivalent. I've to make an appointment with my GP to discuss this. I'm still trying to research/ look into this whole statin business. Normally I would talk it over with my own personal doctor, my brother in law, but he's still recovering from major surgery and is undergoing chemo at the moment. I've always been erm, big boned, but to be honest I have gone to seed over the last couple of years or so and have put on weight. I haven't cycled for a couple of years which I can't believe as it is something I loved. I used to be fat but fit, now I am just fat. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted January 16, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 16, 2014 No, because some git would make me work 16 of them And your problem with that is? Think of the money! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium skipepsi Posted January 16, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 16, 2014 Evening all. Can't anyone make the day have 48 hours, so that I could sleep for 24 of them? Teaching easy peasy isn't it..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold colin penfold Posted January 16, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 16, 2014 And your problem with that is? Think of the money! Local Government Ian, they would just halve my hourly rate to compensate, and then make me take my annual leave in hours instead of days Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold SouthernRegionSteam Posted January 16, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 16, 2014 Dominik, I know what you mean! I could do with more time to sleep - not enough free time in the week to allow for sleep on top of everything else! Today has been a very important day for me, and all because of a certain delivery i've been waiting for - my MIDI music keyboard! Sounds a bit daft, but this has absolutely made me positive that music is the way I should head career-wise. Here's what greeted me on my break from work earlier: https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1/q77/s720x720/1521485_10202227958934153_1726802496_n.jpg Which contained this (Rather large and heavy) beauty: https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1/1525012_10202227959254161_635636070_n.jpg Proper hammer-action playing as per the real deal, and it has loads of fun things to go along with it like knobs and sliders and pitch wheels - how exciting! Man I can't wait to get home from work later this evening... Jam (super-excited of Hampshire) (Can't get the image URL dialogue box to open, so I can't post it in-line, it may be because of terrible work internet.) 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium NGT6 1315 Posted January 16, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 16, 2014 Teaching easy peasy isn't it..... I would indeed like to invite everyone making that claim to spend a week in our shoes! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted January 16, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 16, 2014 Statins are very straightforward but they can have side effects although whether or not that can be exacerbated with generics I don't know (but it did happen to me with Tegretol where the genetic had nasty side-effects and I had to go back on the 'real stuff'). I have been on statins for 13 years but last year I was getting increased incidence of leg cramp plus 'the shakes' seemed to be worsening. So i was switched to a different statin which was better but still caused (in my view) problems and interestingly things got much better when I did my own prescribing and stopped taking it. However when I saw the neurologist about 'the shakes' he explained what a major benefits statins are and all the rest of it (which is supported by statistics) and following a chat with another GP in the practice who I went to see about something else I restarted on the 'new' one without too much trouble. However on a test just before Christmas I put in a high cholesterol score so my GP changed me to a third statin - which is one of the strongest - and within days the cramps returned, albeit not badly but quite frequently, and 'the shakes' have got progressively worse. So today I have been switched back to the less side-effect inducing one and as my cholesterol was quite a good number (and I've given up the daily pork pie) the dose has also been reduced. So fingers are now crossed for reduction in both the cramps and 'the shakes'. Side effect on muscles is a potential problem with statins but overall the medicos seem to prefer the problems of that to having you pop off due to a heart attack or cardio-vascular troubles. Btw I don't need aspirin, in fact I'm not allowed to take anything which contains aspirin - my daily intake of warfarin is probably enough to bump off a small colony of rats. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Abel Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 (edited) I would indeed like to invite everyone making that claim to spend a week in our shoes! NO BLOODY WAY!!!! My son is now into his third year as a second grade teacher, he absolutely LOVES it and I'm very proud of him, BUT, you are all to be admired for what you do for the childern of the world and are NUTS for doing so much work for "relatively" so little reward (moniteraly that is)... The world needs to wake up and realise that we need to pay a LOT more to the teachers of this world and a LOT less to the bandits that purport to "work" on Wall Street (no offense to those employed there) but it IS topsy turvey, and we can add Nurses into the mix too along with teachers... Edited January 16, 2014 by Ian Abel 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edcayton Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Dominik, I know what you mean! I could do with more time to sleep - not enough free time in the week to allow for sleep on top of everything else! Today has been a very important day for me, and all because of a certain delivery i've been waiting for - my MIDI music keyboard! Sounds a bit daft, but this has absolutely made me positive that music is the way I should head career-wise. Here's what greeted me on my break from work earlier: https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1/q77/s720x720/1521485_10202227958934153_1726802496_n.jpg Which contained this (Rather large and heavy) beauty: https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1/1525012_10202227959254161_635636070_n.jpg Proper hammer-action playing as per the real deal, and it has loads of fun things to go along with it like knobs and sliders and pitch wheels - how exciting! Man I can't wait to get home from work later this evening... Jam (super-excited of Hampshire) (Can't get the image URL dialogue box to open, so I can't post it in-line, it may be because of terrible work internet.) With two built-in tellies? Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted January 16, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 16, 2014 My GP claims that if there is one class of drugs that has made a significant impact on his practice, it's the statins. Allowing him to manage cardiovascular disease (of diverse origins) much more effectively. One of the problems with using statins (as well as other medications) is that generics can be less effective than the original. In order to get a new drug approved, registered and marketed an awful lot of scientific and medical data has to be generated to support the new drug claims, whereas a generic drugs do not have to demonstrate any preclinical or clinical safety or efficacy data in the intended patient population but need only demonstrate bioavailability and bioequivalence to the brand-name drug. But bioavailability and bioequivelance is only part of the equation (I remember a presentation given by a professor at a clinical pharmacology seminar where he looked at several generic versions of a widely used drug. Although theoretically bioequivelant, the data he presented showed that some were only partly absorbed after ingestion and one version managed to make it's way through the body completely untouched! [i remember the presentation well, because of this particular bit of data he showed]). I'm not against generics per se, but I would like to see a somewhat more rigorous testing put in place for their approval. Exercise and diet are to be heartily recommended, but if you have this misfortune to have a LDL receptor gene mutation, you'll need help. Furthermore, a combination of risk factors will also mandate medication use. Personally, I avoid taking medication as much as possible - simply because I'm a stoic and can adequately tolerate my various joint related aches and pains. But I do cave-in and take drugs when absolutely necessary (like when I sliced my finger open in the workshop, damned if I was going be sewn up without adequate local anaesthesia). Anyway, good luck at 65 iD I am usually quite willing to take something for a short period to assist the body in healing but I am not convinced that taking things long term makes sense. When you find people being asked to take something to conteract the effects of taking asprin after a heart attack and then find the drug offered increases the likelyhood of a heart attack. Something the doctor had not considered. The person concerned had been used to risk assessment as part of his proffession and pointed out that with no evicence of trouble from a recent endoscopy just propsing taking such a drug from a general recommendation was not sensible. I am also under the impression that when patients report side effects these are often not recorded by the doctors. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashcombe Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 (edited) I've always thought that to live in France requires one to be a masochist... Of course Academie francaise is the prime example of a people both insecure yet at the same time full of pomposity. Hollande is another fine example, little tw@t full of sh$t. Lovely countryside, though. Best, Pete. Good food, great wine and far fewer people than in the UK! Works for me. Now in Gatwick Central Travelodge Cafe/Bar (We know how to live!) where there is FREE Wifi! Many thanks for all the supportive comments and helpful advice re Reading and the Ventura. A degree of panic re our connection at Reading as we were waiting outside the station for nearly 10mins. Just made it as the whistle blew! Feeling mellow as we begin our second bottle of wine, following a good meal of Piri Piri Chicken. Might regret the wine when the alarm goes off at 0530! Edited January 16, 2014 by Ashcombe 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruffalo Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Not long in so haven't really caught up but hope Torbay's finest have a good time (and wake up with a reasonably clear head and in time tomorrow). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted January 16, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 16, 2014 Although I do take several drugs long term, I am not always convinced of the benefits of some things I have been on - my current GP is very good and has worked with me to improve my lot quite considerably - and you're spot on about some Dr's not recording complaints regarding side effects! I could have rather severe words with one in my past..... Ventura.....isn't that a Paxman engine? #shudders# Here's a train for a rainy day, as it doesn't look as if Debs is around to ban me! 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted January 16, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 16, 2014 Spoke too soon..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Shedman5 Posted January 16, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 16, 2014 Spoke too soon..... Yep she's is viewing the posts lol! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted January 16, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 16, 2014 Going for broke.... 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted January 16, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 16, 2014 Wooooo trains!!!! 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Abel Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Good food, great wine and far fewer people than in the UK! Works for me. Now in Gatwick Central Travelodge Cafe/Bar (We know how to live!) where there is FREE Wifi! Many thanks for all the supportive comments and helpful advice re Reading and the Ventura. A degree of panic re our connection at Reading as we were waiting outside the station for nearly 10mins. Just made it as the whistle blew! Feeling mellow as we begin our second bottle of wine, following a good meal of Piri Piri Chicken. Might regret the wine when the alarm goes off at 0530! Enjoy the wine and your trip - remember ALL you need to do in the morning is get up and be awake enough to struggle through Gatwick and stumble onto the plane for a long sleep Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debs. Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Going for broke.... P1130005 (Medium).JPG All together now: "I`m Yanky Diesel Dandy!" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted January 16, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 16, 2014 Yep she's is viewing the posts lol! I'm off.....I know what's good for me! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Good food, great wine and far fewer people than in the UK! Works for me. Sherry, I know that feeling! Av. Population density per sq. Mile: UK: 660 France: 295 USA: 80 Of course Canada's is so low it is impossible to type.... Have a great trip! Keep us informed... Best, Pete. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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