"Onelife's Pinch an inch diet"

[Kenmo1]

QB and Keith --- this is very interesting because Ken had a heart attack and by pass at 49/50. He has not seen his doctor in 7 years but goes to the CHD clinic once a year for a check up. He has been on the same tablets (7) including simvastatin 20mg and 2 blood pressure tablets amongst others and we are finding it increasingly difficult to get travel insurance now that Ken is 71. Annual European insurance to cover us both (me - no health issues) was increased from £250 last year to £500 this year so we are now doing insurance trip by trip. The questions on the travel insurance forms are now much harder to answer e.g. Have you EVER had high blood pressure and Have you EVER had high cholesterol. We can't remember his medical history dating back to 1992/93 so how do you answer those questions truthfully without making a special visit to see the Doctor. Also the levels now considered high may have been considered acceptable a few years ago as they keep moving the goal posts.

Do you face the same problems getting travel insurance?



Maureen

[Silver_Shiney]

Maureen, my mother has so many medical problems they're on the point of having a bed reserved for her personal use at the general hospital in Southampton.

Nevertheless, she has no problems getting insurance through RIAS - although it's not cheap!

It might be worth giving them a try.

[Kenmo1]

Thanks Alan, I've made a note of that as I have started a list of ones worth trying. We tend to go to the local Age UK office in Newport as you can talk to a human being instead of struggling through a form on the internet, praying that we have answered sensibly. We got cover from them for 12 days in June at a cost of £126 but as soon as we get back from the holiday in June we are going to make an appointment to see the Doctor in order to go through the questions on the form so that we can answer everything truthfully and then will book a holiday for later in the year.

Anyway, I think the Doctor should be reviewing Ken's tablets, not just dishing out a prescription each month.

Maureen.

[Quizzical Bob]

QB and Keith --- this is very interesting because Ken had a heart attack and by pass at 49/50. He has not seen his doctor in 7 years but goes to the CHD clinic once a year for a check up. He has been on the same tablets (7) including simvastatin 20mg and 2 blood pressure tablets amongst others and we are finding it increasingly difficult to get travel insurance now that Ken is 71. Annual European insurance to cover us both (me - no health issues) was increased from £250 last year to £500 this year so we are now doing insurance trip by trip. The questions on the travel insurance forms are now much harder to answer e.g. Have you EVER had high blood pressure and Have you EVER had high cholesterol. We can't remember his medical history dating back to 1992/93 so how do you answer those questions truthfully without making a special visit to see the Doctor. Also the levels now considered high may have been considered acceptable a few years ago as they keep moving the goal posts.

Do you face the same problems getting travel insurance?

Maureen

Hi Maureen,

After my heart attack and bypass in July 2012 I was on a cocktail of tablets which I have now persuaded them to reduce to just the three a day; Aspirin 75mg, Ramipril 1.25mg and Bisoprolol now down to 1.25mg because my heart rate was dropping under 40. Our Insurance used to be with Insure and Go but they couldn't cover me so we are now with Staysure at just over £400 for worldwide annual multi-trip including USA. My wife is on blood pressure tablets too. It seems strange to me that if you are on medication for high blood pressure or cholesterol they charge you extra where to my mind it should be less because you're doing something about it.

For all us weight-watchers the message is the same. Eat sensibly, exercise often, don't smoke, don't drink much and everything should start to get back to normal.

[Kenmo1]

QB - your remark about it being strange that you are penalised for doing something about BP or Cholesterol is just what my husband says. He says I am a walking time bomb as I hate going to the doctor and only gave in recently and attended the Well Woman clinic to see a nurse because he kept nagging me.

I suppose the Doctor keeps giving Ken the same prescription each month on the assumption that they must be working because he hasn't seen a doctor in 7 years. He did ring once after Ken had attended a CHD clinic to advise him to lose weight but that one phone call has been the only contact.

Maureen

[Quizzical Bob]

QB - your remark about it being strange that you are penalised for doing something about BP or Cholesterol is just what my husband says. He says I am a walking time bomb as I hate going to the doctor and only gave in recently and attended the Well Woman clinic to see a nurse because he kept nagging me.

I suppose the Doctor keeps giving Ken the same prescription each month on the assumption that they must be working because he hasn't seen a doctor in 7 years. He did ring once after Ken had attended a CHD clinic to advise him to lose weight but that one phone call has been the only contact.

Maureen

My prescription is reviewed annually, in fact I am a month overdue. It will be interesting to see what we agree upon.

[Dancing Queen]

QB and Keith --- this is very interesting because Ken had a heart attack and by pass at 49/50. He has not seen his doctor in 7 years but goes to the CHD clinic once a year for a check up. He has been on the same tablets (7) including simvastatin 20mg and 2 blood pressure tablets amongst others and we are finding it increasingly difficult to get travel insurance now that Ken is 71. Annual European insurance to cover us both (me - no health issues) was increased from £250 last year to £500 this year so we are now doing insurance trip by trip. The questions on the travel insurance forms are now much harder to answer e.g. Have you EVER had high blood pressure and Have you EVER had high cholesterol. We can't remember his medical history dating back to 1992/93 so how do you answer those questions truthfully without making a special visit to see the Doctor. Also the levels now considered high may have been considered acceptable a few years ago as they keep moving the goal posts.

Do you face the same problems getting travel insurance?



Maureen

Maureen, I had the same problem for my husband when the questions were reworded to EVER and the only way to answer truthfully was to go and ask the doctor, as you say how can you remember from years ago, having had to cancel a holiday one thing I do know is that your GP has to give certain information to the insurers so it is much better to be safe than sorry.

Insurance is getting harder and harder to find and an annual policy impossible so we have no choice than to do single trip, I have just done the insurance for a Med and a Canaries cruise 22 days in total ( just under £700 for both ) we've more or less given up on the US/Caribbean as the quote I had last year was almost £2k unfortunately my husbands pre existing is considered high risk and the premiums reflect that.

He recently went to Ireland for 5 days and although the EHIC card would have been sufficient I needed peace of mind so took insurance out ... £52, I was expecting about £20 but that was certainly a shock to the system

[Onelife]

Hi AndreaS

I'm a little tied up for the next few hours so in the mean time this link gives a good insight as to what we should all be aiming for...

http://www.bloodpressureuk.org/BloodPre ... ssurechart

Maureen..... lnsurance companies take advantage wherever and whenever they can thats why it pays to shop around. Insure and go gave me a pretty good price compared with what my previous insurance company wanted to syphon off me. They are all a load of rip off merchants is you ask me and agree totaly with QB.

Regards

Keith.

[RB1961]

Hi all,

Well I had a Victor Meldrew moment yesterday...I put on 2 and a half pound..I don't beeeelive it.

I ran 5 miles around Blenhiem Palace in 55 minutes on Sunday for the Oxford children's hospital and then played squash on Monday night.

Ahh well will I ever win the celery stick...

RB

[Silver_Shiney]

muscle is heavier than fat, RB!

[Quizzical Bob]

Hi all,

Well I had a Victor Meldrew moment yesterday...I put on 2 and a half pound..I don't beeeelive it.

I ran 5 miles around Blenhiem Palace in 55 minutes on Sunday for the Oxford children's hospital and then played squash on Monday night.

Ahh well will I ever win the celery stick...

RB

2 pints of water weigh 2.5 pounds and you can easily lose or gain that. It's the long-term trend that's important.

[Onelife]

Hi QB

Now call me stupid but it hadn't occurred to me that water weighed that much.......good job my water works are in tip top condition

Regards

keith

[Quizzical Bob]

Hi QB

Now call me stupid but it hadn't occurred to me that water weighed that much.......good job my water works are in tip top condition

Regards

keith

Beer weighs about the same, if you prefer?

[Kenmo1]

What I find fascinating is the fact that, if I weigh myself just before I go to bed and then again first thing in the morning when I get up, I am nearly always exactly 2lbs heavier at night time than I am the next morning. I must get rid of 2lbs of water during the night - thats quite a few visits to the loo at night-time !!!


Maureen

[Quizzical Bob]

What I find fascinating is the fact that, if I weigh myself just before I go to bed and then again first thing in the morning when I get up, I am nearly always exactly 2lbs heavier at night time than I am the next morning. I must get rid of 2lbs of water during the night - thats quite a few visits to the loo at night-time !!!


Maureen

And exhalation, perspiration, midnight work-outs

[Kenmo1]

Does struggling to get in an out of bed to go to the loo count as a midnight work-out or were you thinking of something else, QB?




Maureen

[Quizzical Bob]

Does struggling to get in an out of bed to go to the loo count as a midnight work-out or were you thinking of something else, QB?




Maureen

Every 2 or 3 hours for me

[Silver_Shiney]

Does struggling to get in an out of bed to go to the loo count as a midnight work-out or were you thinking of something else, QB?




Maureen

Every 2 or 3 hours for me

then it wouldn't be a midnight workout, would it?

[Quizzical Bob]

Does struggling to get in an out of bed to go to the loo count as a midnight work-out or were you thinking of something else, QB?




Maureen

Every 2 or 3 hours for me

then it wouldn't be a midnight workout, would it?

It's in the middle of the night ???

[Dark Knight]

evening salad dodgers and wannabee stick insects
I have been away this week , so i have not been able to give you , your much needed pep talk
this week I have been to an italian restaurant, a thai restaurant an American one, a gastro pub and a Chinese restaurant and tonight it is pizza and garlic bread with cheese

keep going peeps, your feet are in sight

[Quizzical Bob]

evening salad dodgers and wannabee stick insects
I have been away this week , so i have not been able to give you , your much needed pep talk
this week I have been to an italian restaurant, a thai restaurant an American one, a gastro pub and a Chinese restaurant and tonight it is pizza and garlic bread with cheese

keep going peeps, your feet are in sight

Was it a black Thai restaurant? I thought you didn't like dressing up?

[Dark Knight]

QB
it was actually a nice blend of warm colurs and natural fabrics, which you would expect of an award winning establishment
and I wore jeans and a tee shirt as befits my role as a paying guest

Ps rubbish joke btw

[Stephen]

The amount of work I've been putting into the back garden this week I need all the calories I can get. I've already had the hospital on the phone asking if they can use me for Xray plates

I was mixing sand and ballast yesterday in a wheel barrow.............it nearly killed me.

[Kenmo1]

I overdid the wine and chocolates last night so weigh in today is 142lbs 4ozs slightly down on last week. Still 2lbs to go to get to target weight and, like Jo said, those last couple of pounds are the hardest to shift.

Good luck pinchers.


Maureen

[Silver_Shiney]

It has to be said that I was hiding my face in shame yesterday - I've put on 12 ounces since last week