A week after the tests, I had an hour-long call with Dr Vikram Bhatt to take me through all my results. Astonishingly, considering my history of smoking and less-than-saintly alcohol consumption, I got a clean bill of health, with only one or two things to address, such as low levels of vitamin D, for which I was given an extra-strength supplement and warned not to wear SPF for the first hour outside. It was also noted that I have “dense breasts”, which can slightly increase the risk of breast cancer.
As pleasing as that result is, it’s not a Golden Ticket, a pass to a future free of disease. It’s no more than a record of my health on that day. Even then, one has to be careful about how to interpret the data. One of my blood test results showed a reason for concern: high creatinine levels, a possible early sign of kidney problems. It was suggested I drink three litres of water a day until they retest. I tried, but couldn’t.
As it turned out, when I returned three months later without having increased my water intake, my creatinine levels were in the healthy range. The low levels prior were most likely down to the two days of fasting I had undergone for the initial tests. It’s a good example of why we must be cautious about leaping onto every “red flag”. The increase of information in the hands of both layman and doctor means we know simultaneously too much and not enough, and is perhaps one concern for the increasing digitisation and tracking of our health. Maybe there’s only so much we can do, however much we know; as Dr Bhatt said to me, after a certain age, we’re all walking down Sniper Alley.
My mother’s early decline showed me the clear link between a deteriorating mind and the body. At 54 years old, she looked like an octogenarian, with papery skin and sunken cheeks. Several studies show a robust link between your healthspan and a strong sense of purpose, contentment and good quality friendships, with loneliness cited as a greater risk than smoking – this link is most likely to do with inflammation, now widely seen as the cause of many common diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis. I’ve taken good cheer from the fact that I’m currently operating from an optimal baseline, and I’ll assume the responsibility for keeping it there as well as I can. Dr Bhatt recommended that I continue trying to learn new things, ask my GP to test my B12 and folic acid levels annually (if you think you’re losing your memory, it could be due to low B12), keep an eye on my moles, and take up Pilates or yoga to strengthen the wear and tear my lower back has suffered. To which I’ll add: seeing friends and hitting the dancefloor as often as possible.
