Continuing my rather pathetic use of LJ for medical advice

[neadods]

The good news: Ice last night and cool packs (I couldn't get the buggers really cold) most of today have brought down the swelling of my foot and ankle rather nicely. There's still something wrong, but I'll keep RICEing it and hope for the best.


The mixed news. I got a letter from the USDA today saying that I am eligible for the Cranberry Study, and containing the results of the lab tests I've already taken. This is not the same as being picked; they're making their selection over the next couple of weeks. It is not impossible to call them and back out.

PRO: They'll give me a lot of money... eventually... and that would be a very nice thing to have now that I've seen my bank account after the vacation. Eeep! Also, the whole not buying food/not living on takeout thing.

CON: On the other hand, they'll feed me a lot of fatty, salty stuff that I don't normally eat often (if ever), like sausage and chips, and that might be a very *bad* thing in light of the lab results. The printouts very helpfully contain normal ranges next to the actual reading. Suffice it to say that the cover letter contains the line "Please review labs and blood pressure with your medical provider."

Uh oh.

Now, my dad's been on a heart-healthy diet for years since his heart attack, and I know plenty about cooking tasty low-fat, low-salt food. I haven't been arsed to do it, but I know how. But that diet is just about the opposite of what this study's gonna feed me for two solid months.

I'm really leaning toward picking up the phone and saying "Not this study, but keep me on your records for something less drastic."

[Poll #1610290]

Comments

[museclio]

Yes - presuming you can check with a med provider and find out zir opinion.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Well, they'd be taking my blood pressure and all sorts of samples the entire time, as the study is supposed to be to see if cranberry juice is good for your heart.


OTOH, I'm just on the other side of a lot of the thresholds. I could pull this back to the right side pretty quickly if I took action *now,* not 9 weeks from now.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

I say yes, for the sake of actually having data from women be part of the study. How many times have you heard some variation on "It turns out that women react to X differently from men, but all the tests were run on men" over the last 5 years or so?

[neadods.livejournal.com]

The room I was in for the orientation was slightly tilted more female than male. So I don't think my presence or absence would be a deciding factor.

[raqs.livejournal.com]

You can probably pull those values back to the right side no matter when you start. And you seem to place a lot of value on not having to cook. Fatty, salty foods will not kill you in two months. You might not ENJOY them, but they won't kill you in two months.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

And you seem to place a lot of value on not having to cook

I do, at the moment. Organizing the house is taking all of my time and brainpower; I can't seem to consistently keep up with a meal plan, much less cooking.

[raqs.livejournal.com]

Well, so. Prioritizing is OK! In fact it is good! One priority may temporarily take precedence over another, and if you really want to have food provided FOR you (an urge I can totally understand!) then why not do it?

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Mostly because I want people to provide food I want to eat at times that are convenient for me, not them.

Selfish, but true!

[easy-living.livejournal.com]

This. Even if cranberries have no effect whatsoever on heart health, two months of eating the "wrong" foods is not going to kill you. And not having to think about what to cook/eat is likely to reduce your stress levels, which could have a positive effect on blood pressure. Not to mention that it's easy enough to monitor your blood pressure and you could withdraw from the study at any point if you were significantly concerned.

[tchwrtr.livejournal.com]

Thirded. If they offer it (and they haven't yet--watch those eggs, but don't count the chickens), take the offer. You will be monitored/monitoring the whole time. If things get risky, you can drop out.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Not to mention that it's easy enough to monitor your blood pressure

They'll be taking all sorts of samples from me the entire time, so if something starts spiralling, they'll probably yank me out on their own.

...I hope.

[easy-living.livejournal.com]

Yep - in my experience of clinical trials (um, six so far, I think, all at Walter Reed), any indication that the trial is causing harm will get you pulled from the program fast.

[zinelady.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking do the study if they offer it to you, and then after it's over, talk to your doctor about a good diet to help your levels. He/she might even suggest medications for lowering cholesterol to take at the same time as a diet.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping that I can drop cholesterol at the same time as I drop everything else; it's right over the line too.

[wshaffer.livejournal.com]

Like most of your other commenters, I'm leaning towards "do the study", at least presuming that the numbers aren't going to prey on your mind too much. You might even get some interesting data on how your test results respond to diet.

(I personally found that dietary changes didn't directly affect my blood pressure, except to the extent that they made me lose weight. I was able to make a pretty dramatic change in my cholesterol through diet and exercise. On the other hand, my husband found that even with a fairly strict diet, he couldn't make much of a blip in his cholesterol numbers. Everyone's a bit different.)

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I didn't used to have high blood pressure (and this is just slightly high enough that it could have been stress or hunger). It's the glucose and cholesterol that I need to get back down, and I know diet and exercise will do that, and I think the blood pressure will follow.

[fabricdragon.livejournal.com]

if the diet will be bad for you (other than cranberries) it is NOT worth it.

ok, some cash right now (or soon) thats nice...... some savings right now on food . thats nice......
what about the future? what about the trying to get your numbers back down and teh weight back off?

trust me, getting the numbers back down and the weight off is not as easy as messsing it up.

if you NEED the money, ok... but do it knowing how much work it will be to get back

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I could really use the money. OTOH, I could also really exploit the local farmer's markets for better meat & veggies than the green beans and turkey sausage on the food list - and that's an opportunity that will slip by unless I buy and freeze, because the study runs until just before Thanksgiving, right when all the local farmers markets shut down.

[fabricdragon.livejournal.com]

ok, you need the cash (i can sympathize)

what can you do to make this study easier on you? buy veggies and freeze them is good...
you can also look into improving some of the numbers right now...

i would say do your best to *minimize harm* and still get the cash.....

[belovedwarrior.livejournal.com]

The sausage they make you eat on the list is turkey sausage? That's much, much better! :)

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Much better... for *sausage,* which I don't like at all. (They were reassuring another woman that there were no pork products at all in the specified diet.)

[belovedwarrior.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes. I was thinking on the realm of healthwise. But if you don't like sausage then that's no fun at all. :P

[belovedwarrior.livejournal.com]

I voted yes. Obviously the money is an incentive. It would be wonderful to have meals provided where you don't have to worry about cooking, prepping or planning. It sucks that some (or a lot?) of the food is fatty and salty but it is only 2 months and you will be constantly monitored.

I would suggest that you use the extra time you're saving from buying, prepping and cooking food to work out. :D

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I'll have to spend some of it fulfilling study requirements (I have to eat there, for example) and the rest will most likely be spent working on the house. I'm falling behind in that and I'm determined to get the horrible job done.

[fyrdrakken]

Your reasons for wanting to do it still apply, and I'm sure you'll be getting a fair amount of physical activity in doing all the home-improvement stuff that you want to free up time for by not having to plan and cook meals. I also sort of agree with the suggestion that you take advantage of the remaining time before the start of the study to try to get some of your numbers down a bit.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised at how not-energetic the house renovation work is. It's mostly fiddling details. I'm learning a lot - next up, build a table - but it's not what you'd call aerobic.