Dear Colleagues,
It seems to have fallen to me to send news of the illness and deaths of colleagues, not to mention myself. One wonders in every case if some intervention could have delayed the event.
As a retirement reward I have been revisiting Shakespeare who often quotes on death but rarely about disease: the Bard treats life's termination alternately as a matter-of-fact necessity as well as an a'feared mystery.
I have corresponded with a few colleagues who mostly agreed that having a GP's advice at regular intervals is the best defence against disease and premature death (one said that a cardiologist is all he needs!). Lifestyle advice, vaccinations, occult blood testing, prostate antigens, women's health check-ups, osteoporosis assessments, etc, etc. Cardiac health might be assessed by BP measurement, lipid screening, calcium ratio measurement, coronary CT scan, etc. While we may be familiar with such tests, just when they may be appropriate should be decided by a caring GP like the conductor of an orchestra. It is so easy to let such things slip on ones own. And finding a good GP is never easy but definitely worth the hunt as I did when I moved to Bowral. Some rural areas are not as fortunate so travel to larger centres or telehealth may be needed.
In the course of my own recent illness I had a cardiac assessment including angiogram (no stent needed), PET scanning, regular blood testing, beta blockers and an ACE inhibitor to regularise the heart and BP. Lymphoma from 20 years ago is happily now in remission again.
I hope people will think seriously about the above and I apologise for preaching to the choir.
Best regards, Andrew Byrne .. (the year's trouble-maker and would-be conscience).
