Free checkups

A little break from posting lots of photo's tonight, to tell you about a free NHS health check I had today. I was in town this afternoon and found some very nice ladies in the library offering the checks. They were here a few months ago but were very busy and couldn't fit me in. This time they were twiddling their thumbs looking for customers so I thought I would get myself done.

First I filled the form out and my details were put on the computer. Then I was weighed, 8st 7 lbs, and my height was measured, 5ft 6ins. Then my waist measurement was taken, 63cm, what's that in real money, ha ha. A few calculations gave me a BMI of 19.13. This is a little bit on the low side, I could do with putting on a couple of pounds, but I can live with it.

Then my blood pressure was taken, that's fine, then my pulse checked, yes I do have one, ha ha, that's fine. A sample of blood was taken from a prick on the finger, flippin heck that hurt, and it was put into a machine. This checked my cholesterol level, that is fine as well.

Next there were questions about my lifestyle, and also about any heart disease in the family. All the answers were entered into the computer, and the result is that I have a very low risk of developing cardiovascular disease in the next ten years. All this goes onto my records, and I will be called for another check in five years time.

It was all so easy to do, and the ladies who who carried out the tests were very helpfull and explained everything fully. I don't know if everyone is able to have the tests in other parts of the country, but if you see it advertised in the press then it's a good idea to go along and have it done. It costs nothing, and you never know, it might pick up on something that needs a bit of attention. I quite like the idea of preventative medicine, having checks before you actually fall ill. It's up to us all to do our very best to look after ourselves, so keep your eyes and ears open and if you see they are offering free health checks, go for it.