No more pills

When I worked for English China Clays in Cornwall I was required to have a yearly medical check-up. The company nurse became concerned about my blood pressure and strongly advised me to lose weight. She gave me a diet sheet and over the following months I lost about a stone, and down came my blood pressure. Shortly afterwards, though, I was taken off radiological work and no longer needed the check-up... and my weight gradually returned to its old obese 'high'.

18 years ago my GP prescribed a blood pressure pill and statins, and the yearly medical check-ups resumed.  That's the way things stayed until last July, when I joined Slimming World. By Christmas I'd lost 2½ stone and achieved my target weight.

A few weeks ago I was called in to my Health Centre for another check-up. The results were impressive: blood pressure had dropped to 100:70 and blood cholesterol level had fallen 'through the floor' to 2.1. I immediately booked an appointment with my favourite GP and stopped taking the blood pressure pill.

Yesterday I turned up for this impromptu Meds Review.  Blood pressure had inevitably risen, but only to a healthy 120:80. "Your cholesterol level is probably too low," he explained, "so stop taking your statin as well. You no longer have hypertension... and I rarely have the privilege of saying that to anyone!"

As you may well imagine, I am thrilled. Eager to share my news, I sent a text message to my former Slimming World consultant.  Back came this reply:

Oh Angie, that's fantastic news! Of course I remember you. You truly deserve your success. Am over the moon. All your doing! Take care. Debra xxx

So now I have an added incentive to keep my weight in check – maintaining that healthy blood pressure.

Oh, and now I'm off statins, I can eat grapefruit again. I had one for breakfast this morning and enjoyed every long-cherished mouthful.