friday set fair

At last a weather window has intervened to lift the gloom of the last few days. So I was indeed able to do my hill-walk today under clear, if somewhat watery-blue skies. A great little walk: it takes under 40 minutes and is barely 4K, but the 130 metres of ascent is achieved only by a nasty little pitch of 25% or worse. My smoker's lungs are screaming for respite by the time I attain the trig point, though I am relieved to report I have recovered my oxygen debt inside 2 minutes and ceased to pant like a sweating dog.

On the way down I heard the persistent cries of a bird of prey. I looked up and not far above my head a red kite ducked and wheeled under the ferocious mobbing of a single magpie. It couldn't have been a quarter of the size of the majestic raptor, but it was bullying the larger bird relentlessly and loving it. And the kite could do nothing about it.

At work I have a long chat with a patient who reported multiple joint pains a couple of weeks ago and upon whom we had performed a battery of blood tests. It turned out they were all pretty much normal with the exception of a slightly high cholesterol reading. Mortified at hearing this, the patient protested that their diet was exemplary and expressed something close to despair that all their recent efforts had been in vain. We recalled a result from 5 years ago, and we both noted how the WHO has adjusted their optimal levels down by a considerable degree in the intervening 5 years. In other words, what used to be thought of as normal is now unacceptably high. I did no more than suggest renewed efforts on their part, knowing an offer of statins would likely be politely rejected.

Business over, we spent a little time shooting the breeze. I mentioned the blog I keep, and I felt I trusted the patient enough to reveal its name. I emphasised secrecy: if my real name reached the public I could find myself in the deepest shit imaginable, invoking the ire of the local health authorities, the GMC and possibly the police to boot. Moreover, the patient has a very powerful job and is extremely well connected. But then, that sort of person is usually accustomed to keeping their cards close to their chests, so I should be safe.