Nowadays when I go back to see my dad, my siblings and my beloved nephews and nieces back in Kuala Kangsar I would be disheartened and sad to hear dad's comments about his health. If I ask him how he is, I would get an answer something like "There's nothing more for me, I am 90. What to expect from a 90-year old?". He actually did not answer my question. Truth of the matter is my dad does not have any of the metabolic syndromes of the modern world. No hypertension, no diabetes and no heart disease. He is not really sick but he is not optimally healthy also. That is the best description I can come out with. He is thin and frail and he doesn't have a good appetite and eats very little. He walks agonisingly slow with unsteady steps and he tires easily. Looking at him, I feel like a strong breeze can easily blow him away. We are always worried that he might have some falls. Because of his frailty my dad is very much confined to the house. We dare not let him walk by himself, even to my brother's house, a distance of about 100 metres away. He is just a very pale shadow of the person he was before. He was industrious, never like to be idle and always have something to do even after he was retired from government service.
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| My dad and my late step-mum. Picture taken in 2011 |
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| The Yahaya-Leha clan, Hari Raya 2011. |
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| From left to right: My Ayah Cu, my late step-mum, dad, me and my brother Mi in 2011. Dad was healthier at this time, not as frail as he is now. |
I am sad that dad's life is very much restricted by his frailty. He cannot drive anymore and that I think depresses him very much as he has to depend on my nephews and nieces if he wants to go to town for whatever little things he needs to do. My nephews and nieces are good kids and they are very obliging to their grand-dad. However for a man who used to be very independent and very self-motivated, it must be depressing for my dad to be dependent on others. After the passing of my step-mother about a year ago dad probably feel that he has nothing much to live for.
To me, dad should be proud and happy for his achievements. Despite a childhood of poverty and of being side-lined always by his step-mother, he studied hard in whatever little education he had. He managed to get a job in JKR and he slowly rose from rank and file. Dad and mum strived hard to raise my six brothers (I was snatched by my auntie at 8-months old). Dad worked and mum managed the household. It was not easy for them and they faced a lot of challenges but they persevered to give their children the best education they could afford. You have done great dad, you were focused and were always intent on providing the best for your children. Personally, there are things I do not agree with my dad but that doesn't mean I do not appreciate him as a dad. I was bitter about the fact that I was forcefully adopted by my auntie, about my separation from my biological family, but time passes, the years have also mellowed me down, thank goodness. I want to be happy and not resentful and bitter. I too, am not young anymore. I will be 62 in late September 2016.
Back to the issue of being frail in old age. Frankly, it is very very difficult for me to accept a living confined to the house even if I am ninety. Well, supposedly if I live to that age, nobody knows, but what if I do? I am fiercely independent and I expect to be able to take care of myself, my home and my pets by myself. I expect to be able to go for short walks all by myself and at the same time not worry everyone that I might have some falls. I expect to be able to drive short distances, to the grocery store, to the supermarket, to the vet and to the train or bus station to get a connecting train or bus. I expect to be able to travel once in a while albeit with family members. And most importantly I expect to always be able to savour the pleasure of reading to the last day of my life. Am I selfish for wanting all those? No, I do not think so. Being independent is my integrity and I do not wish to burden anyone else, siblings or nephews or nieces, unless it is really unavoidable and for short periods only.
So, as a first step towards getting healthier, as I wrote in the 17th July post, I am concentrating on tackling my obesity issue. Obesity carries a lot risks. The most common are the ones associated with metabolic syndromes. I have cut and paste some description at the bottom of the page about metabolic syndrome. The fat cells can cause inflammation somewhere in the body. Inflammation generally is a good thing. It is a way some cells in the body are informing other cells that something is wrong and needed to be attended to. When we have an infection, for example, some cells will travel to attack and devour the bacteria or virus. When that is done, the attackers will back off and inflammation will subside. The same thing happens when we cut ourselves or break a bone. The red skin, the swelling, the heat and the pain are signs that there is an inflammation. However, it becomes a problem when the attacker cells keep on attacking healthy cells of the area, even after the bad virus have been devoured or the problem has been solved. Or when the attacker cells go to healthy cells or muscles or organs and start attacking as a result of faulty information or signals. The serious thing about fat cells in an obese person is that it can cause low-grade inflammation or also called chronic inflammation in some areas in the body, which can go on for years, without manifesting any symptoms. Osteoarthritis (OA), which I have, is the result of this faulty information, when my attacker cells began turning on me and start attacking the cartilage in-between the knee. Previously, OA was thought to be a degenerative disease, the result of wear and tear of the joint.
Latest research in medicine, seems to point out towards low-grade inflammation as a big factor in the development of serious diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, OA, rheumatoid arthritis and cancer and also a contributing factor to frailty in the elderly. You can read about inflammation and what causes it and how we can reverse it (yes, we can, good for us) all over the net.
One of the biggest culprit in causing inflammation is the consumption of too much sugar and too much refined carbohydrates. Other factors, include smoking, lack of exercise, stress, poor diet and toxins in the environment.
So, my strategy in trying to lose weight and trying to stop the inflammation in my body that is causing my OA is eliminating as much sugar and carbs from my diet. For the past 3 months I try my best to incorporate as much green vegetables as possible in my meals, even for breakfast. I eat more fish and more good nuts like almond and walnuts. I take my coffee black and I stop talking all sugary drinks and a lot of fried food (not all the time though, sometimes I succumbed to temptation too ha ha ha).
However one outcome of losing weight which really pleases me and motivates me even further, is, the reduction in pain in my left arthritic knee. I would say almost two-thirds of the pain is gone. I am very very thankful for that.
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| My latest facial snapshot taken 5th August, 2016. I weigh 60kg now. |
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| This photo was taken in 1984 when I was 30. It was in front of the International Centre in Hatagaya, near Shinjuku, Japan. I weighed 55kg at this time. This is the weight I am trying to get to. Seize the day! Will try my best! |
Metabolic Risk Factors
The five conditions described below are metabolic risk factors. You can have any one of these risk factors by itself, but they tend to occur together. You must have at least three metabolic risk factors to be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome.
A large waistline. This also is called abdominal obesity or "having an apple shape." Excess fat in the stomach area is a greater risk factor for heart disease than excess fat in other parts of the body, such as on the hips.
A high triglyceride level (or you're on medicine to treat high triglycerides). Triglycerides are a type of fat found in the blood.
A low HDL cholesterol level (or you're on medicine to treat low HDL cholesterol). HDL sometimes is called "good" cholesterol. This is because it helps remove cholesterol from your arteries. A low HDL cholesterol level raises your risk for heart disease.
High blood pressure (or you're on medicine to treat high blood pressure). Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps blood. If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage your heart and lead to plaque buildup.
High fasting blood sugar (or you're on medicine to treat high blood sugar). Mildly high blood sugar may be an early sign of diabetes.
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