Eileen from Airdrie

How did you feel when you were invited to attend a Keep Well health check?

When the invitation came in at first, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to bother with it. I had a check in the workplace a couple of years ago though, which showed my cholesterol was quite high at that time. There’s also heart disease on my father’s side of the family and most of them had health problems when they got to 55, so that was in the back of my mind as well. My father had this thought in his head when he got to 55 that "I’m not going to be here" and I thought I don’t want to be like that. I thought, what if these tests were going to show that there was something that could be sorted, I mean what harm can it do?

What happened when you made your appointment for the health check?

The letter asked that you phone to make an appointment. When I phoned and explained that I worked, they were very amenable. They had different times that were a bit later on in the day. I think I went about half past five, which was ideal, so it wasn’t as if I was putting myself out.

When you went along was it what you were expecting?

I expected that we would walk in and it would be very quick. But I didn’t feel there was a restriction as to how long you could have chatted, and I think that is quite good if you have questions or queries. I was asked a set of questions and some of these triggered questions in my mind. I suppose you could have just gone in and out if you wanted to be quick. But I spoke to her about family issues and personal anxieties, and she talked to me about other things as well but she made me feel quite comfortable.

How did you feel when you walked out?

When I came out I actually felt quite pleased with myself. The nurse put my mind at ease and she also said to keep doing what I was doing in terms of weight loss and the gym. The one thing that I was quite amazed by was that she gave me this list of foods and how often I should eat them. I looked at this list and thought there were things on it I just assumed I could eat often, but the list said only once a week. Before fruit was a big ‘no no’ for me, but she explained that fruits and vegetables could be tinned or frozen, not just fresh. So I manage to have the five portions most days now, even if they’re out of a tin. I came out with a knowledge that I didn’t have and I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t gone.

Did the nurse make any recommendations?

She said to continue with the gym and dieting. My blood pressure was fine but my cholesterol was high. I went for a fasting blood test and the first time I went it was 6.4, which had come down 1 point from the initial test only 3 weeks before. But I felt the changes to my diet that she suggested weren’t going to be huge to do, it was easier I think as well having the food list.

What has the longer term impact of Keep Well been?

I feel it has given me that little of bit of oomph to say that I’m definitely going to keep going. When I got the results from the second fasting blood test, my cholesterol had gone down to 5. The good and the bad cholesterols had gone the right way, and she told there was nothing there that was showing heart disease was heredity so that was really big for me. She also told me that my risk of having heart disease had lowered from 15% to 9% and said that was really significant in such a small period. So I mean, having achieved that, there’s no way that I would go back.

I think if I did have health concerns in the future I certainly would go the practice now. It’s something I probably would have done in the past, but I suddenly realise there is a network of nurses in the practices as well that I would certainly go and see.