Renal function figures that frightened me until they were explained

Something I did not expect: the appointments got easier because I had something to bring to them. Before, I was being told; now, we are discussing.

Ephraim, thank you for that. It gives me somewhere to start from.

What I would say is get clear on what is being measured and what the target is, because I spent two years watching a figure I had misunderstood.

My numbers moved over about five months and my GP was noticeably pleased, which after years of slightly tense appointments was a strange and good experience.

Nine minutes twice a year is not enough to cover this and I stopped pretending it was. I bring a printed page now and we get through four times as much.

Coming back after my annual review to say everything was steady, nothing needed changing, and the appointment lasted eleven minutes and was pleasant.

My experience is that steady beats dramatic. The month I did everything perfectly is not visible in my results and the two boring years are.

Thank you for writing this down. It helped.

The thing that surprised me was how much sleep affected my morning numbers. Nothing to do with food at all and it took me a year to notice.

I would say that if you have been managing this a long time, your own knowledge is genuinely worth something in the appointment. Mine was welcomed once I offered it.

Bookmarking this. Thank you.

What I got wrong was chasing individual readings. The trend over three months was the only thing that ever meant anything.

Gently disagreeing with Fen, or rather adding the other half of it.

Something practical: I wrote down the three questions before going in, every time, and I have never once remembered them otherwise.