That Was Interesting
4/2/09 18:06![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madrobinsBecause my father is 95.5 and counting, he is participating in a Long Life Longitudinal Study run out of Massachusetts General Hospital. Because he's my father and I therefore have some of his genes, they asked me to participate likewise (my brother, as well as his two surviving sibs, are likewise participants). Because the Spouse is, um, the Spouse, they asked him to participate too (probably they're going to glom on to the young at some point too, in the future). So: we'd done the phone history interview some months ago, but today, two extremely chipper young women from the Study showed up to do the physical parameters part of the program. Nothing horrifying: multiple blood pressures (mine's 94/60. As always, low) from the right arm, the left arm, and both ankles--to see if they could catch any peripheral artery disease lurking, of which it appears there was none; mobility tests (all couched in terms of "if you feel it is safe to do so, please...") like, stand with your feet together for ten seconds, stand with one foot in front of the other, stand up from a seated position five times fast; height, weight and other measurements; and respiratory tests.
The good news: my blood pressure is (still) low. No sign of PAD, no sign of any other problems, and my lung capacity and pulmonary function are actually better than they were when we lived in NY and I was going through physical therapy to improve it, so apparently that worked.
The bad news: I've shrunk. It's not just my imagination: my floor-to-knee measurement (which doesn't decrease, whatever your spine does to smush down and compact) and my arm span both belong to the woman who used to be 5'5 1/2"; I, however, am now 5'4."
I always wanted to be tall. I think this proves pretty conclusively that that's never going to happen.
The nice women had all manner of cool equipment that they talked about, so it was an educational afternoon, as well as enlightening.
The good news: my blood pressure is (still) low. No sign of PAD, no sign of any other problems, and my lung capacity and pulmonary function are actually better than they were when we lived in NY and I was going through physical therapy to improve it, so apparently that worked.
The bad news: I've shrunk. It's not just my imagination: my floor-to-knee measurement (which doesn't decrease, whatever your spine does to smush down and compact) and my arm span both belong to the woman who used to be 5'5 1/2"; I, however, am now 5'4."
I always wanted to be tall. I think this proves pretty conclusively that that's never going to happen.
The nice women had all manner of cool equipment that they talked about, so it was an educational afternoon, as well as enlightening.