I may as well introduce myself as I am likely to post quite a lot on the various forums in the coming months. Not regularly as in every day at a certain time but regularly as in once every week or so.

My name is Phil and I live in Luxembourg. This year was the first time that I came into contact with with the Luxembourg health care system proper – i.e. beyond the GP and his blood tests.

Way back in April my GP called me in because he had not seen me for more than a year and he was required to see me as I have hypertension (high blood pressure). At that time he increased my prescription of Coozar and suggested that, because I am 54, I see a heart specialist. No alarm bells there, just catching up with age.

I made an appointment with a heart specialist for early September and went on holiday.

Well, the appointment with the specialist didn’t go quite as I had imagined. I arrived early and settled in for a long wait but I had barely taken my phone out to play Sudoku when I was called and whisked off to an examination room for an Electro CardioGram (ECG or EKG as it is now, apparently). Top tip – do NOT take a deep breath whilst your heart is being monitored (unless you’re told to) as it spooks the specialist.

A short time later I got to see the specialist and told her my recent medical history of hypertension. Now everything changed from my heart to my blood pressure. She got me onto the examination table and hooked me up to her BP monitor. The news was obviously not good as she frowned, and then took a sharp intake of breath and explained that my BP was a bit on the high side. She left me hooked up to this thing and left the room. When she came back there were lots of “oh dear”s and some “oh my”s but no real information.

It was when she started to describe the symptoms of a heart attack and what I should do “when” I begin to feel them that I started to get a bit concerned, specially when she suggested that I have the emergency number on speed dial on my phone!!

I was now in a bit of a panic, after all I have only 1 heart and if that stops…

However, the specialist finished off by prescribing another drug to fight the effects of hypertension and also a blood test. She gave the blood test prescription to me there and then. Reassuringly, she made an appointment for me to return in 6 weeks. Such a relief after being so close to a heart attack minutes before. She didn’t exactly rush me out of her surgery but I got the feeling that if I were about to keel over she would rather I did it somewhere else.

On my way out I did wonder where I was supposed to collect the drug prescription form from as she had not given it to me. I soon forgot all about it.

I decided to leave the blood test until close to my next appointment so that she would have recent results to go on. I then spent 5 weeks convincing myself that there was nothing wrong with me that losing weight wouldn’t fix.

Blood tests done and results received – all looked OK to me except for a new entry called CRP (Google it is all I can say) and I was on the limit. Best to say nothing unless she brings it up at the appointment, I thought.

Second appointment went much better than the first.

Electro-cardiogram and Echo-cardiogram showed that I my heart is nowhere near stopping any time soon (unless something else happens or my hypertension goes out of control).

Then to see the heart doctor again. She asked if I’d been taking the drug that she had prescribed last time. “No” I said. “Why not?” she asked. “Because I don’t have any” I said. It was at that point that she realised her error in not giving me the prescription on my previous visit.

She was not going to make that mistake again (she did make a few others whilst I was sat there but they were minor and I know how to fix them) so I got the prescription pushed into my hand. It included a prescription for Coozar, something that I already had 6 months supply of at home so I told her that my GP prescribes that for me. She ignored that but fortunately my local pharmacist didn’t.

I asked about the CRP reading and she joyfully informed me that all that it is is an indicator that there is some inflammation somewhere – she obviously had no intention of trying to find out where this inflammation might be (I’ve read the relevant part of the book and now I have a better idea of where the inflammation could be).

The parting shot from the specialist, probably wanting to feel useful, was to advise me to lose weight. Thanks.

Now if you’ve read this far you are either terminally bored or are wondering why I just typed all that. Well, the answer is that I was really looking for an excuse to start a diet or some other regime to lose weight because I don’t like being overweight – I am well looked after when it comes to being fed. All summer I have been contemplating how to lose weight with minimal impact on family life, i.e. family eating habits which, although reasonably healthy, are excessive.

I have heard of Dr Mosley and the 5:2 diet before this year but never really considered it until I saw him on TV explaining the concept and some of the science. I instantly wanted to know more. The book arrived on Tuesday and I have read almost half of it, packed full of good information and a good read as well.

Finally, and before I get going on this regime (I won’t call it a diet because I don’t think that is one, in the accepted meaning of the word), another top tip – do NOT plan to have your first fast day on your wedding anniversary. Day before or day after is fine but not ON the anniversary.