A simple trip to the docs last year, as I wasn’t feeling myself resulted in a steroid concern……

You know when you just feel a bit off and something isn’t quite right? So I made an appointment to see my local GP….Anyway, this blog isn’t really about how I feel, I’m just setting the scene. My feelings of being off and not myself resulted in me deciding to have some blood tests done to tick certain boxes and help me to begin to feel more like me again!

Fast forward and there I am, sat down in front of the nurse to have my blood tested, on this particular day I was wearing a hoody and wearing my standard work polo shirt underneath.

Now bear in mind that this lady in front of me is simply there to take a sample of my blood, I had discussed all confidential matters as to why I felt this maybe a good idea the previous week with my GP. As a local guy, I’ve pretty much had the same GP all my life meaning my doctor knows my full history, my job, my lifestyle, etc.

So upon removing my hoody, the nurse’s opening line to me was:

‘You don’t take steroids do you’?

This wasn’t asked in a professional manner of ‘Hello Mr. Buttle we need to ask you a few questions before we start, do you use recreational drugs etc etc’ this was 100% reactionary to what she believed was steroid use.

I responded -‘No, I personally do not take steroids’.

Nurse ‘it’s just that you are quite broad and you work in the gym’.

Me: ………… (This symbolises that at this point I was speechless).

Now I admit I am not a skinny minny, and at 6ft 1, and around 16/17 stone, I’m aware that I’m not small but steroids? Really? That’s the opening question from a medical professional? Anyway, this isn’t a blog about steroid use as it didn’t stop there…….

Nurse proceeds: ‘what about those shakes’?

At this point I thought ‘ok, so we’ve gone from steroids to protein shakes in 5 seconds, should be interesting’ so I played dumb……

Me: ‘What shakes do you mean’?

Nurse: ‘Those protein and creatine shakes they all take'(not sure who ‘they’ are I guess us ‘gym’ lot).

Me: (playing even dumber) ‘I’ve heard about those shakes, I know people who take shakes….’

Nurse (interjecting): ‘Shakes are no good for you, your liver & your kidneys will pack up’.

Me: (almost laughing out loud by this point) ‘Ok, well I best stay away from those shakes then’.

Part of me wanted to ask her:

>Why she believed this claim?
>What grounds did she think it is ok to blanket prescribe advice that ‘shakes are no good’ and my internal organs will ‘pack up’.
>What about professional athletes?
>What would she recommend I did instead of these devil shakes?
>What was her own eating pattern like?

Instead I just smiled to myself and allowed her to focus on the task in hand and take my blood, by the standard of advice I was given I figured I was lucky to be alive and that my organs hadn’t failed me just yet!

I have spoken before about perception of supplementation, particularly shakes in previous blogs and how to an inactive person you may as well stick a needle in your arm. However I did start to believe that things where moving forward in 2014. I would like to think this is the case and that this lady was sadly misinformed.

I wasn’t annoyed or angered; I just felt that the industry had failed her on this occasion.

Upon swiftly and efficiently taking my blood sample, I was done, quick and easy.

I put my hoody back on, and thanked her for her time, and got up to leave.

‘Don’t forget’ the nurse said as I walked out the door ‘stay off those shakes’.

I walked out, smiling to myself, happy that my organs hadn’t ‘packed in’!

That’s all for today, until the next time

Tristan ‘no steroids here’ Buttle.