This is the week of doctor's visits. OK, this is the INAUGURAL week of doctors' visits. I've been ignoring my health for a couple of years, not getting in the RYA (recommended yearly allowance) of anything but dermatology visits (of which there now have been 4 this year!). So, a couple of weeks ago I buckled on my big girl undies and made a few calls.
First up, on Tuesday, was the primary care doc. Or, in this case, the primary care PA. Whatever, I don't mind PAs, they're more humble than 'real' doctors. The good part is that I didn't need to undress, the bad part is that 1) I'm really very fat now and 2) I've been given a prescription for blood pressure medication. I suspect 1 caused 2. Unknown as yet is what will come of the bloodwork that was done and what the 'pee inna cup' test will tell us. Good Lord - there could be any NUMBER of things still wrong with me that need tested or medicated. Happy freaking getting older, baby, here's your meds. And you referral for a colonoscopy. And your contact information for getting a mammogram. Which you need, like, yesterday.
So, I'm rolling with the notion that I really seriously and honestly now need to lose 50 pounds or so. That's right, 50 (SHIT!). That 25 pounds I lost 5 years ago came back and brought friends, about 15 of them, and those suckers are going to be evicted. I am, still, sick of being the fattest person in most situations.
Therefore, we visited another gym last night, and, shocker, I like it. No pool, but get this - we went at 7 p.m. to check it out, and there was NOBODY THERE. Apparently it's packed with old ladies during the day, and the classes they offer are pretty well attended, but the gigantic room of cardio and weights? Nada. This encourages me, as does the 'no contract' way of doing biz. Also, there's an area sectioned off by a wall that's for ladies only, if you're intimidated by anyone in the big room. A fine idea, if you ask me.
So, yeah - gym. Say 'buh-bye' to about 100 beans a month if I sign all 4 of us up. *Sigh* It's only money, right?
Then today I visited my dermatologist again (see '4 visits so far this year' above). I thought it was just to check out the results of the PDT thing I had done to my face a few weeks ago, but nope, it was for a full skin check. I did have to undress for this one. Not all the way, but it might as well have been, as the PA was selectively baring bits of me that even I don't like to look it. Once again she blasted a spot with the liquid nitrogen, doing away with a nice inflammatory seborrheic keratosis on my left arm that had popped up recently, and asked to see me back in a few weeks to follow up on a couple of things she thinks might need blasting. That gal loves her some liquid nitrogen. I don't mind it, but one of the spots she's looking at is on my LIP, and I imagine that's going to smart some. Once again, first world issue.
Next week? The girl doctor. Oh, joy.
But wait! Follow Up! Just got a call from the primary care doc's office, and most of my tests came back OK. Except for that pesky thyroid. Levels are too HIGH. Huh? Wouldn't I be all jittery and stuff if that was the case? Well, NO. It's the TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) that's too high, which means that I'm pumping out gobs of that stuff to stimulate the thyroid to make the hormones that are the regulatin' kind, but apparently they're not playing and so more TSH is being pumped out to to try to get some stimulatin' going on. Poor TSH, like a little kid who keeps hollering at another little kid on the playground, hoping that if it hollers long and loud enough the other kid will finally relent and come over to play. Seems that my thyroid is being all standoffish and punking out on me. Sidenote: Hey - did you know that hypothyroidism can cause unintentional weight gain and puffy hands and feet and also that two risk factors are being over 50 and female and I have all of that? Isn't that awesome? Simply stellar. Yeah, it's looking like I'll be on thyroid mediation before too long. I can live with that. It's not the end of the world. At least all the other tests came back fine, so yeah, it's OK. We're over that hurdle and if I have to take a couple of pills a day to regulate what's gone bonkers, then it's fine.
*Sigh*, take 2.
While I'm proud of myself for taking control and making these appointments, the bald-faced truth is that facing my current realities is a real slap in the face. My puffy, actinic keratoses-ridden, wrinkly old face.
Can't WAIT for the colonoscopy prep. Oh, boy.
So hey, I'll be you can hardly wait for the blog post about THAT one, eh? 'Cause you know you're getting one. But no pictures, I promise. Not even of the mammogram.
Tiff out.
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