A Health Update
Okay, let me first confess that, up until the middle of May, when I developed what was only the second UTI of my life, I hadn't been to my "regular" doctor for somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 years. Uh-huh. FIVE years. Last year, I kept waiting for the urgent care that was treating my abdominal abscess to tell me to GO to my usual doc, but that never happened. Not sure how time slipped away, but at first it was because I didn't have a regular, scheduled day off to make doctor appointments. Then, there was the matter of that deductible under previous forms of insurance. I know it seems silly, but after first switching jobs, there wasn't a lot left over for things like deductibles. Insurance was there for catastrophe, God forbid, should it strike.
Anyhow, I've got a new kind of insurance plan that actually works better for someone like me, who is rarely sick and who needs more of the routine/preventative care. So I've decided to make this the year that I get caught up on ALL the routine medical tests. So far, I've had my cholesterol checked, my blood glucose level checked, my thyroid and liver functions checked, had a PAP test and one of those in-office EKGs done, and have scheduled a mammogram and a baseline colonoscopy (given that I am turning 50 this coming Saturday, it was time. What a way to mark my golden anniversary with the world, eh? LOL). I've also gotten an eye exam and the first new glasses since the September after my mom died, some 12 years ago.
When I last had a cholesterol test, I was on medication to control cholesterol. Need I say that the medication fell by the wayside when I stopped going to the doctor? Anyhow, my current cholesterol level, without any medication, is 182. The "good" cholesterol count was 60 and the "bad" cholesterol level was 113. My triglycerides are 46. All of which is pretty good. Speaks well of the benefits of having a job that you actually LIKE most days, eating a high fiber diet and exercising regularly. My fasting blood glucose came back at 87. Other tests are well within "normal" ranges, too. I am very happy about all of this! As is my doctor, who, bless his heart, hasn't yelled at me once for letting things slide. He's just glad I've come back and approves of all the things I am doing right these days, such as exercising regularly and losing weight through the incredibly sensible (at least for me!) Weight Watchers CORE Plan. The only things he asked me to do, apart from keeping right on with the good habits, were to add a calcium pill with Vitamin D and a baby aspirin to my daily multivitamin.
My current total weight loss since the middle of May is 14 lbs., and still dropping. I feel really good and very powerful! It's good to make choices that feel right. Looking forward to a birthday weekend up at Dad's this weekend. I'm sure Dogzilla will want me to walk him tirelessly, especially since he has gotten so trim again with the baby carrot treats. For a twelve year old beagle, he can still jump up on those rock walls with the best of them! We should all be so spry at the equivalent age of somewhere between 80-90 years old!
I think that's about the size of it on the health front for me. I just had to share!
Anyhow, I've got a new kind of insurance plan that actually works better for someone like me, who is rarely sick and who needs more of the routine/preventative care. So I've decided to make this the year that I get caught up on ALL the routine medical tests. So far, I've had my cholesterol checked, my blood glucose level checked, my thyroid and liver functions checked, had a PAP test and one of those in-office EKGs done, and have scheduled a mammogram and a baseline colonoscopy (given that I am turning 50 this coming Saturday, it was time. What a way to mark my golden anniversary with the world, eh? LOL). I've also gotten an eye exam and the first new glasses since the September after my mom died, some 12 years ago.
When I last had a cholesterol test, I was on medication to control cholesterol. Need I say that the medication fell by the wayside when I stopped going to the doctor? Anyhow, my current cholesterol level, without any medication, is 182. The "good" cholesterol count was 60 and the "bad" cholesterol level was 113. My triglycerides are 46. All of which is pretty good. Speaks well of the benefits of having a job that you actually LIKE most days, eating a high fiber diet and exercising regularly. My fasting blood glucose came back at 87. Other tests are well within "normal" ranges, too. I am very happy about all of this! As is my doctor, who, bless his heart, hasn't yelled at me once for letting things slide. He's just glad I've come back and approves of all the things I am doing right these days, such as exercising regularly and losing weight through the incredibly sensible (at least for me!) Weight Watchers CORE Plan. The only things he asked me to do, apart from keeping right on with the good habits, were to add a calcium pill with Vitamin D and a baby aspirin to my daily multivitamin.
My current total weight loss since the middle of May is 14 lbs., and still dropping. I feel really good and very powerful! It's good to make choices that feel right. Looking forward to a birthday weekend up at Dad's this weekend. I'm sure Dogzilla will want me to walk him tirelessly, especially since he has gotten so trim again with the baby carrot treats. For a twelve year old beagle, he can still jump up on those rock walls with the best of them! We should all be so spry at the equivalent age of somewhere between 80-90 years old!
I think that's about the size of it on the health front for me. I just had to share!
posted by Mel at 11:35 AM
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