May 21 2008
That Annual Thing
Ever since last year’s annual physical in which I’d impressed the OB/GYN with my lack of health complaints or issues, I vowed to maintain status quo so as not to disappoint Dr. M this year. And after 12 months of pushing myself to the limit with a regular exercise routine, staying good with daily calorie counting and fasting the night before my appointment, well, I’m pretty sure I’ve achieved that goal.
Here’s how it all played out today:
First thing, THE WEIGH IN. Since a couple of years ago, I’d dropped 5 lbs and desperately wanted to still be at least there, if not less, just for personal sanity purposes. You know how the scale can be tricky at first, kind of like Russian Roulette where the little ball hops around on the wheel before actually landing on its final destination? So went the scale: 119… 120.2… 119.5… 120.0 And then after the nurse selected her number of choice and had written it down in my records, I couldn’t believe my very own eyes - 120.2?!! You’ve got to be kidding me? Ok, I’m feeling .2 lbs shorted, the .2 lbs I’ve worked extremely hard to keep off all. year. long. missy. *pfft*
Next, we moved on to the blood pressure event. Nurse Shorty gave me 110/70, and according to Google my reading is in the normal range for adult females. We all know how reliable Google can be on health matters such as these, so no complaints there. Then after Nurse S took a couple vials of my blood, she sent me on my merry way down the hall to pee in a little cup. Considering the fact that I’d been fasting for so long and was filled up on 15 hours H2O drinking, another no problemo there for me.
So is it over yet? Well, no. Of course not.
Finally it was time to meet up with Dr. M for the final events of my annual checkup ordeal. We chit-chatted about my family’s health history and changes experienced over the year, during which time I mentioned my Grandmother’s recent uterine cancer development. He waved it aside, no worries for me. Yes! Then we discussed my work with the Sisters and how troubleshooting computer issues with offshore technical support can be so awful, all while he took my pap smear as if it were no big deal. And then it was all over, leaving me thinking:
How often does that happen to a person? Did I really just have a pap smear while talking about computers with my gynecologist? Oh, my God.
So now I sit back waiting for my cholesterol and blood work results. Soon I’ll get that nice little recorded phone message with details I can’t quite understand, leaving me to pull up Google for another explanation. Let’s just hope Nurse Shorty isn’t in on the gig with those numbers, too. Nah. I have a good feeling she has other people to weigh in, rather than analyze lab results… *fingers crossed*
I really need a Big Mac.
6 Responses to “That Annual Thing”
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Ohhh, a Big Mac sounds really good right about now! Glad that you got a clean bill of health from the ob/gyn. Don’t worry about the .2 lbs . . . It might be all the water you had in your system. The conversation with the doc, though, that is really funny.
I’ll bet you any amount of money that NurseShorty was heavier than you!!! To give you the 0.2!!
I’m not looking forward to my exam at all….just wait until your in 40’s and have to have the mammogram every year!! Talk about tit in the wringer!!
You deserve the burger!!
@bigdogmompam - That Big Mac might just be what I need today after all that grief. 500+ calories of guilty pleasure goodness! And you’re right, I had to have at least .2 lbs of water in my system before peeing in the cup, right? Why don’t they weigh AFTER that particular test? Beats me!
@Nadine - Yes, Dr. M kindly reminded me of the fact that I have exactly 2 more years before the PANCAKE SQUASH. So not looking forward to that moment. I prefer the computerized-digital test. Maybe that will be all the rage when I get there? Let’s pray on that.
I just had my first annual checkup in 3 years
- and my first mammogram.
I naively thought the pancake squish experience was a front to back flattening of the breasts - had no idea it was a top/bottom experience - I felt like National Geographic woman laying my breasts out on the machine and having them squished flat. It really didn’t hurt - I thought it would be so painful but it’s a digital scan so maybe that made a difference. Anyways, it was all good - so that was a relief - I had put that off for two years too!
The digital scan is nice but you still get squished. If you’re lucky, the tech will be really good at what she does and it won’t be very painful. If it is, tell the supervisor and ask for a different tech.
Oh, and I agree with Holy about the National Geographic aspect of the test.
And you don’t want to know about the test you have to have done when you’re 50 . . . ;0)
@Holy - Front to back? Oh my. If I’m picturing it correctly, they’d just about scan your entire chest using that method! I truly hope that my National Geographic woman experience will go quickly and without pain - I’ll try to put it out of my mind without putting it off completely. :/
@BDMP - Thanks for the advice… but about that other test - colonoscopy maybe? Do they get much worse than that?