Busy Bee

On June 12th I went to visit the doctor for a physical. I was excited about it... ok, maybe not excited, but not dreading. I was riding high on the idea of being minus 20 lbs since my last visit there -- imagining, hoping and wishing that she would give me a smile, pat on the back and a clean bill of health.

Well... in one of those ironic turns, it was exactly the opposite.

If you are no longer interested, this would be a good time to find another post to read... some of what I will say next is medical TMI.

As she was telling me that if my pap smear was clear I wouldn't have to have another one for three years, she says, oh... Not what you want to hear. Ok, so she wants me to go see the ob-gyn. She is just being cautious. I should be happy, right? You want a doctor that really cares about leaving no stone unturned. It's probably nothing, I have just never seen anything like it. Um, not the words you want to hear.

Then she checked my breast... you got it, um, this side feels lumpy. I want you to go get a mammogram, how old are you, just one year early. Better to be safe than sorry. I want you to get the mammogram in the next two weeks. Now, I am not getting crazy worried. Again, she's cautious; it's a good thing.

I mention about being on depo-provera for over 10 years and how my sister was recently told that it could cause osteoporosis. Yes, you need to get a bone density test. Didn't anyone ever tell you it might not be a good idea to be on it for so long? Um, no... including your colleagues, here. The difference between a male and female doctor? Not sure, she is just super cautious. I am starting to be more and more grateful for this fact as the appointment continues. She lets me know that they will have to justify to the health insurance that I need the bone density test, so that referral will take a few weeks.

More tests ordered, more questions asked, more thoughtful consideration. I leave the office with many referrals, a list of ob-gyns that I need to peruse and decide where to go... she has graciously marked the female ob-gyns that she knows personally and professionally and recommends.

Honestly, it was the best and worst doctor visit ever. Best -- no doctor has ever asked me as many questions and wanted to get such a full picture. Worst -- everything that could go wrong, looked questionable.

I felt a little like an electronic gadget just past the expiration date. I am out of warranty and everything is falling apart. Ironic since I have decided that I want to be a FABULOUS FORTY and here I was working on it ... with six more months to go.

So, I have been a busy bee... flitting from one appointment to the next, trying to stay calm. Not really telling anyone until it was nearly over. Breathing a sigh of relief, so when I saw this one at the winery this weekend, I decided I needed to get a shot. I actually caught the bee on the first shot -- miraculously -- but I couldn't see it on the tiny screen -- or maybe it was that I had been drinking quite a bit of wine.

Today I need the champagne. All the tests are done... and I am ALL CLEAR, except for the cholesterol -- one last appointment with my doctor to go over the blood tests and discuss my numbers (HDL LDL LOL). Watch out FORTY, here I come -- I am going to be better than ever... I might even run the full marathon to celebrate.

Anything's possible.