My appointment with my PCP went smoothly and I am so glad to not have to see doctors again till March! Dentist in March, ENT in April, endo in May, PCP in June. Will have an eye exam somewhere in there, too. My vision’s been noticeably worse lately. 

Anyway, traffic was the usual nightmare, especially coming back. We worried I was going to be late because Tom accidentally went to the lab instead. Realizing we had to go to Roseville instead, we raced as fast as we safely could and got there right on time without a minute to spare. 

So I went through the usual process of checking in with the now-familiar staff since I’ve been there 4 times already and was given the same checklist that the shrink gave me just yesterday. I thought it was a bit weird, but filled it out anyway. It asks if you’re feeling worthless, like hurting yourself, having trouble concentrating, trouble sleeping, etc. Do they now give this to everyone, or did they just want to compare today’s answers to yesterday’s? Either way, I didn’t mind filling it out. 

The doctor came in wearing one of those masks the dentists wear. She had a cold even though she didn’t sound sick. 

My BP is still up, though I don’t know why. The high number was 160. Whitecoat syndrome? Or is this going to be my next problem? My guess is it’s still normal most of the time, but she asked that I check it at home periodically and let her know if it’s 140/90 or higher. I don’t care if it is. I don’t want any new medication! 

She said I looked great for my age, and even the shrink said I looked younger than 50. Really? *shrugs* Benefits of being fat, I guess. Stretches those wrinkles taught. As for the weight aspect of it, I told her I’ve given up. I can’t do the low-calorie thing day after day, week after week, month after month. I can only try not to gain any more weight. 

She said not to stress about it and that it’s all about portions and having half of your plate be a salad. I still don’t see myself ever losing much weight, if any. Young me was naturally skinny. Older me is naturally heavy. I do intend to eat healthier, though. I knew eggs and red meats were high in cholesterol, but she also warned me against fried foods and cheese. I didn’t know these things were high in cholesterol, but the fried foods definitely make sense. Also, the obvious… avoid overdoing the fast food and trans fats. 

I’m hopeful that my thyroid, BP and cholesterol numbers will be great when I go to the labs in May, but somehow I doubt the numbers will be ideal. I’m still going to do my best to get them as close as I can, though the T4 should be good. Really, REALLY don’t want to have to take any additional medications. She knows I still fear medication in general. You can work through a traumatic event such as what I went through and you can get better, but I don’t think anyone ever fully gets back to where they were before a traumatic event. 

I filled her in on the highlights of my meeting with Dr. L and asked about menopause and she said I’m at the age where you usually enter perimenopause. 

I also told her about the asthma attack I had and she called in a Ventolin inhaler for me, and to let her know if I ever need it more than twice a week. Hopefully, I’ll never need it, but after that kick-ass attack for the first time in a decade, I like knowing it’s there just in case. 

This was the friendliest the doc’s ever been since I’ve seen her, and again I wonder if Tom’s absence had anything to do with it (I left him in the waiting room this time). They always seem friendlier when I’m alone. We got to talking about our upcoming vacation, and how I danced in my 20s and became an author. She said that now she’s curious and will have to look me up. LOL, and assuming she’s got cookies enabled, I’ll be watching to see if she links into my blog. :) 

She said she’s been in the country for 10 years. The climate in Ecuador must be so much nicer, though.