Monday Medical, Etc.

About my day on Nov. 15th, concentrating on how my twice-yearly physical went.

I started my day several hours earlier than usual when my alarm woke me at 7:26 after only 3 hours of sleep. By 9:00 I was scwalking into my doctor’s office.

I can go REALLY FAST on this too!

We had the usual chats about what has changed in the last year, my focus was on my leg pain. So she ordered an ultrasound to check the blood vessels in my legs and feet, and ordered another med which may help if the cause is vascular or circulatory. If it turns out not to be she will check in the nerves.

Other topics covered were my blood pressure, which has been well-controlled on my current meds; she changed one of them to a type that I can take once a day instead of twice, YAY for that! She also, since I’m using my rescue inhaler more often now, ordered a daily asthma treatment to cut down on the need to “rescue”. We talked about my arthritis pain levels and the difficulties in controlling that, since I can’t take NSAIDs…acetaminophen doesn’t help…and I don’t like the way that opioids make my head feel. So I will continue to try controlling that with various supplements and mechanical means (such as elevating my legs, packing pillows around my spine and ribs, etc.) and will let her know if I need more than that.

I had had a wonderful PA that I absolutely loved for quite a few years. Then she left that position and I was assigned to another one who – there’s no other way to put it – was traumatizing. Once we moved to this area I started going to a PA that I’d known from my frequent visits to the walk-in clinic back in Houghton Lake and that was great, I’ve always liked him a lot. But then he went back to Houghton Lake and I was given to this doctor. I was about ready to give up on them all at this point but decided to give her a chance and I’m so glad I did! I really REALLY love her! And I didn’t think that I’d love another doctor as much as that first PA but this once is pretty darned close.

Anyway, she ordered the usual plethora of tests including the ultrasound for my legs, a mammogram, Colo-guard, and lots of blood work including Vit. D levels which I was thrilled about! Then the tech tried to draw blood but I was kind of dehydrated so she sent me to the hospital lab in town. On the way we stopped for breakfast and I drank a lot of tea in addition to the water I was drinking in the car; by the time the tech at the hospital lab drew it there was no problem. After that we stopped in to the butcher shop in town, and, being the first day of hunting season, there was a BIG lineup of trucks full of hunters and deer carcasses being dropped off for processing.

I love pork steaks, it is probably my favorite kind of meat, but the prices have really risen (along with everything else) this year. So when we saw them advertised on the sign for $1.69/lb. I went after some. I got about $20 worth which is at least 10 meals…probably more. Then Pete needed to go to a couple of places so we did that, and got home mid-afternoon and I was napping by 3:00ish.

I woke up early in the evening and Pete brought me some cheese and crackers, then I fell asleep again, finally getting up for the day today at 8:00. I guess I needed a LOT of sleep!

Today – Tuesday – I saw my blood test results on their website and there is work I have to do… Most things are ok but my triglycerides are high (which concerns me more than HDL or LDL numbers) so I’ll work on that with diet and supplements. It doesn’t surprise me a lot though, because I’ve been changing my diet in the last year or so, and it just tells me that what I’m doing isn’t working as well as I’d hoped.

Pete and I had to go to the hardware store – we went to the Amish hardware that’s just a few miles away – because our furnace motor burned out on the RV – UGH! – and it will take our wonderful RV guy Tyler a while to get one in – and we got an electric heater for the interim. (We do have a couple but they weren’t keeping up.)

For supper this afternoon I made my fabulous roasted chicken thighs, and a carnival squash and that’s probably all I’ll eat today…and that’s my Monday (and part of my Tuesday). Thanks for visiting!

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