Taking Care of You
If you are anything like me, you wait until you feel like terrible and then decided it’s time to schedule a doctor appointment. And then you remember, you also need to have your annual exam. This is now called a Wellness Exam because it no longer occurs on a yearly cycle for some women. I live in a town of rapidly growing population, and a lot of this growth is from new births, which means it’s like 27 years until you can actually get in for the wellness exam. It’s not really 27, but it can easily be 6 months. So there I was with an appointment for February and I was prepared to wait, it’s not like I don’t have a list 300 items long of things I need to do. As a substitute teacher I try to take as many jobs as possible even if it’s a split schedule, teach one class at 8:30 and then come back at noon to finish the day. When I got the request for this Friday, of course I said yes because my motto is some work is better than none. Friday is notorious in the subbing world for being a day of high need and there is always the potential for a full day position. But I am not a gambler and I am not going to wait or cancel one job for a better job. I also like working at a particular school and when they ask, no matter the schedule, I really try to take it.
Last week, I canceled a meeting for a full day sub job. On Monday I got a call from my Drs. office saying they had an opening on…you guessed it!, Friday!!! A busy sub day, maybe the busiest. But I wasn’t scheduled yet and I didn’t want to wait until February for an appointment. Low and behold come Wednesday, voila!!! I got the call that I was needed to sub for high school, but get this, the appointment was at 11 for the Dr. and the school work was 8:30 to 9:30 and 12 to 1. Minor panic because that is cutting it close, so close. But how to say no to either of those? So, I didn’t. I just let the school know that I needed to leave between the classes, and they were understanding, relieved too, I think, because then there is no risk of me billing for any more than the two hours of work. But for me there was still endless stress because seeing the gynecologist in a town where babies come everyday, and lots of them, it could mean being rescheduled or waiting an hour or more to see a Dr. And I am not that woman who thinks I am more important than a pregnant woman. There is a lot going on in pregnancy and I would much rather a pregnant woman be seen if it came down to need, this is not something I understood before I became a mom myself. Growth, right?
I arrived at my appointment early in the hopes that I might be seen early, and then leave early. I let them know I was on a tight time constraint, and I am sure they hear this all the time and I remind myself that my Dr. probably makes in an hour what takes me all day or maybe all week! (Note to self - a little more confidence at 18 and I would have picked pre-med. Note to the rest of the world - encourage your children, lift them up). Also, I love seeing my Dr. she’s funny, smart, and really just someone I could be friends with, and I am sure I’d feel this way even if it were not for the intimate nature of our relationship. Although, I am sure she’d kick my ass on skate skis so, the only hope I’d have to chat her up is on a run. And the details. I get so incredibly nervous before these appointments and I sweat, my heart rate gets higher than normal. There is nothing at all pleasurable about these appointments and I wonder that my children must feel similar when they have their annual check-ups, it’s a lot on the invasion of privacy. Fortunately, the appointment was quick but I was also left feeling like I’d had quick sex in every direction! Life at 40! a whole new exam! She did remind me to up my Vitamin D because I am a “light caucasian female”. So all those days when I tell myself I weigh too much, that self should just quiet down because honestly, there is a point where weighing a little more is just good for you. And I can tell you that my mind likes a little more weight, turns out so do my bones!
I left my appointment feeling a little (SO VERY VERY STRESSED) about getting back to school on time. I was pulling into the parking lot with 3 minutes to spare, so I took a questionable parking spot and ran to the class, making it just one minute before class started. Way too close and I’ve learned a lesson, schedule my annual exam for a Tuesday, 6 months before it’s due!
Do you have a routine about how you like your annual exam to go? I’d love to say that I should take myself out for wine after but I worry that it conveys some dipsomaniac tendency. It’s such a relief to have it over and for it to have a positive healthy outcome, I feel like it’s worth celebrating.
