Yesterday I went to my GP’s office for my three-month check-in to make sure my weight and blood pressure are coming down, as well as to donate some blood for the benefit of checking my CRP (apparently, cholesterol screening isn’t in the cards this time). Anyway, since sometime in late February when I started doing these routine checkups, I’ve approached trips to Dr. Sadler’s office to see Amy (her PA, whom I almost always see) with nothing less than excitement and glee. Watching the slider on the scale continue to move to the left is a genuinely fulfilling thing. I was worried when, in April, we moved our monthly check-ins to quarterly — worried, because those monthly checks were very motivating in terms of getting my butt moving and setting monthly goals. So, it felt like an eternity since I’d last been when I arrived yesterday afternoon.
I was in a really great mood. Yesterday I had a fabulous day at work; I got a lot done in the five hours I was there and felt quite energetic as I headed to Garland. My weight check was good; their official number puts me at 59 pounds lost — as I’ve been saying on my home page for a while, I’ve been hovering around 60 pounds lost for nearly a month. My blood pressure was also good (considering one of the meds Amy’s got me on elevates blood pressure) — it was 124/85. Even the blood-taking went well, mostly (I think) because I told the woman before I ever sat down that we needed to focus on the left arm, get in and out quickly, and distract me well so I wouldn’t cry. She did just that, I didn’t cry, and I don’t even think I’m going to have a bruise there. Outstanding!
However, the real reason I wanted to make this post about going to the doctor is that I want to share a picture of my GP’s PA, Amy. She’s the person who said, “Look, the real problem here is that you need to lose weight. So … what are we gonna do about that?” I’ve been overweight my entire life, and Amy’s the first person in the medical profession (or, really, anywhere) who’s ever given me that kind of swift kick in the ass. We all know the weight’s come off because of the hard work and lifestyle changes I’ve done and made, but I shudder to think when I would have made the necessary mental committment to this process had Amy not been a true catalyst. She demanded more from me, which in turn inspired me to demand more from *myself*. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.
Anyway, at the risk of embarassing myself (which I did) and feeling like a fool (which I do), I insisted we have a nurse take our picture yesterday. This is me at my halfway point; I eagerly await the finish-line photo with us once I’ve reached my goal.
