The Annual Physical

December 11, 2009 – Day 345

I had an appointment to see my doctor this morning - time once again for my annual physical checkup. I went out in last Friday’s snowstorm to get my routine blood and urine tests done in preparation for today’s visit.

The bad news is that my cholesterol is up again. Blech. It was much better when I last had it tested in 2006 but I really haven’t been eating healthy so it shouldn’t be a surprise to me. However, I thought the salmon oil (omega 3) pills I’ve been taking faithfully every day would negate the effects of my unhealthy diet. I was wrong. But I have started making some changes: I’ve been riding my bike (3-5 times/week) for exactly a month now and I’ve also started eating healthier. A few of us (family and co-workers) are going to do a super foods 365 project that I came up with after having completed almost a year of Project 365 with my photos. Essentially, it’s a commitment to add nutrient dense foods to our diet for an entire year. The list of daily choices I created is mostly based on Dr. Steven Pratt’s and Dr. Oz’s lists of super foods. My doctor was very excited about our project and she wants me to come back at the end of April so she can monitor my progress. Eventually I know she’s going to want to put me on meds if I can’t get my cholesterol under control on my own – and I don’t want that.

On a positive note, the worst part of the annual physical checkup for women didn’t happen for me today! My doctor said that “we” (I think she made reference to doctors in Alberta) are only going to do pap tests once every three years for women who have had normal test results in the past! I had one last year so I won’t have to go through that again for another two years.