I wrote about this same topic on my other blog this morning... but it also has a good relationship to my weight loss efforts, so I'm writing about it here too.
Today, I'm going to the doctor. For a wellness check-up.
Meaning, I'm not sick... I just want to make sure everything is working the way it's supposed to.
Being overweight, that always brings a whole new level of expectations.
I expect to hear that I'm overweight.
I expect to hear that my weight has drastic importance to my chances of having other diseases or illnesses.
I expect to hear that I need to lose weight in order to avoid getting sick or developing illnesses and diseases triggered by weight.
Basically all stuff I already know.
But, then there's always that niggling feeling that they're going to tell me something I didn't know.
Have I already developed one of those illnesses?
Is there something already wrong with me that I didn't know about?
Have I finally been dodging the bullet long enough and my weight loss efforts finally come down to a life or death situation?
It's been a really long time since I've had a wellness check. The last time I had all those tests done, I was pregnant with Jelly. I made it through a pregnancy being extremely overweight and not developing high blood pressure or gestational diabetes. My doctor was even surprised that my cholesterol level wasn't bordering on clogged artery worries.
Despite being overweight, I was healthy.
That was 5 years ago...longer, actually, being that my Jelly will be 6 in December. So, for the past 6 years, I've been without a physical examination to check for stuff that I may have.
A little scary to think about.
In that time, I decreased my weight quite a bit...and then put it all back on. I'm about the same weight now as I was before I got pregnant... maybe a little heavier, being that I don't actually remember how much I weighed when I got pregnant.
I know I was big.
I know that because up until I lost 80lbs a couple of years ago, my adult weight was always between 260 and 300lbs.
But, I'm older now. That probably increases certain chances of something now being wrong.. something now indicating that I really have to buckle down before I open up the gates of Obesity Hell.
I dread standing on that scale in the doctor's office. I dread them hooking me up to a blood pressure cuff. I dread them checking my cholesterol level.
It has to be done, though. It needs to be done. It's been too long since it's been done, and I don't want to die an early death because I was one of those people that only ever went to the doctor when I really needed to go...basically on death's door. And that hasn't happened within those past 6 years, either.
So... I'm off. To go get everything checked out.
Wish me luck... I feel like I might need it.
Till next time!
Best wishes for a clean bill of health. Fortunately, genetics has to do with a lot of this stuff. I have a lot of the obesity related illnesses such as type II diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, thyroid issues, etc. I wish they motivated me to lose weight like I have seen many others do after hearing such a diagnosis. My husband who is also morbidly obese only has high-blood pressure. No diabetes or cholesterol problems for him. I am thankful that is the case, and I know his family doesn't have diabetes, but many of my relatives do. The more weight we can take off the better all around. You're on the right path now, so whatever you find out with can be dealt with. Still, good luck.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Despite my family history's bad health history, I've been lucky to dodge the bullet this long. I'm just hoping and praying that I didn't leave it too late and that I can curb it now before it decides to start catching up with me. Thankfully, I have no symptoms of diabetes, so the doctor thinks I should be OK... but that doesn't mean I won't develop it later in life. As long as I get rid of this weight, now, I will really increase my chances of staying healthy and avoiding any problems that may get passed to me genetically.
DeleteI too avoided the doctor like the plague when I struggled with my weight and still don't like to go. The only reason I went regularly was because of pregnancy.
ReplyDeleteI hope all is well with you and you can put your mind at rest.
Thanks, Diane. It's true.. I avoid because I already know what I'm going to hear. But, the truth is, I learned a lot and realized it's better to be stopping the problems before they start. The longer I wait, the more problems that may come up. It's so much better to be preventative...and that was a lesson I needed to learn.
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