Doctor Doctor

Speaking of my dermatologist, I have to admit that I now tend to take better care of myself medically. Again it’s probably because I have the time, but it is nice to have someone compliment you on your good health.

“You’re heart is really strong. But let’s get you on Lipitor for that high cholesterol. Everything else looks great. As long as you get your yearly pap and mammogram, I don’t think we need to do this for another couple years.” Another new medical thing to learn, LDL’s, HDL’s and cholesterol, or as I call them the good, the bad and the ugly. I still don’t quite understand it all, but that’s why I have a Doctor.

They say “You’re numbers are bad. Take these.”

And I go, “okay, how long?”

And they say, “Forever.”

Forever is a freaking long time. But I trust my doctor so every morning I take my little pill and they tell me the numbers are better.

First let me say that my new Doctor is like ten years old. My real Doctor, the one that saw me through the stressful years, decided retiring to Hawaii last year was a good idea. He and his significant other have decided to open a more holistic practice. Good for whom I asked? You’re leaving me just when my body will need you most?

But my new Doctor is third generation. She even practices with her father and brother. She sits and listens and more times than not I feel better when I leave her office.

I think the last few years the medical industry put so much emphasis on early detection that we baby boomers took the idea to heart. A friend of mine, I’ll call her Gloria, who has REALLY good health coverage, recently did a series of tests to see if she was predisposed for certain illnesses. Breast cancer runs in her family and she wanted a heads up on her chances of getting the disease. It came back inconclusive. We met for dinner and the girls had a long discussion on whether it’s better to know ahead of time or just get your annual checkups and hope you catch it in time. Gloria, who I’ve always felt had a strange sense of humor ordered a bottle of wine for the table.

“It’s okay,” she smiled, “I read where red wine is good for you, all those wonderful antioxidants and resveritrol.”

“This is one of those studies I can get behind,” another friend smiled and tipped the glass in a toast to the table.

“You may need to be careful though,” Gloria said. “I hear the studies inconclusive.”