New Year resolution

Thank-you, Dr. Skunky. I will show this to Merman, who--in typical British fashion--thinks that a physical once every ten years is sufficient. I haven't been able to budge him from this old habit but maybe your post will. He has the greatest professional respect for you, so, who knows, you've probably saved me a lot of grief down the road.

May I also add about the importance of annual mamograms for women? In the space of one year three very dear women friends of mine have had brushes with breast cancer, one of whom lost a breast needlessly because she skipped a year between mamograms. That's frightening.

Thank-you, Dr. Skunky. I will show this to Merman, who--in typical British fashion--thinks that a physical once every ten years is sufficient. I haven't been able to budge him from this old habit but maybe your post will. He has the greatest professional respect for you, so, who knows, you've probably saved me a lot of grief down the road.

May I also add about the importance of annual mamograms for women? In the space of one year three very dear women friends of mine have had brushes with breast cancer, one of whom lost a breast needlessly because she skipped a year between mamograms. That's frightening.

Well, I have an appointment with my gastroenterologist Thursday of this week to see if he thinks I have an acid reflux problem or if I need to go farther as to finding out if my problem is heart related. I have been so stressed my stomach is in a knot. I have always been one who thinks the worst. My husband's insurance will not cover a mammogram for me but every other year as I am not 50. I too work with someone who has gone through 8 weeks of chemotherapy for breast cancer and is now scheduled for surgery for a lumpectomy on January 24th and then has to undergo radiation after that.

Thanks, I've been meaning to make an appt for a mammogram. I looked up the number, wrote it on a post it and stuck it right where I'll see it. I'll call tomorrow.

Thanks Dr. Skunky for looking out for us. I will quit putting off having the dreaded colonoscopy and make an appointment, soon.

I had one back in January of this year. I was totally asleep. Whatever they used on me to knock me out had me asleep before they finished injecting it in my IV. I woke up immediately after the colonoscopy and was able to get dressed and leave. And I was not nauseated at all. The one I had 10 years before the anesthetic made me so sick I could not eat for 3 or 4 days. I also have to have a sigmoidoscope every 5 years. The worst part of a colonoscopy is the stuff you have to use the day before. All that nasty laxative you have to drink. Yuck. If I can do it you can.;-)

The day before is what I dread . . . that AND the IV.

Thank-you, Dr. Skunky. I will show this to Merman, who--in typical British fashion--thinks that a physical once every ten years is sufficient.

I also have a story about the high blood pressure. The day after Thanksgiving I took my wife to the hospital with severe back pain. She twisted wrong and could hardly stand. The hospital did the regular work up and found that she had high blood pressure. This is very abnormal for her. They thought that it was due to the back pain but after medication it still did not go down. They were very concerned and made her set up a followup appointment. She could not get in to the doctor until after Christmas. She finally went in and found that her blood pressure was still high. In fact it was higher then when she was in the hospital. The doctor did a EKG and found that half of her heart was enlarged. They set up more tests and did blood work and a ultrasound and various other tests. They would not do a stress test until they knew why the blood pressure was high or why the heart was enlarged. We are waiting for the last results this week and then they will set up a plan of attack. She has been very healthy and this really comes as a shock. So please get a physical often and avoid the hell that we are going through.

I also have a story about the high blood pressure. The day after Thanksgiving I took my wife to the hospital with severe back pain. She twisted wrong and could hardly stand. The hospital did the regular work up and found that she had high blood pressure. This is very abnormal for her. They thought that it was due to the back pain but after medication it still did not go down. They were very concerned and made her set up a followup appointment. She could not get in to the doctor until after Christmas. She finally went in and found that her blood pressure was still high. In fact it was higher then when she was in the hospital. The doctor did a EKG and found that half of her heart was enlarged. They set up more tests and did blood work and a ultrasound and various other tests. They would not do a stress test until they knew why the blood pressure was high or why the heart was enlarged. We are waiting for the last results this week and then they will set up a plan of attack. She has been very healthy and this really comes as a shock. So please get a physical often and avoid the hell that we are going through.

When I first read this I had to get off real quick. It just hit me like a ton of bricks thinking about that woman on the floor...locked in the bathroom. I cried for 30 minutes. So much emotion going on these days. What a good time to start thinking :nono1: NO....doing something about outr health. January 2007! Let's all remind each other of the consequences of letting it go....and the rewards of taking care of ourself. Thanks so much Skunky for sharing this with us.

I worked for four OB/GYN's in New Orleans off Napoleon Street (a block from Baptist Hospital)...and one thing I learned is that one pap smear a year may not be enough. We had a wonderful patient, who came in once a year for the works....healthy young woman...everything always looked great. Then one year, six months after her one year check up, a problem brought her back in....she had ov cancer.
It was very sad.

So again, THANKS Dr. Skunky!!!!

;-) Kat