Escapades in Adulting - The Doctor

Every week at work, we have a blood pressure check for our residents and anyone who works there that wants theirs checked.  Actually we do it twice each week, Wednesday and Friday.  So, this past Wednesday I decided to have mine checked.  It had been a long time and I figured it was time to find out.  Chelsea, a member of our wellness team, does the bp clinic on Wednesdays so I made my way downstairs to our rec room where it was going on.  They use one of those digital wristband machines to check and they check it several times for accuracy.  Keep in mind that I was pretty relaxed when I went downstairs.  After she checked it the first time she asked me if I was stressed.  I said no, I wasn't.  She said "well, you should be."  It was pretty high, which is not good.  She took it a few more times and it eventually came down a little, but was still high.  Of course, I was definitely stressed by then!

I figured it was time to make an appointment to see a doctor to get this under control.  I had not been to a doctor in years, literally.  I called an office that my neighbor uses, told them what was going on and made an appointment for the next day.  I was nervous, but relieved at the same time.  At my age, I really need to build a relationship with a doctor.  I had tried out several doctors in the past and they fell by the wayside, but oh well.  It was time and I was ready for it.

I get to the office early to fill out the new patient paperwork.  I was still in the Cone Health system, but it had been at least 7 years so many things needed updating.  And, as luck would have it, there computer system was down.  Not that it affected my doing paperwork, but it did delay my appointment.  Apparently, the doctor is notified via messaging when their patient arrives and they forgot to tell her I was there, so that added a half hour onto my visit.  It didn't bother me as I know the frustrations of when systems shut down.  Besides, everyone at the desk was super nice, so it was all good.

After the nurse, who had great countenance, took my vitals (I weighed less than I thought I would...whew!), Dr. Hernandez came on into the room.  We went over things like family medical history, why I was there and what my health concerns and goals were.  All I can say is that she is fantastic!!  We are on the same page concerning my goals for myself and she's all about helping me with that.  She was incredibly easy to talk to.  She explained things in terms I understood.  And, most importantly, I was not embarrassed to ask questions or divulge information.  So many times in the past when I've been in a doctor's office, I have not been open about things.  And that's not a good way to be with your doctor, I know I'm not the only one who's done this.

She took my bp again and was like..."yep, you've got high blood pressure."  She wouldn't even tell me what the numbers were that time.  I did sneak a peak as she was writing and it was higher than it was the day before.  I was probably physically anxious at being there, even though emotionally I was quite comfortable.  We talked further about how to handle that, among other things.  Since I had not eaten that morning, she went ahead and did bloodwork on me.  That's unnerving simply because I was not really prepared for the possibilities that the bloodwork could open up.  So many things that could show up there.  Luckily, a member of my church was sitting right across from me in the lab, so that was comforting.

So, now I have a doctor that I really like!  That is such a relief!  BTW, if anyone in Greensboro needs a doctor, I will definitely recommend Dr. Hernandez!  So, there will be some definite changes coming to my life.  I will be starting to take prescriptions for my high blood pressure and for smoking cessation.  I'm interested to see how I react to those...keep your fingers crossed!  I also have several referrals to other doctors, she wants me to get a mole on my ear checked out.  I can deal with that.  And I've got an ultrasound scheduled.  My left carotid artery is clogged and we need to find out how much so that we can move forward in treating it. 

All in all, I feel good about everything and am looking forward to taking better care of myself.  Welcome to adulthood, Bob!

That is all