Dearest Rachel –
While I may have been a little surprised at his emphatic reaction last year when I’d gone through my first such episode, I kind of understand why Lars refers to this process as a ‘scam,’ even though it’s arranged through our health insurance company and I’m not out of pocket (indeed, I’m told they will be sending me a $40 Target gift card for participating in this check-up).
At the same time, it’s the sort of thing I would have to be forced into, back in the day. I hated going to the doctor’s, and having him tell me what I already knew – “You know, you really ought to lose some weight”; yes, I do know, but how and when am I supposed to be able to do anything about that? Even when the company was paying for me to take these physicals, and offering incentives to do so (including pitting departments against each other to encourage participation, leading Mohinder to lean on me hard about my recalcitrance), I didn’t like it. Taking time away from work would just cause the workload to build up that much more while I was gone, and I was already always just enough behind that I felt compelled to show up on too many Saturday mornings back in the day, as you remember all too well. Plus, like I said, I knew what my shortcomings were, but didn’t have the time or motivation to do anything about them back then. Why bother to take the time to do this, when the results were a foregone conclusion?
Of course, now, I’m just as reluctant to see my own doctor, thanks to a certain difference of opinion stemming from the climate that existed at the time when you went over the hill. While I’m considerably more into dealing with health issues, mostly thanks to Lars, I rely more on him for medical advice than my official GP. I don’t think I’ve bothered with him since I had to get his referral for my colonoscopy (which I’m probably due for in the next year or so, and not surprisingly dreading).
But when they’re assigned to come to your home – imagine that, medical professionals making house calls again! – it makes the matter a whole lot easier. Granted, I didn’t get any time other than ‘morning’ as to when the nurse practitioner (not a doctor – I should have known they wouldn’t bother with such visits), so I had to inform the folks that I wouldn’t be in the ‘office’ until after noon, but it’s not like I had much in the way of pressing tasks (not none, to be sure, but not much. For what it’s worth, as of the moment I’m writing you, I’ve gotten that pressing stuff taken care of… mostly. It’s off my plate for the moment, in any event) and sit around, waiting for her to show up.
Well, not entirely; I did get up early enough to get out to the gym and put in my usual workout and be home before nine – which was the earliest I thought I could expect her to drop by. However, while I was peeling myself out of my gym togs, I discovered that she had called me twice while I was cleaning up the treadmill and making my way out – that’s the problem with silent mode – and needed me to get in touch with her to set up the time. At least that was quickly arranged by my calling her back, and she was set to turn up between nine-thirty and ten.
And it’s not like I let the grass grow beneath my feet while I was waiting, as I tossed in a load of laundry once I got out of the shower (I suppose I could start both up simultaneously, but I’m not confident enough in whether I’d have enough hot water to sustain both. It’s true that the only way to find out is to actually try, but I’m not entirely sure I want to deal with the consequences if I’m wrong about being able to multitask the hot water supply) to occupy me while I waited. I didn’t bother with breakfast, as I thought it was possible that she might want to draw blood or other fluids; or if not, I didn’t want to be caught in the middle of a meal by her arrival.
However, ten o’clock came and went, with no sign of her, other than a text asking for patience when I messaged her about it. Daniel joined me in the bedroom, and we set ourselves to watching videos when I got a call from her. It would seem that she was at the door, but I didn’t hear the bell. Oops. I ran to get it, and left Daniel to his own devices.
From there, it was a fairly simple matter. She asked me a plethora of questions about my lifestyle (medications I take, vices I might indulge in, that sort of thing), family history (which I had to demur for the most part since, as an adoptive child, I don’t have a genetic history. But you know all that), whether I was dealing with aches and pains at certain points in the day, and so forth. Really, aside from taking my temperature, heart rate and blood pressure, everything was on the honor system. I tried to answer as accurately as I know how, but at that moment, I realized what Lars was talking about. It’s not like there’s going to be any recommendations that come out of this visit; they’re just collecting data. Then again, it’s effectively ‘sponsored’ by my insurance company; it makes sense that they would want to have this data. Hey, maybe if I’m in sufficiently decent shape, they’ll even lower my rates.
Oh, you can stop laughing now, honey.
Anyway, I’ll probably talk to Lars about having my bloodwork done, and getting some real information about where I stand medically. Until then, keep an eye on me, and wish me luck. I’m going to need it.
Letters to Rachel 