By Laurie Marshall
Here’s the deal… I talk a lot about food and exercise here. It’s not always about losing weight, but that’s the point. My goal for this blog is to share some information about Getting Healthy, and that subject covers a LOT of ground. But today, I’m going to touch on a subject that’s probably close to a lot of mama’s hearts – men who hate doctors.
The Hubster avoids doctors and dentists like a pro. Like a NASCAR driver avoids a wall. Like Angelina Jolie avoids cameras that capture her “bad side”. (Although, I’m pretty sure she just doesn’t have one.) Like a clever mom avoids the toy aisle at Target. Okay, I’m out of comparisons…
So, it was HUGE a couple of weeks ago when he listened to me as I listed a few things that were concerning me and let me make an appointment for him. Of course, it took me finding a “syndrome” online that included all the things on the list to make it happen – but whatever! You see, in addition to the things on my list, the Hubster had also been blowing off the fact that he’s had high blood pressure for several years. I was not-so-secretly looking forward to finding out what the doctor had to say about that.
And I was not let down, because the doctor had plenty to say. Not only does the Hubster have high blood pressure (did I mention that he has been ignoring it for years??), but he has Acute Hypertension. You know, if you’re going to do something, do it right.
Watching the nurse’s face as she took his blood pressure in the clinic would have been funny if I hadn’t been worried about it for years. She looked at the little dial, and looked again… her brow furrowed and she leaned in closer. I’m guessing that reading will be a source of discussion at the clinic for a while. But my favorite part was the look of concern I was finally seeing on the Hubster’s face. Finally… FINALLY!!!… it seemed that he was taking it seriously. He seemed to comprehend that the numbers we were seeing usually accompanied a stroke, or a hemorrhage, or a need for a chest saw. And he’s willing to do something about it.
We left the clinic with medication in hand and an appointment to come back in a week. Unfortunately, that medication didn’t do the job, so now he’s taking something stronger and with less enjoyable side-effects. But guess what? He’s taking them. Every day. Without complaining. That’s all I want. Well, I’d love it if the meds made him really eager to clean the kitchen every night and buy me flowers on Saturdays, but we’ll take baby steps. Working on being around for a lot more years is plenty for now.
Which brings me to my point. (You didn’t think I had one, did you?) I think one of the best things I can do for myself and my family is develop a good relationship with our family doctor. We mamas are encouraged to see our gynecologist each year for our annual fifteen minutes of awkward. Our kids have yearly “well-child” visits and we track their height and weight with pride. But what about our teenagers? What about our husbands? What about when we have stuff going on ourselves that don’t have anything to do with our girl-parts? It’s not always convenient, but it’s worth making time to address potential problems (like stroke-level blood pressure!?) early enough to treat them and reduce any lasting effects.
Eat well, get off your couch, and go see your doctor every now and then. You’ll be glad you did, I promise.
Look for Laurie’s fitness tips and updates on her personal health-focused journey every other Friday on nwaMotherlode in Mom Blogs. Send questions or input to her at mamas@nwaMotherlode.com. Or click on the comment button below and share your thoughts right now! To see previous installments of Getting Healthy for Good, click HERE.
