I Got the F-Bomb...but not what you think!

After years of making sure my kids are up to date with their immunizations and the such, I've decided to go have my own health checked out. Years of being "inactive" and snacking inappropriately (aka kiddie snacks, aka yummy snacks.... alright, aka junk food snacks ), I made an appointment with my PCP (Primary Care Provider... I don't know why they're called that. Maybe it's a result of insurance and all their jargon? Makes doctors seem so unperson-able even though they stick in the "Care" in PCP)

Anyway, my doctor thought my blood pressure was higher than it should be...see, I'm even avoiding saying the obvious of "I HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE!"  But it is what it is. She sent me to a cardiologist for a treadmill test. Great. I only envision "old" people who have appointments with their cardiologist.
Sorry, seniors who are reading this...."Older" people are the ones who talk about "my  (fill-in-the-blank) specialists". My gosh, I AM getting old.... Wait, I'm not getting old, I'm getting OLDER. I'm only at an unhealthy stage in my life. That sounds so much better!

I get to the cardiology office, I get a ultrasound of my carotid arteries and my heart and get hooked up to an EKG to be on while I'm on the treadmill. I'm already having visions of me running up this treadmill at a 45 degree incline at cheetah speed (or in my case, warthog speed?).

After it was over, I must say, it wasn't bad at all.  I was on that thing for not even 10 minutes. They increased the incline a bit twice. I didn't even have to have a death grip on the treadmill rails for fear of shooting off the back of the machine! (How embarrassing would that be?)

I  waited for the cardiologist to look at the results. He starts by saying that my pressure is not where he wants it to be and then he whips out the Rx pad. WHOA, NELLY!

"I don't want to be on meds", I blurt out.

He looks at me over his glasses, "Nobody wants to be on meds"

I don't want to sound like a whiny patient so I try the scientific medical reasoning with him.
"If you look over the health history page that I filled out, I have not been actively exercising, I have had bad eating habits, and you can also note that I don't have any history of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, heart attack or any of that such on either sides of my family. I want a chance to redeem myself with a plan from you."

He closed my chart, sat back in his chair and gave me a grave statistic. "9 out of 10 patients tell me this and fail ."

"But Dr H, I'm motivated, I'm goal oriented, I'm a good patient. If I have a plan from you, I will do it! I promise. You'll see! I deserve a chance."

He sighs and counts off on his fingers. "30-40 minutes of walking everyday..."
"Regular walking? 30-40 minutes a day? I can definitely do that"
"No.... I meant POWER WALKING, " He swung his arms like he was jogging. OK, so that's what he meant.
"...And with the diet, mainly fruits, vegetables, and lean protein like chicken, turkey and fish. Cut down the sugars, fats and the such. You should not be drinking anything with sugar in it. No sodas or juices. Healthy clear soups or water."

My gosh, he sounds so serious. So cardiologist-sounding!
"Well, what about the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet....?" I asked hopefully.
"No, not good for longterm." He said firmly.
"No Atkins, no South Beach....So I'll be on the F-diet, right?" I asked. He looked puzzled.
I explained, "You know, the 'Feathers, Fins, Fruits and Feggies' diet?"
He finally cracked a smile, "Yes, exactly. I'll see you in 4 weeks." Then he winks,"...No, let me see you in 6 weeks. I'll give you an extra 2 weeks for professional courtesy and a rousing argument against meds!"

On the way home, I stopped by the supermarket and loaded up on my F-diet foods.
We'll see how well this goes. But let me say again, I'm motivated, I'm goal-oriented, I'm a good patient and now I have a plan! 6 weeks, here it goes!

Let's get cozy with Cozi!

After a few days of using the Cozi Calendar www.cozi.com with high hopes.... It's not going as smoothly as I anticipated. I thought it would all go like clockwork. No more nagging people to do things, no more trying to remember what people have to do on different days, no more forgetting to put things on the shopping list, etc...

I'm mainly trying to get the family schedule in control right now. I'm also trying to get everyone used to their own "To Do" list. Putting the family schedule on the calendar is a no brainer. It took a good 1/2 hr to get everything from the manual calendar transferred. It's also great that I can put on anniversaries, birthdays, and the such once and it'll give me a reminder every year. That, I like. Automation!

With the list of things to do, that's a question of compliance! Hmmm...I had told my kids to check the Cozi Calendar after they finish homework. There is a separate "To Do" list for everyone in the family. I put down stuff for them to do like "do your own laundry", or "clean hamster cage". This is how it goes down...

-Did you guys finish homework?  

-Almost.

-OK, well, crack-a-lack on it. Check the Cozi Calendar for your list of things to do afterwards. Not too much hee-hawing around, alright? 

-Check the what?!

-The Cozi!, the Cozi  Calendar! The thing I told you guys about...the family calendar I set up on the computer!

-Oh, that!

I'm looking forward to it replacing the manual calendar of my scribbles and cross-outs in each small square for the days. I will look to write something down and see that someone has scrawled across the entire square "CLASS TRIP!! BRING LUNCH!"  I guess it was really important for whoever wrote it and for me to see it but, come on, leave some room for the rest of us to write stuff. The only thing missing from that "class trip" note was neon lights and sound effects.

I'm looking forward to that sweet peaceful day when I'm sitting in my favorite sofa, reading a book and sipping a mug of hot  lemon tea knowing that my hectic scheduling has been reduced to a few click click clicks on the computer.And somehow, everyone in the family speaks with British accents all of a sudden!

-Mother, when is my school trip?    (instead of: "Mommy! I forgot when my school trip is! When is it??")

-Check the Cozi, dear.   (instead of: "School trip? Did I even sign the permission slip? I don't remember!")

-Of course, apologies, Mother, my mistake.    (instead of " Mommy! You're supposed to keep track of these things!")


We'll see how this goes...

How fitting that I start blogging on the day that I set up my Cozi family calendar online!
I've gotten to the point in my life where it's all confusion for the most part that is left up to me to figure out.
I remember the "good ole' days" when it was just me and all I had to worry about was when my next exam was coming up and when my best friend's birthday was.
This blog is dedicated to my life....as a Christian, living the Christ-centered life; as a dentist, loving it; and as a mom of 2, gotta laugh about it!
Hence my blog name which didn't take all that long to think up. Christian Dental Mama aka Live, Love, Laugh.
It's also the reason I had to finally have a Cozi family calendar.