Well, it's been med week around these parts, not to be confused with Club Med. We had our annual physicals/bloodwork done on Tuesday. We've only been to this doctor once before for physicals, and it was more just to establish a relationship with a doctor since ours had a stroke and had to close her practice. I was searching for a DO over an MD. What's the difference? Basically, a DO takes an additional 200 hours of coursework to cover holistic/manipulation treatments instead of just throwing pain meds at a problem that an MD might be more apt to do. For a more in-depth look, click here if you're looking to make a switch. Ours wasn't my first choice but had an opening, and I keep checking back with the chick I really want who gets a ton of awards for patient advocacy and bedside manner. Must keep my fingers crossed a family moves away, so we get an opening at some point.
The nurse who took our info was nice and had a calming but jovial demeanor which I appreciate because sourpusses tend to spike my blood pressure. Then you have to explain that you are nervous and not just fat. (They always assume you're going to have high blood pressure.) Mine was 122/70 which she said was excellent and I said that was actually a little high for me, I'm usually 116/70. My resting heart rate was 64 even after having just run in from the scale and being ticked that theirs is so different from ours. It's usually 60, but I won't balk at that. The doc came in, did the big breaths through the stethoscope, asked if I wanted to have measles immunity checked since the Mr asked about it in his appointment even though we were both vaccinated as kids. She said it was just checking an extra box so I said go for it. She also asked if I wanted to check for chicken pox immunity and I agreed because I had the vaccine in 2012 since I never had chicken pox as a kid but wanted to make sure it was doing its job.
The chick who came in to take the blood was a bit pissy. We were late appointments so we'd been fasting for 18 hours at that point and I drank some water but not a ton. I pointed to the arm they're usually able to get blood from because, you know, "deep veins." (Nurse code for 'bitch is fat, yo') She looked at it and was like "they get blood from THIS one!?" in a snippy tone. I showed the right one and said: "good luck getting it from here but you're welcome to try." There was no visible vein because 20 years ago a lot of medical tests collapsed it. She's like "did you even drink water today!?!" Sister, I'm on the hormonal week before Aunt Flo, you need to back off. She got it from the arm I told her with the butterfly needle and then griped for 2 minutes about how slow my blood was because I didn't drink water.
The next day we got the callback on our lab results. We were both surprised that neither of us had measles immunity despite being vaccinated and I do not have chicken pox immunity despite having the vaccination 7 years ago. There are cluster measles outbreaks in different places right now, my PSA is to ask your doc to check that box to test for measles immunity regardless if you were vaccinated as a kid. It apparently doesn't last forever. Also, if you had the chickenpox vaccination, do the same thing and have it checked. If you don't have an immunity despite getting the vaccine, they just revaccinate you, or if you're like me with the measles, both are mixed into one MMRV shot. Neither of us had any other issues except my overall cholesterol is borderline, but it always has been. I'm nowhere near having to go on meds and was instructed to keep up what I'm doing. We have to go in Friday to get our shots then follow up in two months with bloodwork to recheck immunity.
I decided when I got home from our appointment to just make my mammogram appointment at a new place and was surprised they had an opening this week. I made it for tomorrow at 11:30 am. I'm not going back to the "specialty" mammogram place I've been going for the past 4 years because they have a 50% callback rate for me and I'm not down with freaking out for 2 weeks and going to the dark places because they refuse to push hard enough. I'm going to tell these people "look, squish them like you're taking out a diss from your mother in law or your boss passed you over for a promotion. I want them FLAT and if you're unsure, squeeze them again." I'm over this crap and if that place can't do it right then maybe a center five minutes from my house instead of across town can. So we'll go there first, squish da boobs then go to the other place and get stuck with needles. In June, I'll get to go to the gynie and be done for the year hopefully.
When was your last annual/mammy? Did you have chicken pox as a kid?
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I was really surprised that there was no immunity to Measles but then again I got my shots in like 1978 so a booster is a good idea. I did have chicken pox as a kid and I'm glad they checked you for that so that you can get another booster for that too. You do NOT want to get that, especially as an adult.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to get immunity checked. I had the measles vaccine as a kid and did have chicken pox - but neither is a guarantee. My mom had chicken pox twice when she was a kid. The obgyn I used to see doubled as a full physical, but then I changed a couple years ago and and I like this new one much better but all she does is the "girly" stuff so I suppose I should probably make an appt for a true physical. I need to find a new doctor though, the one I see now has gone downhill the last few years.
ReplyDeleteMy last mammogram and annual check was last summer, and my next one is in July.
I did have chicken pox as a kid as did the hubs, and he ended up with shingles several months ago since the chicken pox virus lays dormant in the body and can reappear at any old time. I'm not sure exactly when my annual mammo is due because of what I went through last year. February is when I had it done but because I had to go through all that mess in the summer, technically insurance won't pay for it until that time, even though I only had one side done the second time. So by all accounts it'll be summer time. I'm taking the week of my birthday off for no reason other than I want a break from work, so I'll probably schedule it that week since I'll have some flexibility in my schedule. I go back for lab work next month to do a 4-month check up with my NP. Several doctors I've had were DO's and I liked their approach (except for one, who was a nut case and ended up losing her license in this state).
ReplyDeleteI haven't reached the age for a mammogram yet, but it is coming sooner than I would like for a base line. I'm not surprised that there was no detectible immunity for measles. Where I am at the provincial health authority advocates that people receive the MMR vaccine every ten years. They provide the vaccine for free, so you just need to ask. I usually receive my booster when I get my annual flu shot.
ReplyDeleteAs for chicken pox, I've never had the vaccine or had my immunity checked, but I did have a severe case when I was a kid. It went around my elementary school. My GP at the time said it was the worse case that he had ever seen. They were everywhere, and I mean everywhere. They actually left me scared and I had to see a plastic surgeon as a kid to have one of the scars on my chest removed, as it was very harsh and red. I still have a scar there but it isn't as bad. So if you have never had chicken pox then the vaccine is a really good idea. I wouldn't want to repeat my experience as an adult.