Today was my annual internal medicine checkup with the doctor I've seen for the last 20 years.
Last year he told me that I showed many signs that I was developing chronic problems associated with obesity: blood pressure creeping upward, blood sugar less-than-stable, joint pain, extreme fatigue, etc. He left me with the admonition that I could keep going down this road by not eating right and not moving, or I could get healthy. The choice was mine, but he assured me I wouldn't be the exception to the reap-sow principle if I kept living an unhealthy lifestyle.
So I showed up in his office early today *shock* and sat down to read my book.
A few minutes later I heard a familiar voice say, "Where did Norma go?"
"She's sitting there," the receptionist said.
"Where?"
"There."
"I don't see her.... *in a louder voice* NORMA?" the doctor said as he scanned the waiting room from left to right.
I stood up.
*gasp* "You look completely different? What did you do?!"
"I lost the 75 lbs you told me I had to lose."
And then I went for lab work and came back for the exam. I found out I'm 22 lbs lighter than I have ever been at any point since I started seeing him as my doctor. WOO HOOOOO!!!!!
It was the best checkup ever. He was as thrilled as I was.
I am so happy that the Lord led me to this journey. I was so bloomin' stubborn for so many years, thinking that I could figure out a way on my own. Mercy and Grace. It was pure mercy and grace.
The picture? That's the magazine rack in the exam room. The top slot had the Carolina Alumni Review, the middle slot had a random sports magazine, and the bottom slot had a Duke Medicine magazine. (My doctor went to med school at Duke and is currently an associate professor in UNC's med school, in addition to his private practice.)
I did a little rearranging to make everything prettier. :)
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