Heart Health

Contrary to popular opinion, I do have a heart. My new doctor confirmed it today, right before she told me it isn't working properly. Before I get to that though, I must brag on her. It was my first visit with her and after having such crappy doctors in the past, I wasn't expecting much difference. But, I knew I wanted a female as I'm so sick of being told move more, eat less and weight loss will happen by some man who doesn't give a rat's ass about hormonal issues. Luckily, I found a new female doctor here and decided to give her a try.

Two minutes into my visit, I knew she "gets it." We discussed my weight, palpitations, working out and stress levels. When I told her I couldn't get my BP down, she mentioned that I'm on allergy meds and they're notorious for fluid retention and raising my BP. Duh, Missy! When I told her I'd gained 30 pounds in a year, despite working out with a trainer, she admitted that she has gained 10+ pounds in the past month after starting crossfit. She pointed out that my clothing size hasn't changed, so it's not fat. She was adamant about me "staying the course." She said, "Honey, I'm 160 pounds and wear a size 4. Please don't go by the scale. In fact, I want you to toss that sucker out the window." She even wrote a "script" for me to do just that. 

Her only concern is the palpitations I've been having. I have been freaking out about them, combined with the weight gain and BP. She didn't seem to think it was anything serious and reminded me I battled arrhythmia when I was younger, too. Again, DUH Missy! Yet, she ordered a stress test and Echo cardiogram, as well as blood work. Part of me thinks she did this just to put my mind at ease, but if she did? She's even more awesome 'cause she "gets me." She told me to get out of my head and breathe. I go for my tests next week and will have a follow up visit at the end of the month. In the meantime, I have to just workout 60 min/day and ignore the scale. She told me to cut out all my supplements and just focus on "being." 

I don't think I have ever left a doctor's appointment with so many tests ordered, yet feeling so positive about my future health. It's so refreshing to have someone who wants me to be me.