Be Your Own Advocate
In our 40s, medical appointments and check-ups become more top of mind....or something reminds us why they should be.
I try to be diligent about scheduling them but I don't do these things because I'm neurotic or a worrywart, I do them because if I can get ahead of issues now or somehow prevent them, I want to try.
Both my grandmothers had breast cancer and there's prevalence of cancer on my dad's side of the family. I got my first baseline mammogram at 35. I've teed up genetic screening this year.
My mom's side has history of cardiovascular disease and there’s high blood pressure on both sides. I contacted my PCP to get a calcium score test ordered for myself this fall.
My first husband had died suddenly at 43. I went to a cardiologist within six months of his death to ask for a stress test and EKG. (Anxiety felt in my chest prompted this too.)
I'm 48 and no PCP had yet mentioned a colonoscopy so I went in this year and requested one and got it done.
There's diabetes in my family. I've used a continuous glucose monitor to track my blood sugar and see how food and lifestyle affect my health.
I look at my labs carefully, notice where changes are happening and ask questions where I have them. Part of this probably started too because both my parents were medical technologists and drew my blood at home, ran them at work and brought the results home. I was always familiar with what ‘normal’ looked like…on paper.
Don't wait for your doctor to give you information. Oftentimes they'll even tell you things are fine or borderline--fine is not optimal--and by your next visit you'll need to be put on meds...or worse. Don't get brushed off.
And unfortunately, you can do all these things and life will still throw you a curve ball you weren't expecting. Life does that and it really effing sucks.
My motivation for this was prompted by a few recent events over the summer and leads me to these tidbits:
Be your own advocate, ask questions, be proactive, educate yourself.
Know what to ask and understand what your doctors are telling you or better yet, have them explain it fully.
Learn what you can do to live better.
Do it.
We never know what life has in store for us but if I have some control over which path it may take, I'm driving it where I can, while I can. It won't be perfect by any means, but I will still try.
And remember, this looks different for everyone so make it work for you!