Whew! I'm Glad That's Over (Part 1)

Okay, just to give you a hint of my state of mind the past week or so: Not Good. You know that "the baby" started kindergarten on Aug. 20 leaving me Home Alone...and bored. There's only so many times one can clean the bathroom before it gets boring (once, to be precise).

I've made a few missteps this past week. 1) I didn't factor in any fun little errands (a quick trip to Starbucks or the craft store, for example). It's odd because I had no problem going out and spending money when it was "Son #3 and me." Now that it's just me, I'm finding it very hard.

2) I thought it might be a good idea to work on a budget for our family so I checked out a few books from the library on the subject. Yawn.

3) I also realized that we've procrastinated long enough. It's time to think about estate planning (wills versus trusts, long term health care, etc.). Normally, I'm not afraid to confront my mortality in the list. However, it's been nearly 7 years since I've had a complete physical (ob/gyn visits not withstanding)...

4) I've decided to catch up on my long overdue routine medical checkups. Here's my general thought about healthcare: Ignorance is bliss. You go to the doctor, they'll find something wrong. You don't go, well, ignorance is bliss. Except what you don't know can kill you, so I'm trying to revise my thinking. (Note: this does not apply to Dear Hubby or kids. Mandatory checks ups for all.)

The combination of finances (which aren't bad, but nor are they where I want them to be), anxiety about putting off my physical, reading about estates, wills, probate, etc. is not a good one for my first weeks solo. It's left me in a rather maudlin mood in fact, convinced that they'll find Something Seriously Wrong, although I have no reason whatsoever to suspect that would be the case. I really should've eased into being a responsible adult. ha ha.

Why, oh why couldn't I have started off reading fluff, non-fiction books instead?

My physical today went well with my new doctor. I liked her a lot. She gets my sense of humor and didn't fuss at me for neglecting my health. My acid reflux has flared up in the past week. It's the first time in a couple of years. The doctor loaded me up with samples of Prevacid and if that doesn't clear it up in 8 weeks, then I'll go back so she can check out my upper GI. I optimistic the meds will do the trick though since it's not something that bothers me chronically (knock wood).

She also sent me for routine blood work. As I sat in the lab's waiting room, the nurse called four of us in at one time. She had two women sit on a bench, one man sit in one chair and me in the other chair. I didn't like the chair. It was too big. Once I sat far enough back for my back to reach the backrest, my feet wouldn't reach the floor. I felt like I was 6 years old. Then the two nurses start drawing blood from the man in the chair and one of the women on the bench. I'm thinking to myself, great, I hate needles. I'm a big baby. I look like a little kid in this oversized chair and if I cry it'll be in front of these other patients. Not that I've ever cried at routine blood tests before, but nevertheless.... Fortunately, I was the last to have blood drawn so the other patients had already left and the nurse moved me to the bench where I could sit with my feet actually touching the floor. I told her I'm not a fan of needles so she pulled out the smallest butterfly needle. Score! It was smooth sailing from there.

I have a couple of other routine tests scheduled over the next few weeks.