It's my turn to get some medical attention for a change. Nothing serious, just a follow-up and new blood draw.
Back in July, the same day my husband saw the doc for his chest pressure, I had my own appointment for my yearly lab work. We both had our blood drawn the same afternoon. His was fasting, mine was 7 hours after breakfast, but the lab tech assured me it was good enough to count as fasting blood work.
Well, we all know what my husband has gone through since that doctor visit. As for me, the day before my husband's stress test I saw the doc for the lab results, but only a handful of the tests were back. The cholesterol panel was one of them, and it showed my number up higher than the last few times and trigs over 220. I told the doc that this wasn't fasting, and besides, I'd been following the eating program quite strictly and really don't believe these results and wanted a repeat. He said after the rest of the results come back we'll talk about it.
Then my husband had his cardiac interlude that he's still recovering from.
In the meantime, every week or so I would call the doctor's office to see if the rest of my labs came back, and they never did. 2 weeks ago I made an appointment for today, my doc's first day back from vacation. I reminded them I need those bloodwork results. I was assured they would get it all. I called this past Friday to see if it they got then and no, they didn't. I blew up. I reminded her that I've been waiting 2 months for these results, that the dosage of some medications depends on these results, like my Synthroid, and future treatment depended on the results of the slew of auto-immune tests that were done. The nurse was now a bit apologetic instead of snarky and promised to track them down and would call me back later that day to let me know they were in my chart. I was out of the house when she called over 6 hours later and the only message was "Her labwork is complete." I guess I'll find out in a few hours if they're all there or not.
I did get some of those results the day my husband was doing his pre-admission work before his cardiac cath. The nurse in the out-patient admissions office got his lab work and found mine on the computer and printed out the screen capture. It didn't have any of the "comments" or specific results on the auto-immune tests, only if they were positive or negative, that the comments that would appear on the official copy the doctor would get would give the actual titers and other specifics. I did find out my Vitamin B-12 levels were on the high side of normal, so I cut that pill down to twice a week, and that my Vitamin D level dropped once more into the low 20's, so I increased that to 5 days a week from the 3 I was already taking it.
So, I guess I'll find out if the doc thinks I have lupus or not in a few hours, and I want a repeat of at least the cholesterol panel and Vitamin D, now that it's been 2 months since the last ones were drawn and today will be a definite fasting, not just 7 hours without eating.
What I cook today will depend on how long I'm stuck in the office and what time I get home. If it's late, we may just have pasta; if we get in earlier, another recipe from The McDougall Program for A Healthy Heart. You'll find out in the morning. :)
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