I posted (well, vented) at the beginning of October about my health insurance company and their program to deduct $20 from our monthly premiums next year.  In order to get the deduction, we had to have a health risk appraisal done (blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, height, weight, etc.) and then fill out an online risk assessment.  The third requirement was to call a telephonic health coach (supposedly a registered nurse).  I’ve ranted several times about the whole thing, and I still don’t think it’s right.  It seems like an invasion of privacy to me, but for $20 a month I felt I needed to do it.

I was worried about what the health coach would say even though I ranked in the 90% percentile in overall wellness (based on the criteria they actually looked at, my scores/lab results were great).  I finally broke down and called the darn health coach yesterday and it went surprisingly well.  In fact, I think I was only on the phone for a little over five minutes.  I shudder though to think of what someone whose scores were lower than mine would have had to go through.  At one point, after saying most everything looked great, she about started in on me about my weight.  She was like, “a healthy BMI is about 25 and you’re at a 28.  You should really be a bit closer to 25.”  She then started to say at what weight I should be and I cut her off and said something like “yeah, I’ve already lost a lot.”  So of course, with me and my big mouth, she insisted on knowing how much.  So I told her.  She shut up quickly about me losing weight and rapidly went on to just set my goals as maintaining and keeping on with what I’m doing.  She said that I was obviously doing something right.  I know though that I’ll never be the weight they want me to be and I’m okay with that as long as I can keep shutting them up by telling them how much I’ve lost.  :)  The phone call went much faster after that.

Thanks to all who sent their support and prayers for my mom’s situation.  She got a good news message from her cancer doctor this afternoon - that he thinks the lump is nothing serious.  Thank God.  She still goes to see her surgeon (she’s had to see her periodically since her surgeries anyway) on Monday for a second opinion, but we’re all really hopeful.

I was finally able to make a doctor’s appointment today.  It’s on Tuesday afternoon and it’s with my old primary care physician.  I’m going to explain about my fatigue, concentration/memory problems, etc. and go over my crazy lab results with him and see what he thinks.  I’m sure he’s going to order more lab work, because I think I may still be anemic since my ferritin levels were about bottomed out.  We’ll see what he has to say, though.  I think I’m going to write down all the concerns and questions I have to just hand his nurse when I go in.  Otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll forget something.  I wish I could just go in, explain my symptoms, and say, “I’m a mess.  Fix me.”  But sadly, it doesn’t work that way.  I’m nervous about the appointment, but I’m always nervous when I go to see the doctor.  I feel like a child that’s gotten sent to the principal’s office.