What I did get, though, was high praise from my internist
when I saw him for my bi-annual check up. He’s the one I’ve been sending
fatty-fatty-two-by-four accountability e-mails to each month regarding the healthier
eating plan/diet I’ve been on. He wanted me to lose the pound-a-month I put on
during my first seven months of widowhood and I did that plus ten more. The
main thing he wanted me to do, though, is to stop the grief induced binge eating I’d
been doing when I saw him last fall. Mission
accomplished! I ought to have a gold star covered widowhood report card to hang
on the refrigerator for that, don’t you think? I just wish I could get the
doctor to agree that I need to start sending him accountability reports to get
my retail therapy binges under control. I traded in my comfort food binges for
an addiction to kitchen gadgets and Crocs.
My annual check up with my allergist was this week, too, and
he drew a conclusion that involved my widowhood. Isn’t that too cute for words?
All of 2010 and seven months into 2011 I suffered with chronic hives. He, my
internist and a specialist on autoimmune diseases were unable to pinpoint the
cause and they went away as mysteriously as they started. It’s the same pattern
every time hives plague me for months on end which has happened five times in
my life. Allergists ask a 100 and one questions about your environment and
life so I had to tell him about Don when he said, "Are you sure nothing
has changed in your life since our last appointment?" Thus the twit concluded that since I didn’t get the hives back
after Don died then we can “officially rule out stress” as being the cause or a
contributing factor in my bouts with hives. Jeez, I could have told him that
considering I didn’t get them when Don first had his stroke or when my mother
and dad died, but what do I know? Now it's officially
written in stone on my computerized medical records for every doctor and nurse in the city and assorted others across the nation to read: “Husband’s death did not cause chronic
urticaria to return.” What a surreal experience that was to hear him dictate
that little tidbit into my records. Here's another gold star for your report card, widow lady. ©
Widowhood
Report Card for 15 months Out
|
|||
Widowhood Challenge
|
Accomplished!
Gold Star for You!
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Shows Improvement
Silver Star
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Bad Girl
Back Sliding
|
Crying under Control
|
check
|
||
Melancholy Moods Lifting
|
check
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||
Binge Eating Under Control
|
check | ||
Didn’t get grief induced hives
|
check
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||
Moving Forward
Emotionally
|
check
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||
Loneliness factor
|
check
|
||
Finding Friends
|
check
|
||
Controlling
Retail Therapy
|
check
|
||
Happiness Level
|
check
|
||
Keeping Busy
|
check
|
Geez Louise. To think you're 15 months out! I'm impressed that you've left the "This is never going to end" club. Gold star for your writing, Jean. Tear drop for that retail therapy, unless, of course, you deserve all those amazing things you've bought. You do, don't you?
ReplyDeleteGive my best to Levi.
Thank you! In all honesty, I don't feel guilty or bad about the extra spending I've been doing. Now that I've FINALLY taken an interest in cook, I need better gadgets.
ReplyDeleteLevi isn't too happy now. The vet put him on a diet. He has to lose 1 1/2 pounds and I have to measure out his food. If it would ever quit raining here, we could walk that much off before his next appointment.
Jean :
ReplyDeleteI like your spreadsheet, your organization skills& writing should get gold star.
Asha
Thanks, Asha. Old habits die hard. Organizational skills has always been one of my best assets. Hope you and your family are doing good. Your son must be old enough for college by now?
ReplyDeletejean :
Deletedon't rush. he is in 10th grade right now, in 2 years he will be off to college & I will need to find myself again. I don't like this change & growing old business lol. though what my stroke taught me is change is not necessarily bad something better always come out if we stop resisting life & go with flow. hope you find joy soon too.
Asha
Asha
Treasure the next two years, then. You'll have a lot to look forward after that, too...watching him grow into a man and eventually a father.
DeleteWe are sorry we haven't posted any comments lately. Mama and Papa are taking care of Jessy again. This is a long visit - ten days. Mama has survived the first week with Jessy and I (Hershey).
ReplyDeleteWe hope Levi is doing better after his getting his teeth cleaned.
Love -
Hershey and Kaci
Hi Hershey and Kaci! Levi says to tell you that he is fine now but the vet did "mean things" to him. I think he's mad because the vet put him on a diet to lose a pound or two and kept the tooth she pulled. I guess he wanted it back. LOL
ReplyDeletePresident Obama's biggest error with health care reform, then, was underestimating the depth regarding the electorate's recalcitrance.
ReplyDelete