First visit to doctor in more than two years — and not bad news
Milestone for me yesterday: I made my first visit to a doctor in more than two years. And the news I got was not really bad.
Last week, there was a free stroke screening clinic at a local hospital about four blocks from my house. Since starting this full-time freelance adventure in 2007, I have not had any sort of health insurance. And, frankly, my freelance income has lagged behind what I had hoped. Bottom line: I haven’t so much as had a medical checkup since the summer of 2007, so I went to the stroke screening event.
They thought both my blood pressure and my blood sugar were a bit elevated and urged me to see a doctor. I explained that I had no insurance, little income, and not really even a way to focus on over-the-counter weight loss products or much in the way of nutritional supplements — certainly not $100-$200+ for a non-insured physical exam.
The good news is, there’s a “sliding scale” clinic with great services located not that far from our house. I went there yesterday for my first medical exam in years. Very surprisingly, I actually lost about 12-15 pounds in the last couple of years. It surprised me because I haven’t really focused as much as I should on better eating and regular exercise. But I won’t turn that down!
Also, the blood sugar and elevated blood pressure are not an issue, the doc said after a thorough exam. He suggested I can tweak both levels acceptably with a bit of work on my diet and some regular exercise and didn’t prescribe any medication.
Good news all around, and a cheerful start to my weekend.
If you’re in a position similar to mine regarding insurance and health care, I urge you to look around the community. Maybe yours has some reduced rate and/or free clinics you can use. Worked pretty well for me.
