It's Not a Competition, Is It?

It is the end of the year... 

Time to squeeze in all the doctor visits 

while the deductible has been fulfilled....  

Internist, dentist, dermatologist, gyn, etc....  

So I scheduled my husband for all his applicable examinations, 

hoping he would show up for them 

and I set up the same for me...  

T$ met with Dr. Lio, an excellent dermatologist, 

who gave his epidermis a good look over 

and proceeded to excise four interesting looking bumps...  

The hubby is blessed with a whole plethora of mole types, so I was glad to 

A: have the most suspicious ones removed and 

B: learn that all of them were benign...  

Dr. Lio looked me over next 

and took off one shoulder mole 

that has pestered me for ages....

It was no biggie...  

And then T$ fasted 

and had the old fashioned annual physical 

with the requisite bloodwork...  

Two days later, his doc called him...  

"Mr. Herlihy, your numbers are a little concerning, 

so I thought I'd give you a call

 to talk them over,"    

Here are your stats:  

Cholesterol 244, 

Good Cholesterol: 59, 

LDL Cholesterol: 152, 

Trigylcerides: 165....  

"You need to adjust your diet 

and exercise regimen accordingly..."  

First thing T$ did was mention 

that I like to cook with butter...  

Talk about placing the blame!  

Even though I often make his lunch, 

I took offense at being the crux of his internal health...  

After all, was I supposed to be the angel 

on his shoulder those days 

when he swings through Burger King 

for a breakfast biscuit 

or a double fried chicken sandwich and fries?  

Was I supposed to be the cattle prod 

that made him exercise?  

Did I force him to have another beer, 

for Pete's sake?    

I will admit that I love to cook 

and my recipe choices 

would not be in any diet cookbook...  

Paula, Ree and Trisha are my friends, 

after all, and I do love comfort food 

like any good Midwestern girl....

No good party is without cream cheese...

Damn, changes would have to be made, 

for the health of my man... 

More poached/broiled/fat-free menus 

are in my future... 

The truth hurts...   

And THEN, I went in for my annual physical...  

Same routine, except that I did not have to turn and cough....

haha!  

My blood was drawn...  

And I waited...  

Would I have such high numbers?  

Would Lipitor be in my future?  

Today my doctor called me with the results...  

Cholesterol: 175, 

Good Cholesterol 70, 

LDL: 89, 

Triglycerides: 82...  

"Your numbers are excellent, perfect!" 

chirped my internist...  

I couldn't help the smug grin 

that spread across my face...  

Butter you say?!  

Fattening food, hmmm?  

The urge to gloat took over, 

because my cooking was being blamed for T$'s condition....  

And then I realized that our bodies are different...  

The numbers are what they are 

and even though my chemistry performs well on my diet, 

my husband's behaves differently...  

Regardless, I must adjust our meals 

to benefit his body...  

So, January will be the start of lighter, less fatty dishes...  

And, I will be dragging him out to exercise, 

no matter how much he protests...  

For Better, for Worse, and he may think the worse of me 

until his numbers and waistline shrinks...  

It's all in the name of love...