I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday. I had to take my son, J, with me, as DH was out of town, and the appointment was in the morning. I just couldn’t bring myself to ask anybody to watch him at the same time that every other kid has to be at the bus stop, etc.
The appointment was to talk about, among other things, my blood pressure, which has been steadily rising over the past months. No surprise, I guess. There was talk that if my blood pressure continued to be high, I would need some medication. And we all know how much fun medication for life can be.
I love my doctor, not only for her expertise, but also because she has a 5 year old son, and knew exactly how to engage J. Then she checked everything with me, and low and behold, my BP was low. 119/66. That is lower than it has been in months, where it has hovered around 140/90. It was shocking to both of us, and I timidly suggested she take it again.
“Heck no. I don’t repeat readings that I like!”
See, I told you she was good.
She then turned to J and said, “You’re good for your mamma. You should come every time. You make her really happy, and we need her to stay like that, okay?”
J nodded seriously and said, “Ok.”
And I realized that having J there actually had made me calm, in a weird way. He was relatively well behaved, what with two Power Rangers, some legos, and a promise of a trip to the Children’s Museum afterwards and a new educational toy to be acquired. He and I were laughing before the doctor got there. His new hair cut makes the hair at the back of his head stand up, which just couldn’t be cuter. And when the Power Rangers are going at it, you can’t help but smile at the sound effects.
In this world where I am still not totally comfortable, this new world of medical jargon, tests all the time, and an unknown specter of a future transplant hanging over me, I suppose it’s natural that I get a little stressed every time I go to the doctor, wondering what they will find this time. Having my little guy with me I suppose kept me grounded yesterday, because I knew no matter what, he still just looks at me as his mom.
So, kids can actually be good for your blood pressure. Who knew.
1 comment:
That is so incredibly sweet. I don't have any kids yet (not actually sure I'm going to be able to now) but I wish I had a little calming charm. Every time I go for an appt. my BP is worse and I feel like such a failure. Dr's offices never used to upset me, but lately I always seem to get bad news so it seems like I'm anticipating it now, even if I think I'm calm. You have a real way with words. Great blog.
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