Doctor, Doctor, Gimme the News

I went to my OB/GYN yesterday for my annual physical.

He was VERY complimentary about the weight loss and increased exercise. He said he'd like to see me get below 200, but even if I got to 199 and stalled out, that would be some significant improvements in my health down the road. I appreciated the enthusiasm, and I also appreciate -- more than I can express -- that he was very deftly encouraging me to keep it up without trying to set goals that were so far away that they were more discouraging than inspiring.

He told me to schedule a mammogram -- he usually orders one every other year between 30 and 40, then every year after 40. I got out of it last year by virtue of having a nursing baby; pregnant and nursing moms get to postpone. I think the technical reason for that is that pregnancy and nursing changes make the x-rays difficult to interpret, but I'm glad for the policy because the boob-squashing machine is uncomfortable enough without adding hormone and milk soreness to the equation.

I also complained to him about the sort of extreme PMS depression I've been getting since Alex was weaned. He said it was a possible side effect of the brand of IUD he gave me, though rare (he's only had one other patient complain about it in the last five years), or it might be an actual hormonal shift in my body as the result of aging and/or completion of the pregnancy/nursing stage. Given the timing of things, he can't really be sure which it is, and the only way to find out for sure would be to remove the IUD.

So he had two options for me to try before we pull the IUD and see whether that's the cause. The first is a homeopathic vitamin supplement that's slanted directly at controlling PMS symptoms. It's supposed to have about an 80-85% success rate; the reviews I found for it online back that up. So I'll order a bottle of that and give it a try for a few months. If that doesn't work, he'll write me a prescription for Prozac to take only on those down days. And if that doesn't work, we'll look into pulling the IUD and/or getting into hormone therapy. Everyone think happy thoughts about the vitamins for me, 'kay?

Anyway, I'd barely made it back to the office and was muttering under my breath in anticipation of the 3-hour meeting on my schedule when Alex's daycare called to tell us that he had a low-grade fever and was throwing up all over the place, and could we please come get him?

Matt went and picked him up. As advertised, low-grade fever. Alex didn't actually throw up while Matt had him, but he had zero appetite. Also, diarrhea and he was yanking viciously on his right ear (thank goodness; Alex actually responds to discomfort in his ears, so we can catch ear infections before they spread into his sinus cavity). So Matt took him to the doctor. The pediatrician ran various tests (completely infuriating Alex by taking various samples) and declared that Alex didn't have an ear infection and he didn't have the flu, so it's probably just some random GI virus that we'll have to wait out. Matt got the usual vomiting/diarrhea dehydration prevention lecture, and a prescription for an antibiotic in case Alex is still yanking on his ear once the fever recedes, and a recommendation for an over the counter decongestant if we thought he needed it.

(The good news with the bug is that it seems to be knocking Alex right out; he's slept probably 18 of the last 24 hours. And one of the hours he was awake was because I went into his room after dinner last night and woke him up so he could get some liquids into his system. He was in a pretty good mood -- toddled around happily for a while and watched Penny play bowling on the Wii -- but eventually just wanted to be held, and not long after that, started drifting off again.)

So Matt's home with Alex this morning (I had to come in to work for a software delivery) and I'll go home around 12 or 12:30 and take over so Matt can go to work this afternoon. I called my parents earlier, and one of them will come up to pick Penny up from school. Tomorrow, Matt has an all-day meeting at work that he really shouldn't miss, so I'll be staying home. Which means I need to remember to bring my work computer home with me so I can try to get at least some work done while Alex is napping.

You know, I'd been pondering trying to take a few days off in March or April -- one to do some spring-cleaning, and a couple to just relax. Guess we'll see what this does to my vacation bank.