Remember how I went to the doctor a little over a week ago? Well, since I hadn't been to one in a really long time, he did some basic tests. I am chunky, after all, so a cholesterol and blood sugar were in order. And he has a thing for Vitamin D, so he tested that too. Other stuff too, but not relevant to this.

So, I got the results back this weekend. Turns out I'm a time bomb. No, really. Well, not really, but that's how I feel. I asked my Dad who is on Lipitor how high his cholesterol was when his doctor put him on it. It was lower than mine is. By like 15 points. It's a miracle my blood still flows at all. And the blood sugar? Not bad enough for me to have to start shooting myself up, but bad enough to be pre-track-marks girl.

OMG! OMG! OMG!

I mean, I know I live on junk. Green items in my fridge tend to turn to unidentifiable mush before they could turn into dinner. I hit the drive-thru A LOT, but usually in the interest of time savings (eat while driving, not have to clean kitchen) than because I actually like the stuff. I am not a grease junkie, I am a convenience junkie. There is a difference! And then you get your lab results back.

OMG! OMG! OMG!

And I know that I have more strength and endurance than people a lot younger than me. I may get sore and tired, but I don't let it stop me from doing anything I want to do. I'd rather move than sit any day - that is, until this knitting thing came along. But I wouldn't call my activity "regular exercise" by any means.

So, some menu and activity revamps are in order. (Really? Ya think????) Breakfast will no longer be skipped, and will consist of oatmeal. Walks will be taken every other day. No more drive-thru food. (That one isn't so hard with the broken window.) Therefore, I will be making and packing my lunches. This part will be fun. Really. You'll find out.... And no more soda, diet or otherwise, free or otherwise. 3 cups of green tea a day.

That sounds pretty doable, right? I mean, I can honestly say I don't care how long I live, as long as it's a good life. But sticking myself with needles, or having to shop in one of those little motorized chairs? No thanks.

(Is doable a word?)

Anyway, there's one more:

OMG! OMG! OMG!

That little Vitamin D test that I thought nothing of? Well, it's a miracle I don't have rickets. Normal is 20 - 100. Mine was a 7. I think only vampires have a level that low. So now I'm on prescription Vitamin D, which I'm nervous about, because Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin and can build up in your system to toxic levels if you take too much. (If you didn't know, A D E and K are fat soluble, B and C are water soluble. Water soluble vitamins don't hang out in your system and it's really hard to get too much. That's why you can take all the Vitamin C you want when you're sick and it won't hurt you.)

So, the point of all this personal information that you don't need is to tell you that if you think you're doing OK, you might not be. If you don't have a regular doctor and you have insurance, get one. Ask him to test your Vitamin D if he doesn't mention it. Many of us live in our homes and office buildings and only see sunlight in the parking lot. And if we're only eating junk... well ... it's fixable, but only when we know what has to be fixed.

This concludes my public service announcement. Carry on.