360 Degrees of Self Care

For reasons beyond my control, I have not had quality health insurance for the last year or so.  I've now had insurance since April 1 and have been using it to the maximum extent possible.  The day my insurance cards came in the mail, I spent an hour researching doctor's office and making appointments - the podiatrist, the lady doctor, the dermatologist and a general practitioner.  I'm also in the market for an allergist and some class of mental health professional.

You don't quite appreciate a visit to the doctor until you've been unable to take one.  I've had very good insurance for essentially my entire life.  It literally cost me less than $500 to have my son - complete prenatal care and a c-section delivery.  Since Myki was born, while I had that wonderful insurance, I didn't necessarily have funds for a copay or time to make doctor's appointments, never mind actually going.  I absolutely took my access to care for granted.

This morning, I anxiously went to the gynecologist   I'm one of those people who is totally unnerved by a gyno appointment.  I've been known to cry and I definitely need to be told over and over to relax and "let your knees fall to the side."  I took off my big girl panties (Ha!) and got through it.  As a new patient, we ran through my entire medical history, a sobering conversation.  I recounted my family history of diabetes, remembered a thyroid removal surgery that brought my mom within an inch of her life, and enumerated all of the grandparents, aunts and uncles who died of some form of cancer, usually not found until it was late stage.

I'd never been so relieved to see the doctor, especially this kind of doctor.  But going through a less than positive family medical history made me appreciate my current health insurance that much more.  My dialogue around self-care has been centered around the hair salon, the nail salon, an esthetician (fancy name for waxing) and the occasional massage.  But the reality is that self-care includes the discomfort and inconvenience of medical appointments and preventative care.

It's probably against blogger etiquette to cite a blog that cites another blog, but I'm still learning, so bear with me.  I read a great post a few weeks ago on a mother's self-care:  "Avoiding the Doctor Won't Keep You Healthy."  Blogger Tara Jefferson said it took her three years to make an Ob/Gyn appointment and cited Meagan Francis, Founder of The Happiest Home:

But while bubble baths, massages, and manicures are wonderful things, they’re no substitute for taking real care of our health. And that can involve messy, uncomfortable, inconvenient, and un-pampering processes like screenings, blood tests, mole removals and mammograms.

No, those things don’t make for cute Instagrams or a fun girl’s nights out. But they are vitally important and we owe it to ourselves to make sure that “self care” includes the uncomfortable, un-fun stuff along with scented lotions and facials.