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“All done?” he asked when the doctor turned back to his computer. The prostate exam was pretty much the final straw in his mind, but he knew it was coming too.
“Yes,” Dr. Mason said. “Why don’t you get dressed and I’ll finish my notes and we can talk.”
Which sounded more serious than he figured it’d be.
He got off the gurney bed and grabbed his jeans first to pull them on, then his shirt, socks and shoes and sat back down, feeling more comfortable now that he was dressed.
“I know my blood pressure is high,” he said. “Or higher than it should be.”
“It is,” Dr. Mason said. “You’re in good shape. Your weight and BMI are perfect. I know you’re getting exercise because I can see you’ve got muscle tone and aren’t just skinny.”
He laughed. “I work out five days a week.” It was something he’d always done. More so because all he did was sit behind a desk and his body got stiff and sore. Once a day he’d get on a treadmill, the other time he’d lift weights.
He was lucky there was a gym at work so he could do one there and the other at the gym in his apartment complex.
He’d bought a treadmill and weights a few weeks ago and set that up in the finished basement to get back on track.
“That’s good. Your cholesterol is very high for your age.”
“What?” he asked. “It is?”
“It’s over three hundred. Do you cook? How is your nutrition? Considering you are in good physical condition, some have hereditary high cholesterol and there is medication for that.”
“I’ll admit my diet isn’t the best. I work a lot. I’m not much of a cook so my meals are normally sandwiches or premade things. Takeout. I don’t do fast food though.”
“Takeout is still high in fat and sodium most times. Your cholesterol could be contributing to your blood pressure also, but you said you work a lot. How much is a lot? Is your job stressful?”
“It’s not stressful. Not anymore. My last job was. I made a change for a number of reasons. The move tired me out.”
“So you’re tired too,” Dr. Mason said, typing into his notes.
“Just a lot of changes going on in my life. Did you find anything else in my blood work?” he asked. Might as well get to the bottom of this and see if there was anything major going on.
“I’m sure that all played a part. Do you know if there is a history of high blood pressure or cholesterol in your family? It was blank on your paperwork.”
Now he was wishing that he went to another doctor’s office that didn’t have him get his blood work prior so they could go over it in person. He would have preferred a phone call.
“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s not anything I’ve heard my parents talking about.”
He didn’t think they’d tell him those things and he wouldn’t think to ask. Just like he wasn’t going to mention it to his mother either about this visit. She’d want to know why he was asking and then he’d get the dreaded lecture about not taking care of himself.
“Everything else is within normal range,” Dr. Mason said. “But we need to address these two issues. Normally if someone isn’t in as good of shape as you, I’d give two recommendations. Lifestyle changes. Diet and exercise. Or the second is medication.”
“I’d like to do the diet and exercise,” he said, “before medication.”
He wasn’t keen on taking a pill and didn’t think he should have to.
“It does sound as if your diet is the culprit, but we won’t know for sure. Your blood pressure is high but not as concerning at this point. You’re saying you just moved and started a new job. Those could be factors.”
“I’m sure they are. I’m not working as much. I’ve gained some weight back.”
“You’d lost weight?”
Damn it. He’d never been one that was this loose with his lips before. “As I said, I was working a lot and ate when I could.”
“Or you forgot to eat?” Dr. Mason asked.
“It’s happened in the past but not lately. I’d like to think I’m eating better. My sister is keeping me supplied. She dropped off a casserole of mac and cheese the other day and a big pan of brownies.”
