Physicals and Keith

Keith hasn't had a regular family doctor since we moved to BC 21 years ago as he never gets sick. If he has something that needed attention once every couple of years he would just go to the walk in clinic. When he turned 50 I dragged him kicking and screaming for a physical (last one was when he was 44!)and he was told he had really high Blood Pressure and Cholesterol. That was when I had just recently started working on my weight loss. Together we started working with Dr. Phil's Ultimate Weight Loss Solution. He did so well for 6 whole months. Never touch a single piece of fast food, no chips or snacks from the stores, no pop...nothing..just very healthy eating. Lost his belly weight and his numbers on his lab work went down.

Then we went back home for a vacation and car pooled with our daughter and her family. Well the kids were eating snacks etc in the van and at meal times we would go through the drive thru's to save time. Just the smell of McD in the van and the smell of chips when someone opened a bag was just too much so he would have a couple here and there. By the time he got back home 6 months of hard work went out the window!

I still kept an eye on his eating while he was at home but the outside world is a nasty place. It seemed every contract he was on was next to or across the street or down the block from a McD's....Then 2 years ago I noticed he was drinking lots of water and falling asleep at the drop of a hat so dragged him to the clinic where he was told he was pre-diabetic and that his BP and cholesterol levels were all back again where they had been.. literally just at the fine line. He was told to get the weight down and his numbers or else he would have to start being medicated.

This really scared me. I need him alive. I would not survive without him. He is my whole life and no one ever could ever take care of me like he does. I did all I could to support him and did what I could short of nagging the poor man to death. We were at my doctor earlier this year for my visit and I happen to ask if she knew a doctor that took new patients as Keith did not have one, explained that he had high BP, cholesterol levels and was pre-diabetic but every time he went to the clinic for testing it was always someone new. I knew she did not take on new patients but she said seeing as how he was always there with me for my appointments she would take him on. She sent him for a new update on lab work she had something to use as a base and yesterday she did his physical.

So the new results were excelling Blood pressure (used to be 195/100 and was now 134/68), and excellent cholesterol (also used to be very high) just now has to work on his blood sugars.. so I was very pleased with the visit. The doctor wanted to know how he had gotten both down so well in so short a time and I answered for him that it was through my loving nagging :) She wanted to send him for a stress test because of his chest pains he gets periodically but until they get his knee fixed it will have to wait but was going to send him for XRAYS and ECG. He said "You're the boss and I know that I trust you so will do what you ask", THEN (and I laugh so lovingly about this !!)she also said NO MORE FAST FOOD! She flat out told him it was poison. I LOVED IT!!

She said her children were raised with the belief that fast food is poison and that they have never had so much as a french fry or burger from any of the normal hangouts. Keith figured I had coached her to tell him that. So all the way home he kept saying "and what did she say about my BP and Cholesterol? I was in EXCELLENT health" lol And I would say "She said it was POISON!!"

Will have to keep you posted on how he is doing.

Brothers and Sisters

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my mother. Tonight I have been thinking about my brothers and their families. I love my brothers. They are always there for me, always checking up on me, never say no to me, always bend over backwards to help me...I could go on and on about them.

As you all know my mom turned 80 a couple of weeks ago and we had planned this big surprise party for her. They turned their lives upside down to go down and help me get things ready. My oldest brother, who is a die hard fan of jeans and tshirts even blew my mind by showing up in dress clothes and a shirt and tie!! He taught me to ride a bike, tie my shoes, taught me how to skate, and how to play ball like a boy

I had made a dvd of mom's life (my first attempt at an actual dvd not just a video) and my youngest brother just helped me set it up with my laptop and projector. Although I am sure he rolled his eyes inside his head he was just very patient at helping me set it up and fix it when I freaked thinking I had lost it.

One of my brothers just quietly took over the kitchen at the hall getting brunch going for everyone. I watched my two youngest brothers playing with their young children, making a puzzle, reading stories..made me smile inside and out. They have been blessed with wives who are strong independent women (sound familiar?). My oldest brother's wife Leanne...well I have known her almost as long as I have been alive. She used to be my babysitter when my children were not much more then babies so we have been friends forever. We never run out of things to talk about..usually about our husbands and how although they may be getting older they refuse to grow up.

My next brother's wife Hilary is a gem straight from England. She rides a motorcycle in leathers and whacks Keith when she thinks he is bugging me too much :-) How can you NOT love someone like that.

My next brother's wife has turned my brother around for the good. Together they purchased the cabin at the lake where my parents had built the site from scratch. When my dad died, mom had to sell it. Years later the new owner wanted to sell it and asked my mom if anyone in the family wanted to take it back and this brother and sister in law did. They'll never know the peace and comfort that gave me.

My youngest brother's wife is an OR nurse. Last couple of years every time I went in for surgery I would be in the OR trying not to hyperventilate at the thought of not waking up and I would just tell the OR nurses there that if I didn't wake up my sister in law would come and kick their butts. That always broke the ice and it must have worked because I always woke up. She was the one that told me she thought I had Lyme's Disease and when I went to get tested sure enough I tested positive.

Together they make the world's best brothers and sisters. My brothers protect me and I love my sisters in laws as if they were truly my sisters. And the best part??? They don't care how many hugs and smooches I give them nor how many times I tell them I love them :)

In this picture my brothers are as follows top row: Richard (2nd youngest) Norman (youngest) Daniel(brother next youngest to me), bottom row Claude (oldest brother), my mom and me of course.



This picture is of my oldest brother Claude on the left and Dan on the right



This picture was taken at my reunion last summer with nearly everyone


This one is of my youngest brother's wife Andrea with one of my great nieces (Great in more then one way hehee) and one of my nieces.