Nervous Nellie!

Anxiously sitting in the well worn waiting room I reflect back on my early memories of doctor exams.
Admittedly, I was not the poster child of courage when it came to yearly school physicals. I was the crying child, running hysterically in circles around the pediatrician's waiting room, flailing my arms in the air, chased down by my mother, with the assistance of two winded nurses. Afflicted with an overly active imagination I was sure some heinous medical experiment was going to be performed. This went on for years, until lollipops and other forms of bribery replaced my fears.

As an adult I have willingly scheduled my yearly appointments with little concern; until now. In my fifties there is more to worry about than last year's weight. Your cholesterol numbers, broken down into HDL and LDL, blood pressure readings, followed by EKG results, mammograms and pap smears. There are now bone density tests and terms thrown at you, like osteopenia. You notice that your morning vitamin pile has grown and that you will do anything if someone will come up with another way to have your colon examined. But, with age comes experience and the overwhelming desire to hear four little words uttered from your physician's mouth. "See you next year." It beats a shiny red lollipop anytime.