Doctor, Steal Thyself III
As in "steal yourself to go to the doctor," not "Doctor, steal something!" this time. I just got back from the Massachusetts General Hospital's downtown office, where I had my first physical in, um, about seven years. Since going to college, I've not really had a doctor to call my own, and I might have found him. We did the whole nine yards: family history, pre-existing conditions, blood pressure (120/80), temperature, ear check, eye check, hearing check -- a cool test where he put a tuning fork against my forehead and behind my ear to see how my skull conducted sound (I'm a little worried about hearing because of all the shows I go to) -- turn and cough, and a blood test for diabetes and cholesterol.

Because it's been so long since I've gone to a doctor, I was slightly concerned that my slight nervousness would result in a racing pulse or problems while drawing blood, but no worries. In fact, the blood test was pretty cool. They have these little butterfly needles now that slide right in -- no puncture pressure, no pinching -- and it took no time at all to draw the vials of blood they needed for the tests. I walked back to the office with a bit of gauze and a Band-Aid on my vein and treated myself to a Mrs. Field's semisweet chocolate chip cookie and carton of skim milk on my way as a reward for a job well done.

Back on the healthcare track!