I may have Bad Blood, but at least I'm the Lead Dog

Apparently the composition of my blood is less than stellar.

It could be worse.  It could be very very sick blood, and since I have a friend right now with very very sick blood, I feel blessed that it doesn't appear, at this point, to be that sick.  But it's not good, either. In short, it needs to get better or I can kiss any hard training in the near future good-bye.

During my rest time each year I always make sure to get my yearly physical.  At this year's physical I felt things went relatively well. My pap and mammogram were clear. My blood pressure was low/normal. My colon appears to be in good shape. My weight is fine. I measured at very nearly 5'3" (did I grow taller during pregnancy? I mush have!) All good.

All good until the lab results on my blood came back.

My white blood cell count--very low.
My red blood cell count--very low.
My cholesterol--borderline/high
 (low HDL and high triglycerides. LDL was okay though... so there's that....)
My blood sugar--borderline/high

My doctor had me in to talk about the results. Actually, she really had me into so she could calm me down. I was kind of FREAKED OUT when I got the results.
My doctor is pretty chill, and she is funny, and she has known me since I was 22. She knew exactly what I would say when I came in:

But I'm like in uber shape! I eat well! I take vitamins and iron! I whined. My blood should be perfecto!

Mary, she said in her Indian accent, you are in great shape, and you are fine. You are FINE! We will re-test in a few weeks. We need to see those White Blood cells go up in their count, but I believe it will be fine. If the number does not go up when we re-test, then we will talk about what's next. 


Then she cracked a few jokes and asked me when I was going to get that really ugly  (but not irregular) mole removed from my inner thigh. 


I peppered her with more questions about my blood. I mentioned I'd had a bad virus the week before the blood was taken. Could that be the problem?

Well, of course! she said. That is likely the problem. You have been run down from all that triathlon stuff you do, and then you got sick, and of course your blood is all off! You rest and it will be all better in a few weeks. You cannot worry about it right now.

Then she changed the subject back to the mole. Let's just get rid of that thing. It is just so ugly, Mary. And then, Did I tell you Mindy bought a house? She wanted to move near to the ocean, and I said, No, Mindy! The ocean is tooo tooo sad. It calls to you!  (Mindy is her daughter--the writer for The Office--remember? I love Mindy stories and Dr. C. knows it.)

But what about the cholesterol! What about the blood sugar! I continued on, undeterred.


Argh, Mary. They are not too high. They are within normal ranges. Are they the center of each range? No, Mary. But they are not high. When your cholesterol is over 200 and your blood sugar is over 100, then we can talk about that. You are fine. We will test in a few weeks again and the sugar will be better. Your cholesterol has always been high. You know that. It is genetic. 
Anyway,
And so then Mindy said she wanted to live in the mountains, and I said, Mindy! Do you remember that big mud slide they had in California that took out all those beautiful homes? You cannot move to the mountains! So now she is buying a house on the flat land....


So I'm trying not to worry. I get re-tested in a week, and we'll see what happens. Until then, I'm not really working out. "Not really" is an operative term, of course. I am working out. Just not hard. Or for very long.


(Note: She took the "very ugly" mole off last Friday. Mole removal is just no fun... I tell you. Just one more hallmark of getting OLD, and that needle they use to anesthetize the area hurts like a MOTHER going in--especially in the inner thigh! But it's all gone now, replaced by three neat stitches.)

So what have I been doing instead of working out long or hard?

I've been working at being the Leader of the Pack to my puppies.
I am the Top Dog. The Alpha. I am Calm Assertive. I Rule the School.

Or at least, that is what I'm shooting for. You may recognize those terms as Cesar's Way, the Cesar of dog show fame. I have never seen his show, but I have recently read his book. Cesar believes in treating dogs as dogs--and understanding that they are dogs and not humans clothed in dog fur. This means recognizing that they think in terms of pack mentality, and if you are not the pack leader they will basically rule your life and also become totally neurotic, because they will see themselves as the leader instead of you.

It's fun to work with my puppies, and we are making progress. They don't jump on me. I can give them a look and they sit. They come when I call. They obediently go into their crate when I ask them to. The one problem I have is that they insist on trying to walk in front of me when we go on walks... That has to be fixed.

But enough on dogs. I've been thinking how I need to be Lead Dog--like in my life.

I'm not just talking about being Lead Dog with my kids, or with Andy (snicker). I mean, I need to be Lead Dog--with me--like in me.

That is harder than just being Lead Dog to your puppies, or to your kids, or at your job or in your marriage. I don't think I will be a fully realized person until I figure out how to do be Lead Dog with me--and in me. It is, I think, my life-long task.

(This is Ernie's rendition of being Lead Dog. We affectionately labeled this photo, Hazel is my Bitch! Unfortunately for Ernie, he is actually third in line in pack-ville after me and Hazel, and he knows it.)