60 Before 60 Project: #19 - Get My Blood Work Done

I can’t believe that I added Get My Blook Work Done to my 60 Before 60 Project List. 

I really questioned whether I would share this as it seemed more like a “to do list” thing rather than an experience. But when I mentioned it to a couple of friends that I was delinquent on my blood tests, I found out that I wasn’t the only one lagging in this area. Over the course of the pandemic, it seems many people wanted to stay away from medical labs and pushed these types of tests out. 

It’s not like getting blood tests are that difficult to do.  

I had the requisition from my Doctor and just had to book an appointment at the lab and go. No big deal. But for some reason, I just didn’t seem to make it a priority and I was quickly moving past 18 months since my last set of blood tests. 

I was also starting to feel a bit like a hypocrite. I often write about the benefits of managing your own health and focusing on preventing disease before it becomes an issue.  

Getting regular blood work done can really help us do this. 

Blood tests can help identify risk factors for potential health problems and allow for early intervention and treatment. They can provide an overall picture of your health including your vitamin and mineral levels, cholesterol and glucose levels as well as a view to how your kidneys and liver are functioning. They can also detect diseases or potential infections. 

If you’re undergoing any type of treatment, they also can be used to monitor how effective the treatment is working. 

Also getting your blood work done regularly can establish a baseline for future reference and allow for early detection of changes in health. 

So with all these benefits, why was I so reluctant to get it done? 

I gave this some thought and think I may have been falling into a bit of an ostrich syndrome and putting my head in the sand. In some warped way, I thought that maybe by not knowing, I wouldn’t have to change my lifestyle or be concerned about anything. 

But as I thought through this, not only was I putting myself at risk, I was also being disrespectful to those around me. By not taking preventive actions, this could not only impact my life, but also those I care about should I ever have a heart attack, stroke or even worst-case die.  With that in mind. I scheduled my appointment and got my blood work done. 

As it turns out everything was fine, and my doctor and I are just keeping an eye on one indicator.  

So for this 60 Before 60 experience, even though I'm hoping it's the most unglamourous activity I undertake, if it served as a reminder for you to get your blood work done – then at least it was a good one to do. 

My 60 Before 60 Lesson: Knowledge helps power prevention.  

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