Today I visited my local GP for what I intended to be a quick check up.
It is a requirement of my
Global Discipleship Training application to have a medical certificate stating I am fit to travel overseas to potentially highly polluted areas.
So, I made the appointment and headed off to the surgery feeling pretty confident, seeing as though I had already gone through this procedure last year when I was thinking of applying.
Little did I know that being examined by a different doctor would mean different tests to last time. It didn't go as smoothly as I had anticipated.
My blood pressure was taken and was much higher than my last visit. The doctor thought it may have been because I was nervous, so he waited a little longer before testing me again.
Much better result second time around.
He had a listen to my heart and lungs through his stethoscope while we discussed my medical history. No big dramas, I had mild asthma as a young child but that soon cleared up after moving from Sydney to here. Few broken bones, couple of operations, but all in all I'm doin pretty good.
The doc wasn't satisfied with just using the stethoscope because he said he wanted to be completely sure I would withstand heavily polluted areas and this would mostly effect my respiratory system more than anything else.
So out came a little black box with a short length of white tube attatched to the front of it.
I didn't like the look of it the second I saw it....I knew what I'd have to do and wasn't feeling too confident.
But, doctors orders, I went along with it. He explained that I needed to take a deep breathe in then expel as much air as I possibly could, whilst having my mouth over the tube.
Let me tell you, it aint easy!!
I obviously disappointed him because he had to keep explaining the procedure to me, all the while I was trying to tell him I honest to goodness didn't have a whole lot of air to expel and was doing the best I could.
But he showed me the reading on the little screen to assure me he wasn't just being picky, but that he was trying to help me get an accurate reading.
This stupid little screen on the box read "too weak". Stupid ass machine.
I swear I was doing the best I could, just I couldn't keep blowing out air that wasn't there, especially through a tube that made my mouth stretch out around it.
Think about it....it's easy to blow out air with force when it's through a smaller 'hole', but once you open your mouth, the force is significantly affected.
I was getting frustrated and came SO close to tears when my doctor said "if you don't pass this test I can not sign a statement saying you are fit to travel. You need to pass this test to get to Townsville"
Here was my dream that I've wanted for so long, being reduced down to one small little black box. One little lung capacity measurement could mean the difference between going or not.
But, after what seemed like forever I gave a satisfactory reading and gained my medical certificate.
So...I am one step closer to getting to Townsville. =)
And to end on another high note...turns out I've grown 2cm since my last visit!!
Things are defintitely looking 'up' for Miss B ;-) hehe
P.S - you won't believe my doctors orders following my examination today......
"practice your breathing".
haha!! Seriously, I have been told to learn how to breathe properly, cause apparently I'm not using my lungs the way they're intended to be used.
Maybe I should invest in some of those "blonde headphones"....
