I can’t remember the last time I had a physical. I haven’t been to the dentist in a year. A week ago, I fainted and ended up banging myself up a bit. Afterward, I had a lingering headache. No time to go to the doctor, I self-diagnosed dehydration and have been trying to drink more water.
Sound familiar? On paper, the above confessions read like I don’t take care of myself. In practice, they read like I’m a mom. Really, who has time to make the appointment, let alone carve out the time to gather necessary paperwork, arrange for time off and/or child care, and sit in a waiting room for who knows how long? We make time to do that for our kids. But that’s a necessity, right?
Well, The Department of Health and Human Services is trying to convince us that our health is a priority too. This week, it marks National Women’s Health Week.
This year’s theme is “It’s Your Time” and the department has partnered with organizations all over the country to offer free screenings and other events to encourage women to take better care of themselves.
Area events include screenings at many federal offices through the week and health fairs on the 14th at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring and at Inova Loudoun Hospital.
The NWHW Web site is filled with helpful advice about simple ways to stay healthy. It’s also got a great page of resources with links to fact sheets and guides. There’s also a Facebook page where women can share their health tips. Just reading it is motivating me into making an appointment. How about you?