Always listen to your mother.

My mom & I have a great relationship and we're very close...but sometimes I do accuse my mom of doing things like nagging me. And sometimes my accusations are completely founded...but there have been other times when I might have felt like she was nagging me, but really, she was just loving me and she was totally right.

*stepping up on my soapbox now*

When was the last time you had your blood pressure checked? Been to the dermatologist for a skin cancer screen? Done a self-check exam of your breasts?

Where does my mom come into all of this? She nagged (I mean, strongly urged) me to look into the problems I have listed above.

My mom is a nurse and she randomly checked my blood pressure one day about 7 years ago and it was a bit high. She checked it again a few weeks later, same thing. She then kept on me until I made a doctor's appointment to get it checked out...and I was diagnosed with hypertension and have been controlling it with medication ever since then. Had she not checked it for me and then kept on me to get it checked out, I would have walked around with that condition, probably for years.

The dermatologist part, I'm proud to say, I did all on my own, no nagging from my mom needed :) That being said, I'm now about to nag you....get yourself to a dermatologist!!! Want to see proof why? Ask me sometime to see the scar from the huge chunk of skin that was removed from my back. And clearly, I am not a tanned goddess who can blame years and years of basking in the sun for any problems. I now go once a year for check ups and I take it upon myself to nag/urge everyone I know to do the same. That means YOU!

Would you ever expect to find a lump in your breast at age 25? Probably not. But I did...and I did get it checked out. The doctor sent me for an ultrasound, which did show a lump, but they were not concerned and said it was probably just some fatty tissue. However, there's a family history of lumps so my mom urged me to go to a specialist. At first, I didn't see the point....I mean, someone already looked at the test, all was well, right? I gave in and went to the specialist and (long story short) did end up having to have surgery because it was a tumor. It ended up being benign, thank God. BUT-again, would I have gone to the specialist on my own? Of course not. I won't offer to show you the scar from that procedure, but take my word for it...it's not cute.

Obviously, I'm not a doctor and I certainly don't claim to be an expert....but I can claim to have a wonderful mom who keeps on me to take care of myself. So this is me, nagging you, my loyal readers (ha, that sounds funny to say, like you're all in my cult) to listen to your mother and to me and make sure you stay healthy! (Thanks, mom.) :-)