What I want from my Doctor

I’m almost seventy, and at this point in my life I know exactly who I am and how I live. I keep my weight down. I fast twenty hours a day — every day. I stay active. I move. I work. I get on the stairmaster and go a solid thirty, forty minutes without sucking wind. That ain’t “good for my age.” That’s just good, period.

I never smoked. I never drank. Not once. Not a beer, not a shot, not a glass of wine at a wedding. Nothing. My HDL is high, my triglycerides are low, my A1c is clean, my blood pressure’s solid, and I’ve got Gilbert’s syndrome which gives me a little bonus protection. My lifestyle and my numbers line up — they tell the same story.

And yeah — my LDL is high. Okay. I’m not pretending it isn’t. But one number doesn’t cancel out decades of taking care of myself. It’s one piece of the puzzle, not the whole damn picture. And when you look at the whole picture — the way I live, the way I eat, the way I move, the way my body performs — my overall risk factor is low. That’s not me guessing. That’s just reality. I’m not a lab sheet. I’m a whole person.

So when I go to the doctor, I’m not looking for a lecture. I’m not looking for scare tactics. And I’m sure as hell not looking for that line — you know the one — “People like you can drop dead suddenly.” Yeah? People like anyone can. That’s life. But don’t throw that at me like it’s some magic spell that’s gonna make me nod and say, “Okay doc, whatever you say.”

What I want from my doctor is simple: look at the whole person before you start talking prescriptions. Don’t grab one number on a lab sheet and act like it’s the whole story. Don’t ignore the fact that I’ve been taking care of myself for decades. Don’t talk to me like I’m a problem you need to fix.

I’m not asking you to tell me not to take a statin. I’m asking you to understand why I’m choosing not to — at least right now. I want a conversation, not a guilt trip. I want a doctor who listens first, talks second, and respects that I’ve earned the right to have a say in my own health.

Yeah, I need a primary doctor at my age. I’m not pretending I don’t. But I don’t want to walk into the office already bracing for a hassle. I don’t want to feel like I’m gearing up for a fight every time I sit on that paper‑covered table. I want a doctor who gets that health isn’t just numbers — it’s habits, history, lifestyle, mindset, and lived experience.

I’ve put in the work. I’m not ignoring my health. I’m managing it in a way that works for me. All I want from my doctor is respect for that — and a partnership built on understanding, not fear.