Saturday, February 14, 2009

And this concludes our mini-series

My last visit with Dr. R.T.
R.T. - You know, the strangest thing has happened since you gave me a CD of music. Now all of a sudden, several of my patients have brought me music.
Me - Maybe because you tell everybody what is new in your life this very minute?
R.T. - (bewildered) huh?
Me - (thinking - how many times has this guy told me he has ADHD).
Me - speaking - well that sounds cool, I'm glad they think of you.

We move on to real business.

R.T. Yesterday an article came out that says it isn't worth it for women to do self-exams. Hogwash. I've known too many women who found their cancer that way. Don't stop doing them. Now, I tell all my patients to do their self exams on the 21st of every month. That's because Dec. 21st is Frank Zappa's birthday, which everyone knows. So it is very easy to remember.

I kid you not.

Time machine leap here.
Friday the 13th, Feb. 2009. Not that I'm the suspicious type but, not exactly a reassuring date either.

I go in for my first mammogram since treatment. I am a 3 on a scale of 1 to 5. 3 means tissue that doesn't look like normal breast tissue but is most likely just fibrous tissue as a result of the surgery. He asks me if the area has been changing. Nope. Nope is good. He tells me I'm fine and come back in six months or so.

My next appointment? Sept. 11th.
And no, none of this is made up.

I will not end with a statistics lecture on cancer or warning signs. There are ten million websites for that. I will end with thank you for listening, and your friendship. Take care and remember to live each day to it's fullest. Don't have a near life experience. Have a life.

Happy Valentines Day all

1 comment:

  1. No news is good news!! I'm glad all is well (or at least, ok).

    I, too, try hard not to be superstitious but its hard when you're late to every class on Friday the 13th. I think my Mono "the kissing disease" diagnosis on Valentines day beats your Sept 11th check up, but this is coming from a New Yorker who associates 9 11 as a day of rememberence and a crappy day to have a birthday on (I have 3 friends born on 9 11 and they haven't had a happy one since) BUT not a day for cancer-related bad news. So by my superstious standards, you're in the clear!

    PS. I read that "21st of the month" statement to my sister and she thinks that its the craziest thing she's ever heard. And she also doesn't know who Frank Zappa is. I told her to wikipedia him I was too tired. :D

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