Love yourself
I shared this picture of my workspace before Canvas went live in February. A lot has changed. There’s more inspiration on my smash board. Three binders instead of one. My favorite red pen etched out it’s last bloody ink and I’ve yet to find one that I like quite as much. And four paperbacks now sit under that picture of Marc and I.
On thing that hasn’t changed though is the subtle message I tried leaving for you. In July of 2015, at 40 years old, I had my first (and hopefully my last) breast surgery. I have six month mammography rechecks and have lost count of the number of times my right boob has had a selfie. (Okay, the tech actually takes the images, but I'm an old pro at the "hold still, stop breathing, 3..2..1.. breathe" routine.) Murphy’s Law being what it is, the specialist always finds an anomaly to extend out another six months. I go again this week.
While I’ve done this enough times that I’m more at ease, it still sucks. There is always a moment that I think is this the time I hear the worst? I wonder what happens to my Puckwudgies. I worry about the stress that it puts on my marriage. I hope you never see your husband/significant other devastated because they are helpless to make anything better for you. Never, ever, discount what these trials are like on your spouse.
But the one thing that can make a difference is early detection.
During my last very real freakout this summer my surgeon said to me that it’s not necessarily the diligent patients that cycle through the office for rechecks—the ones who have statistics are on their side, but caution creates undue angst in—that wind up with an unfortunate prognosis. It’s the women who wait.
If you’ve haven’t had a mammogram, it is no worse than having x-rays taken at the dentist office. The upside is that you don’t gag on sharp plastic.
Nervous about your baseline mammogram? Start here at the Society of Breast Imaging's Blog:
Got a call back? You're in good company (Well, at least I think I'm good company!) This will give you some good stats and a place to start the convo wih your specialist/surgeon.
Please don’t wait. If your nervous I’ll talk to you!
Thanks for reading!
