Annual Breast Exam

This morning I had my yearly mammogram.  Yes, I am that old; also, with breast cancer on both sides of my family, it is just the wise thing to do.

It is not the fun thing to do, however. 

When I called for my appointment I asked for the earliest appointment they could find for me.  Therefore, I was the first appointment of the day.  I'm glad, because that gave me very little time to sit and wait and worry about it.

Mammograms are not fun, but in my experience they aren't all as bad as everyone makes them out to be.  In my experience, some of them are as awful as everyone makes them out to be.

Today's photo session was seriously great.  The technician was awesome.  It still hurt, don't get me wrong.  But she was careful and kind and thoughtful and helpful.  Best. mammogram. ever.

Three more words I never thought I'd say together!

***

P.S.  Breast cancer is ugly.  It is invasive.  It is a killer.  Please, please, please...do your monthly self-breast exams (celebratory grope) and as soon as the doctor tells you it is time, get your annual mammogram!

Along Abbey Road

My beautiful, amazing, talented cousin and blog-friend is selling some beautiful jewelry this month, in honor of breast cancer awareness month.  You can see the button to the right--isn't it cute?

As you know, my mother is a breast cancer survivor.  I also have an aunt who is currently undergoing radiation in her tooth-and-nail fight against this terrible disease.

Please consider visiting Along Abbey Road and purchasing one of these adorable necklaces.  Not only will you be hooked by Abbey's charming style and wit, you will also be benefitting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.  Plus, you'll have an adorable, meaningful piece of jewelry for yourself and/or a friend.

In addition, make sure you're doing your monthly self-exams, dear lady friends.  With early detection, breast cancer is curable in 99% of the cases.

Happy Breast Cancer Awareness month!

Happy Mother's Day Weekend!

Ashtyn, Lo, and I made a fast trip to Sacramento this weekend, thanks to the generosity of Tiff and Daddy.  We arrived on Friday afternoon, and surprised my mom.

This is my sister, my SIL, my mom, me, and our daughter on Saturday morning.  We are all dressed up and ready to go to the Susan G. Koman walk for the cure in Sacramento, California--the reason for our trip.  The beautiful lady in the hot pink shirt is a breast cancer survivor.  It was 5 months to the day from the day of her surgery to the day of the walk.

Dad was the picture-taker.  Here are the rest of us, at the starting line.  See how big our race bib numbers are?  There were a LOT of people here!

If you've ever been involved with a race, you know that the fun of the race is the energy AT the race.  The energy at this race was particularly marvelous as about 20,000 celebrated survival, remembered loved ones, and fought to find a cure for breast cancer.

We are planning to make this a yearly family tradition, so watch out for us next year!  We're gonna be a LARGE group!

A Celebratory Grope

Years ago my OB/GYN told me that the best time to do a breast self-exam was immediately after my period ended.  Briana calls it the celebratory grope.

I've always been good about doing a breast self-exam.  It's really no big deal.  Now that breast cancer has reared its nasty, stinking head on both sides of my family, I'm kinda passionate about that celebratory grope.

Also mammograms.  Which are no fun.  But then, neither is breast cancer or leaving your family without their wife or mother.

This weekend is the Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure in various parts of the country, including Salt Lake City and Sacramento.  If you haven't yet, please consider making a donation.  Or better yet, go out and live your life--walk for those who have had this disease!

Miracles!

Subject: The dockster just called




…tissue was clean – all is well



No evasion into the nodes…

Update on the Girl's Mom

Yesterday the girl's mother had surgery--a single mastectomy of the left breast.  The girl's mom chose that route to simply get the cancer out of her body.  The doctors tested her lymph nodes, and the preliminary results look very good.  The mass they found in the breast was quite large (golf-ball size in diameter, but the girl doesn't know how thick), and it contained about 25 "peppercorns" of black cancer.

The girl's mom is feeling quite good.  Her appetite last night was good, as was her sleep.  Unless something goes wrong with the drainage, etc., her mom will be home from the hospital within a few short hours.

The girl's dad said that her mom cried a lot when she was in recovery.  But the girl and her mom know that this surgery makes her no less a woman--especially when it comes to how the girl's dad feels--than she has always been.  The girl and all of her family are very grateful for your thoughts and your prayers and your kind words.  The family is also grateful for good medicine, good doctors, and good caregivers.  And also that this surgery was "textbook" and went so smoothly.

The girl also needs to tell you that she is very in love with her wonderful husband who made it possible and supported her in her choice to travel to see her mom for a few days.

The girl is incredibly blessed.

The Story of a Boob

Once upon a time there was an 18-year-old girl who lived at home, but who attended a YSA ward.  One day a member of the high council told the girl that she should make a more concerted effort to keep her parents informed as to what was happening in her life.  The girl was frustrated that her father had been talking about her to the HC member.  But she was trying to be teachable, so she thought, "You know, I should try harder to keep my parents in the loop."  Later that same day, the HC's wife asked the girl if things at their house had calmed down and then asked her--with great feeling--how her mother was doing.  The girl had had no idea that her mother wasn't perfect and wonderful as always.  But she thought, "If I don't tell them things, I can't expect them to tell me things."

Later that same week, the girl received a letter from a friend which was quite disturbing.  She thought, "This is exactly the kind of thing I ought to tell my parents about.  And as a bonus, they will have some wonderful advice for me."  So she went home and poured out her heart to her parents.  To her surprise and consternation, the girl's father went completely berserk.  He told her she was being stupid and should expect this kind of drama; and he stomped out of the room.

THE GIRL WAS VERY, VERY ANGRY.  She began to cry in frustration and told her mom that it wasn't right for her father to talk about her to the HC member and then keep things from her.  She expressed her opinion that if they wanted to know about her life, it should work both ways.  The girl's mother defended her father (which was the right thing to do) but said that she would discuss this mistake with him.

The girl was not that angry with her parents for another 24 years.  But then one day the girl received a phone call from her parents.  She knew instantly that something was wrong, but it must be something that had just happened because she had just spoken with her mom less than 24 hours ago.  The girl's mother told her that three days previously she had had a biopsy on her breast, and she had learned that day that the results were positive:  she had breast cancer.  The girl's mother explained that they hadn't wanted anyone to worry, so they had not said anything about the biopsy.

THE GIRL WAS VERY, VERY ANGRY.  She understood her parents' point of view, but she disagreed with it.  Maybe there was nothing she could do, but maybe she would be able to pray for her mom.  She felt that there was a double standard, because if something like that had happened to her, she would have been in trouble if she hadn't kept her parents informed.  She knew that her sister--who lives with her parents--was completely in the loop; so why weren't the others informed?  She wondered if her mom remembered how hard it is to not be close to family when things are happening, and how hard it is to feel connected to them, and how much it hurts when she can't be there with them.

The girl is afraid of what emotions will come next.  Fear?  Sadness?  Worry?  But right now, anger rules the universe.