To the edge, but not over it.

I've been feeling kind of doomy all week, and that, coupled with the fact that I've been remarkably prescient lately (like when I knew the yoyo that PJ was playing with would shoot off the end of the string. I was wrong about it decapitating me, but still...) really did make today's call-back visit to the Mammogram center a real bummer.
My First Time was last week, and went quickly- the tech was sweet and I could tell she has a lot of experience working with nervous women- but I didn't need a lot of comforting, I knew what to expect and it was such a quick process.
But they called me back, like she warned me (everyone warned me) that they might- it being my first time, with nothing to compare the pictures to, etc. etc... and today I headed back to the Breast Health Center. Scott came with me because he is the sweetest, most loving, most supportive person, really, in the entire world. I'm not even exaggerating. He had to wait in the waiting room all by himself the whole time, and it took a while.
They re-did my mammo's, then asked me to stay for an ultrasound. I finally got to go tell Scott what was going on, but then had to leave him again and head in to the ultrasound. While I waited, though, the women in the inner waiting room swapped stories and "what are you in for?" tales. One woman came back from her ultrasound and told us that they were sending her for a biopsy as a result of the ultrasound. I remembered reading that 1 in 9 women get breast cancer (really, that can't be right, right?) and counted the women I'd shared the waiting room with.
Ultrasounds have not been good to me, overall, and it was a weird feeling to be stretching out on another bed like that, with the same sheets, next to that machine again, staring at the ceiling again. It was hard not to feel gloomy.
The punch line is, everything's fine. The lovely tech checked in with me as I was leaving and I told her everything was fine- she said "I thought so... I wanted to say so but I'm not allowed!" Scott was waiting for me and I think not breathing for the whole time I was in there (which was about an hour and a half) and I was happy to tell him that Everything Is Okay. We hugged and smiled all the way to the car, and now, everything is back to normal. All is well. Thank God.

Simple Woman's day book

FOR TODAY 09/01/08...
Outside My Window... it is GORGEOUS, but we are spending the day on our couches, napping and watching the Scrubs marathon. I know, we should be somewhere hiking or something! But the laziness of today has been delicious.
I am thinking... about dinner. The lazy day continues with a trip to the Outback, where you can get takeout without even leaving your car. No standing up!
I am thankful for... the $50.00 gift certificate to the Outback that I got for my birthday!
From the kitchen... yeah... today for lunch I had peanuts and lemonade. I've got to stop doing these things on the days that I don't cook, and instead, do them on the days that I make delicious, several-course meals. You know, about every-other-day.
I am wearing... I just erased "my pajamas" from the last time I did this, so I can write in... my pajamas.
I am creating... a plan to start getting healthy. No, seriously. I'm going to start walking again (but I should probably buy some new shoes, first. And I can't start this week until at least Wednesday, what with class tomorrow morning- oops, no, I have a morning meeting Wednesday. Thursday it is!!)
I am going... back to school tomorrow! My first first day of school since 1987. Tomorrow's class is Theological Foundations in Practical Perspective, and Wednesday's is the Total Community Catechesis Seminar. Woo! Go Eagles!
I am reading... the last secular book I'll probably get to read for the next four years. It's still When You Are Engulfed In Flames, by David Sedaris. It's so freakin' funny.
I am hoping... that I can do grad school work.
I am hearing... Scrubs. It's the Carla and Turk's wedding episode. Don't judge me.
Around the house... sleeping cats. I love living with cats, they are really just perfect. Or maybe that's just my cats. But they really are perfect.
One of my favorite things... to do on a day off is lounge around, I guess you've already figured that out. It's the beauty of more-than-one day off at a time, that one of the days I can spend doing chores, getting things done, errand-ing, and then I can do some hard-core slugging the next day. It's hard-earned sluggdom!!
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: classes, and work. It's crunch time at work, with Faith formation starting up, OH and PMS. I'm tearing up at the wedding on TV right now, Turk and Carla in a hospital room. Well, it's just so sweet! Bless their hearts...
Here is picture thought I am sharing... it's the suncatcher craft that I mentioned in my last daybook entry. It's flat marbles, glued one to another with fishing wire between. I think it looks pretty nifty!

40,000 mile checkup (two new posts)

So, yeah, I'm turning 40. I had my physical yesterday (and got the aforementioned Tetanus shot) and for the first time, brought a list of things I wanted to remember to chat with my doctor about. A LIST!! Yikes. There were only 5-6 things on there, so maybe that's not so bad.
But the good news is, I'm in good shape. Well, no- I'm in terrible shape, but I'm healthy overall.
I was pretty excited because our PCP just retired, and transferred us to another practice in the building, and so my physical was supposed to be with a young pip of a thing who treated me for a breathing thang I had back in the Spring. Her name was Dr. Ally, I kid you not. She was, I think, about 13 years old and had a terrificly chic outfit on the day I met her, accented with a pink stethoscope. I know the maxim is to choose a lawyer who's older than you and a doctor who's younger, but really, this was too much.
Anyway, apparently Dr. Ally has moved on and I got to go back to one of the Nurse Practitioners from my old doc's office, and I was quite glad. She's wonderful and didn't make me feel too old or too fat. Now I've got a bunch of follow-up stuff to do- blood test, a trip to see this kind of doc, a trip to see that kind of doc. The older I get, the more doctors I get to visit. And I'm healthy!