March

March has sure been trying so far.  Actually, it's not March, so much, as is it life in general, just so happens that it's been in March.

I had a mammogram call back.

Which is never good.

And I had a stereotactic biopsy.


The pathology reports atypical hyperplasia, which throws me into a new category of 'risk' for future cancer.

I then had a surgical biopsy to remove any other atypical cells.

I now fall into a different schedule for screening, and will discuss with a preventative oncologist the use of the drug tamoxifen.

I share all this to encourage you, if you are female, to get the your mammograms done, regularly.
If you are male, then you know and love women who need to be encouraged.
Noone enjoys a mammogram, but they do find changes early, sometimes even before cancer, as in my case.

And while what I've been through has been,at times. uncomfortable and aggravating, it beats the daylights out of discovering cancer a couple of years from now.

On a similarly preventative care note, we've hit 50 this year... which brings on the often dreaded colonoscopy.

Now, folks, having had my colon removed nearly 10 years ago, also removes that issue from me.
Surely there are benefits to radically redirecting the digestive tract!

But this was not the case for my husband, so he diligently signed up and checked in, and got it over with.
And the great news is that he gets to go another 10 years before another screening.

If you fall in that 50 or over category, you know what you need to do.
The ONLY problem is the prep, which is sort of like jet fuel laxatives and a ridiculous afternoon tethered to the toilet.  After that, the procedure itself is a walk in the park.  You sleep away while the exam occurs.
The huge plus to colonoscopies is that they very effectively remove anything that is a precursor to cancer, so you need never, never go there!

One of the beautiful senior ladies at my church gave this advice... " After 50, it's maintenance, maintenance, maintenance!"

One could beg that most of adult life is 'maintenance, maintenance, maintenance.'

I'm looking forward to March settling down a bit now.

We need some cooperative weather as we begin gardening season and we'd very much like to stay out of doctor's offices, hospitals and clinics.