The difference

In the news this morning is an article about Anne Romney, wife of Mitt the former governor and aspiring presidential candidate. Apparently she just had a lumpectomy and had what is considered precancerous tissue removed. This is called DCIS or Ductal Carcinoma In Situ. This means it has not invaded outside of her ducts. The difference was mine had invaded outside of the ducts so it was called Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. Mine had also gotten a tiny bit into the lymph nodes.

The difference is she had surgery and the article said they hadn't decided on the rest of her treatment but probably it will be radiation for five or six weeks. Because mine was invasive, I got the joys of more surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. I don't know her medical history but I did have relatively regular mammograms. Okay, it had been 18 months since my last one when I had the 'bad' one. If I had gotten one sooner, would it have made a difference? Or would my tumor have been too small to be seen in a mammogram so I would have waited another year for one? Then how much more might it have spread? These are the questions I can't beat myself up for.

But my point is (I always have a point or try to but sometimes I ramble or my chemo brain makes me forget or my life is too boring to have a point) get regular mammograms and go to the doctor for checkups regularly. No one should never see a doctor... No one should not have health insurance... In addition, if something is bothering me, I use the two week rule. If it is still bothering me or getting worse in two weeks (or sooner if its really bad), I will go to the doctor. I don't think I need to go to the doctor for every round of sniffles or colds or aches and pains.

The difference of going to the doctor and having regular exams can save your life. Just do it.

In the meantime, today I am not going to the doctor. I am going to Maine. Of course it is going to snow while driving home tomorrow but I will drive slowly, blah, blah, blah. I am not one of the idiots that goes speeding by in a blizzard - besides its only supposed to be an inch or so.