Today's topic with Wego Health Blog month is a choice between something about learning something or on a conversation with my doctor. Its too early in the day (and I'm too stressed) to think about learning something and I have many doctor appointments that I could write about.
There are two doctor conversations to write about. The first one happened in August 1981 when I was in post op after having my thyroid removed. I was dazed from all the sedation but the surgeon came in and sat down next to me and told me that I had thyroid cancer. That's all that I remember of the conversation but those words were forever etched in my memory.
The second conversation happened May 30, 2007 when my surgeon called after my biopsy to tell me that I had breast cancer. At that point I had been living in the 'la la land' of '80% of all tumors are benign' and assumed it was a nothing as I had a previous benign tumor back in the 1980s. The doctor called me at home and I was sitting on our bed holding my husband's hand. The surgeon again was reassuring and answered a few questions and gave me the next steps of a lumpectomy with sentinel node biopsy followed by an axillary node dissection if needed. We had already discussed these options in his office.This conversation is no less etched in my mind.
What was the impact of these two conversations on my life? A medical roller coaster with no end.
But what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. As a result of the conversations my life changed irrevocably and I have come out stronger, ready to face these diagnoses and others more prepared. Now I know what to do with a new ailment - research, questions, education, treatment, and more. And I'm still here.
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