Morning Mammogram

I spent the morning with Mom. First, she got a mammogram, while I waited in the lobby, then she brought me back with her so that she could get an ultrasound. I'm happy to say that both tests were clear. No mass.


The tests were scheduled because both Mom and her doctor found a questionable lump in her right breast. I was scared. She called me last night, told me about the appointment and said, no, she did not need me to go with her. I thought about it and figured yes, she did, but she didn't feel comfortable saying that. So, I got up, got the kids off to school and went to meet her.


While I was there, ladies came in and ladies left. They walked in looking drawn and stressed, faces pale and tight. One woman had her husband with her. Her hair was wet when we got there, her hair was still wet when she left. The process of getting a mammogram apparently does not take very long.

I haven't had a mammogram yet. I am 43 and I need to get one. Both my grandma and my great grandma had breast cancer. Mom kept saying, "In our family, the women get it later in life." My mom is 64. She's nearing that "later in life," part of her life. I suspect that she's like me and a portion of her thoughts will always belong to a 20-something girl, part will never accept things like the passage of time and the accumulation of quite a few years.

I took part in the Facebook bra color meme. I read afterward that some people were offended or repulsed or felt that it was without any sort of merit or purpose. I call BS. If it reminds one woman to do her self check and she then finds something that needs to be taken care of, then how can it be pointless? I did the first self-check that I've done in way too long after posting my update of "black." It's not about the bra be it black, white, or nude. It's not about sharing some titillating secret, (ooh, lingerie!). It's about what is in the bra, the tissue, the glands, the body of the woman and her continuing good health.

People confuse me. I'm not 100% right on target, but my intentions are good. I expect other people to be the same way, I assume they are good (which means I make an ass out of you and me, as the saying goes). That may mean I'm gullible, but I've got to believe that people are open-minded and open-hearted. I have to.

I know some people who keep constant score and baby, that's only going to hurt you in the long run. Let it go. Let life flow and remember that the good stuff is made up of what is truly important; health, happiness, love, and hope. Stop looking for the negative. If you look hard enough, examine deep enough, you'll talk yourself into seeing it everywhere.

Today is good. Especially after a piece of pumpkin loaf and a clean bill of health.