MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

mac, Heaven help us when we get into our senior frailty and cannot strongly advocate for ourselves. We will be goners for sure. I am glad you had the stamina to press for answers and get to the bottom of your symptoms. Also, good for you to keep the people that helped and throw out the others (who needs 'em!) Despite your woes, it is good to hear from you. I luuuuuved the comic.

Guess where I was this afternoon? That's right, getting my mammogram that I was supposed to get in summer. Had to squeeze it in in this benefit year, and I think I will wait til 2018 for the next one. THAT'S RIGHT, I AM TAKING 2017 OFF!!! You heard it here first.

Anyway, the whole appt. was a breeze. the best once I've had since 2008. Wait make that 2007, since they missed my BC in 2008. I was outta there in 45 quick minutes. I made myself some hospitality hot chocolate (first serving this season) and only had a few hot sips because they called me back so quick and then even in the inner sanctum waiting room I had only time for another lukewarm sip or two (and enough time to find one jigsaw piece) before it was on to the machine.

I told this tech that she had ONE SHOT to get each view. No retakes due to blur or underarm skin folds. No extra radiation of any kind due to tech error. She was a woman of my age and she STEPPED UP to my challenge and then topped me by taking only 5 views instead of the usual 6. "I think they can see the nip good enough on the lateral view," she said, except she did say nipple because she was not quite as casual as I am making out.

So, you see, if I had invited any pocket company along, you would not have even had time to nestle down into my pocket lint, let alone try to get me to share my hot chocolate with you. I was home within the hour and am sitting comfortably now, NOT EVEN FEELING SQUISHED because I told my tech my treatment side was a delicate flower and to be gentle with it, and she was. Double-plus good.

Barbe, I bet yours was better. I just had the food service mix packet that I found laying on the coffee bar. Exact same second? Maybe it was. If so, we will have to coordinate our first seasonal wassail as well, or would you prefer eggnog?

mac, It probably would be a waste of time to inform your ex-docs where they erred in judgement. Their minds have probably moved on, and you can't shame egos of doctor proportions anyway.

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Now, please read following HOLIDAY TALE of how I did take just a little time time to communicate with one doc...

So, back when my mom was in the ICU on a ventilator (which was during both Thanksgiving and Christmas--there's your holiday tie-in) and it was touch and go, her PCP was stopping by on a daily basis and one day he said to me, "Your mom and I go way back, and I know she would not want to live all hooked up to tubes and machines..." Guess he was trying to feel me out on if I was a "pull the plug" kind of daughter or not. Well, first of all his "way back" was a crock because she had just started with him 9 mos. previous (!) and he, unlike me, was not spending hours with her and was not there for the few moments when she might come out of the heavy sedation long enough to give a barely perceptible nod of her head when asked, "Do you want to keep fighting? Can you make it back?" So, my reply to the doc was this, "You told me no one knows if she can get off the vent. and ever breathe on her own again, but she wants to, so let her TRY. (Right here, I cannot type those capital letters big enough.)

(Intermission to say it took a good while, but she did get off the vent., rehabed in record time, made the move to my state, and came to live in my home for 13 mos.; and my mother had a good laugh too about what the doctor considered going "way back.")

So, for Christmas that following year, my mom and I made sure to send her PCP a Christmas card, which included a pic of her and I having a great time out at my son's soccer game that Fall. That was just our way of putting an happy epilogue onto all the doom-and-gloom hospital drama. Did the doc actually get the card? Who knows? Did we get a return card? Are you kidding me? But who cares because sending that card FELT GOOD and was the symbol of the plug that didn't get pulled.

(The end.)

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I know, I know...now you are all thinking, "Oh, that elimar! Even her warm, fuzzy holiday tale had to portray the doc in a bad light." I'm sorry, I can't seem to help myself.