Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Cancer: Life and death lessons


This is not a fun post. Read it anyway.

When my mom was so ill, I thought that I should try and take something good form a bad situation. Learning was the only positive thing I could do with it, so I thought about it and decided that having a thorough examination every year was the lesson.

Mom needn't have died as she did. If the problem had been detected earlier, she'd have stood a chance. So I went and had the embarrassing checkup that I've been putting off for the last fifteen years.

I’ve been climbing the walls since the doc said he wanted me to go for a return visit and asked whether I would prefer to use a private or public hospital for further procedures. He wouldn’t elaborate over the phone and I passed a very restless night. All I could think was ‘I don’t want to die! Not now!’

Anyway, the long and the short of it is that I’m in the early stages of cervical cancer. Three more years and I’d have been the walking dead. As it is, the doctor assures me that I’ve little to worry about. I feel very relieved.

‘What made you come for an examination after all these years?’ asked the doctor

‘My mother.’

‘Well, you can thank her for that. She’s saved your life.’

I can’t. She’s dead.

Ladies: I know I’m preaching now, but please, please take care of yourselves. I know it’s a nasty little examination, but its not worth dying to avoid it. If you’ve been delaying, get on the phone and make the appointment. Don’t just think: ‘Hmm. I should get around to that, I know’. I’ve been thinking that for fifteen years and another three would have been the end of me.

Today's pic: a flower for you from me with love.

9 comments:

  1. Hee hee. You are a bad, bad man. It'd serve you right if I suggested you went to have your uterus checked out - oh, and your ovaries, and your cervix. However - you are revenged on me for my gender bias albeit indirectly: the virus that causes cervical cancer does nothing to men, but women contract it from men. So.. perhaps I should have gone for the Japanese girlfriend in the first place - but I HAD to go and prefer penis instead.

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  2. WOW MM. I'm so sorry you have to go through this and I'm so glad you found out about it early. Thanks for letting us know.
    And yes, I will put an exam at the top of my to do list.

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  3. I am so glad that you did something! Luckily for me, I have a thyroid condition and my doctor will not renew my medication for the following year unless I come in for my dreaded physical.. so it gets checked every year. I am so proud of you! I am so happy that they have caught it! You are brave brave girl!

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  4. This was a really close call. Whatever the reason, I'm glad you had everything checked out.

    That was one heck of a phone conversation--someone might have a stroke after hearing that. It had to have been a very long night.

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  5. Cheers to your health, and your mom. <3

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  6. Although it may appear that your Mum died needlessly, it has seen you visit the doctor enabling you to live on and keep your precious Mother's memory alive.
    Thanks for the post. I am visiting for the first time via SpunChops

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  7. Thanks for reminding us!
    The flower is lovely. Thanks for that one, too! :)

    You take care of yourself as well, MM!

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  8. PAMO: I'm glad you said that. I hope you'll do it too!
    Not-so-average: Judging from your blog, you're probably a lot braver than I am. I AM lucky though.
    HWF: erm... alright, I admit it, I got drunk. Extenuating circumstances.
    Ajax: nice to see you again. Thanks for the wishes
    Chez: Welcome! Looking forward to seeing your blog. If you like mine, and we both like spunchops', chances are we have something in common.
    Lancelonie. I STILL haven't looked at your flickr! I'm losing out, aren't I? I'll take care of me. Hope you'll take care of you.

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  9. Wow I thought I was bad about these things, been nine years for me that I've been avoiding what I should do. Great advice, and I'm glad you found out while it's still treatable, which it is in the early stages so try not to worry.

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