Flu shot. Check.
Mammogram. Check.
Every. Year.
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Until three years ago I'd never had a flu shot. Then Ken landed in the ICU with pneumonia in July 2009. Now we each get a flu shot every year, he so he doesn't get the flu and me so I don't get it and bring it home. I don't remember the last time I had the flu...it has been decades. I have no intention of getting the flu, but my daughter the doctor says I need to get the vaccine to be sure. This year I intend to head back into the classroom, so I need to be doubly sure.
Today at 2:55 I was administered this year's flu vaccine. It takes minutes and my insurance covers it, so that's not a problem. It's just that I trust my body to fight off viruses, so I feel resistance when people tell me my own immune system may not be able to protect me. It's no longer up to me to trust my system; today I had a flu shot.
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I put off getting my first mammogram as long as I could, and by the time I succumbed I was several years past 40. Then I was convinced to have a baseline mammogram, probably by some article I read or some guest on "Oprah." It has become a yearly ritual because that's the standard.
Every year I ask the technician when I can stop having a yearly mammogram. Every year I am told that there is no end in sight.
I am now seven years post menopause. I am obsessed with facial moisturizer so my face doesn't dry up and blow away. I use progesterone cream daily to counteract my lack of estrogen, which I use sparingly but gratefully so I can enjoy marital relations with my husband because we still like each other and sex is a good thing that keeps us connected.
None of that buys me any advantage in regards to a yearly mammogram. Women don't get a pass, regardless of their age or health history. We need a mammogram every year for the purposes of early detection. Period.
Today at 3:45 I had my yearly mammogram. The technician said she got four good pictures. I will have the report in a week. There is every reason to believe that the news will be good, as it has been every other year. As much as I don't think I will ever get breast cancer I will continue to get a mammogram every year because the alternative to early detection is inconceivable. I have a husband, three grown children, a career to restart, and a lot of living still to do.
So many things feel out of my control lately, and it seems silly to take comfort in a shot and an x-ray. But there it is...at least for another year.
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3 comments:
Prevention and early detection; good mantra for all. Our medical facility will have flu vaccines next week. And your post reminded me that today is as good as any to schedule my October mammogram.
The doctor who replaced our super wonderful P.A. reviewed my records and annual lab report then inquired about my family history for breast cancer and at what age I had my first mammogram. Then he said, "You really could go 2-3 years between mammograms." WHAT'S UP DOC?!
Well, yes, I could, but
-why would I when my insurance pays 100% of the screening cost and it gives peace of mind; at least for that snapshot in time;
-why would I when I think of my 48 year old friend who has endured 5 years of breast cancer hell and recently finished treatment for brain tumors;
-why would I when I think of my husband's mom who was told she had breast cancer but it was okay to delay treatment and go to Europe. Her cancer metastisized and I never got the chance to know her.
So, yeah; prevention & early detection! Get those flu shots, mammograms, and annual labs.
the best give we can give ourselves and our beloveds is to care for our well being in all aspects of our wholeness! It has been a very long time since I've been by for a visit...I am happy you ARE taking good care!
Ok- maybe I will go get a flue shot this year.
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