Health 2024 – not the best year so far

It is late-summer 2024 (or second summer in this part of Mexico). The year began well, there were some hiccups in the spring, and then things headed south in early June. I can say, now, after the chaos, it could have been much worse.

After 4 years here, I decided that it was time to start collecting all the health care providers that I was used to in the US. You don’t usually think about it until you move – and then you need a GP, a dentist, a dermatologist, etc. My first priority was a dermatologist. I found a GREAT female dermatologist, within walking distance, who was thorough, careful, and concerned about one skin spot. We scheduled to have it taken off. The unfortunate part was that it was on my face, and having things cut out of your face is very disconcerting – trust me, this is not my first. The removal went well, I now have a cleft chin that I wasn’t born with! 😉

Next was finding a new GP and getting my first physical in about 5 years. I like my new GP. She is personable, easy to talk to, and no-nonsense. Since it had been so long, she requested a number of (fairly standard) health checks: mammogram with ultrasound, Pap test, basic bloodwork, abdominopelvic ultrasound. I’ve always been super healthy, so I dove into the list of tests so that I could feel good about being healthy after a long hiatus from regular check-ups.

The bloodwork and Pap came back clear – no problems. She wants me to watch my BP, as the diastolic (lower) numbers sometimes creep into the 80’s. Ok. I can do this.

Then came the ultrasounds. Unlike in the US, here the ultrasound doc shows you everything they find. They point out all your organs, explain what they are seeing, and if they see something out of the ordinary, they tell you and show you. My doc showed me a “suspicious” nodule in my left breast. It was very small (about 5mm) but had very irregular borders. It was well “hidden” behind the areola, so didn’t show up on the mammogram. GREAT! She recommended that I have an oncologist look at it, and have it removed. This is scary stuff! I’ve had too many friends going thru chemo and radiation for breast cancer, so this put terror in my heart.

Then she moved on the the abdominopelvic area. All the organs looked good and healthy, until she looked at my left ovary. This had a “partitioned cyst with calcifications”. The cyst was 10cm! For those who like imperial measurements that is 4″. For scale, an ovary is about the size of an almond (1 to 1.5″). I never felt anything, never felt ill, I thought I was fine. More terror.

Went back to my GP with this info, and she referred me to an oncological surgeon. Scary words.

My surgeon was great. Very calm, very clear in his explanations, but didn’t sugar-coat things. (Lots of gory surgical details omitted) Between June and July I had both masses removed. Both were sent through two pathology screenings and both came back….BENIGN! The specter of the “M word” faded quickly with each pathology report.

The healing has gone alright – although never as fast as I wanted. These health glitches, that turned out just fine, have made me look differently at my life. I know a lot of people say that, and now I understand. The lifespan projections for breast cancer can vary widely, depending on the type. Ovarian cancer, however, has a very short estimated survival time. Thinking about that made me realize that life really is short. That (when we can) it is only money. That you need to hug your loved ones often and tell them more often.

I’m very fortunate. I grok that in fullness now.