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06:39:00 o'clock BST
The "C" word
This morning I am going for a mammogram. As I posted in an earlier entry, my mother is a breast cancer survivor, going on 23 years now . Because my mother had it, I have an increased risk of getting it myself...so I am extremely vigilant in checking myself regularly. My mother discovered her lump one day when she was getting dressed. She hadn't been feeling well for awhile and had noticed a tingling in one of her arms....upon closer observation she definitly felt a lump and so made an appointment immediately to see her GP. He felt the lump as well and scheduled a mammogram right away. Sure enough it showed up on the mammogram and so a bi-opsy was scheduled. This was on the Thursday before Easter....my mother went into the hospital on Saturday. They told her that if they discovered it was cancer upon opening her up...they would not just do a bi-opsy they would do a mastectomy. On Monday my mother experienced a complete radical mastectomy in which they removed not only her breast and any under-lying tissue and muscle, but also the lymph nodes under her arm. She and my dad were seperated at the time. I had had a very long talk with my father on the telephone. All three of us children were living away at the time and for one reason or another it was impossible for any of us to be there right then, so I had charged my father with that duty. I told him he owed it to us to be there for her as we could not. I'll give him his due...he was there, and he sat with her every day and reported to us every night, even if his first words to her when she came to after the operation, were I'm not coming back to you...I'm only here for the kid's sake. After she got out of the hospital, my brother brought her up to stay with him and his family for several weeks. I had been unable to go down to be with her as I was in the process of moving down there at the time....once I was all moved down to Nova Scotia my brother was able to send her home as I was there then to keep an eye on her and her progress. To a newly separated woman, in her early 50's, this had been an especially devestating blow. To this day, I think she blames my father leaving her for her getting cancer, and I think if he was truly honest with himself, my father probably does too. They remain the best of friendsand in all actuality probably get along better now than they ever did when they were married. Sometimes people just "can't" be married, but that doesn't mean they "can't" be friends.
And so...today I go for my mammogram. I found a lump a couple of years ago now. I was over in Canada visiting my mother. I didn't say anything when I was there...what could be done about it over there anyways, but when I got back home I made an appointment with my GP and he set up a mammogram and appointment with the hospital specialist. Nope...nothing there they said...and so I thought ...great! But I could still feel it and every day when I showered and checked (I know..I'm obsessed) I could feel it and after a year of this I thought it was getting bigger...so I trotted off to my GP again and said to him..."There IS a lump there. I CAN feel it...I want it checked out again" So he sent me off to the hospital again for another mammogram etc. Once again, they said to me no, there's nothing there...but this time I was insistent. I told them..... yes there is. So, then they decided to send me to get an ultra sound. I went into the ultra sound lab and lay down on the table. The technician came in and sat down beside me..."Now, Mrs. Rayner," he said, "where is this lump you feel." I showed him and he was able to feel it right away and when he took the scan it showed up immediately. I am not sure why HE was able to feel it and the examining physician, who was a woman, couldn't, but I felt good as finally I had been validated. I was NOT going crazy...there actually was a lump there, but WHEW! it was only a cyst. I have to keep an eye on it of course and believe me, I am there every day, in the shower, checking it to make sure it hasn't grown or changed in any way. By now, I probably know that cyst better than I know myself.
hmm...now where was I...oh yeah...this morning I'm going for a mammogram, and God willing it will be just routine. Any ladies that are reading this do yourselves a favour and any men that might be tuned in do your loved ones a favour and share this with them....examine yourself regularly and please, please, please get yourself checked on a regular basis, when you are able to do so get a mammogram. Be alert, because if you aren't...nobody else will be, that's for sure.
Now, on a lighter note, I give you .....
*Oven Fried Chicken Monterey*
Serves 8
Chicken, cheese... olives! What's not to like!!!
¼ cup flour
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
16 chicken thighs
¼ cup butter
1 cup crushed tortilla chips
2 TBS minced onion
1 TBS oil
2 TBS flour
1-410g tin of evaporated milk, undiluted
¼ tsp Tabasco sauce
1 cup grated medium cheddar cheese
¼ cup sliced black olives
1 tsp lemon juice
Shredded iceberg lettuce to serve
Pre-heat oven to 190*C/375*F. Combine the flour and taco seasoning mix in a plastic bag. Mix well. Shake the chicken pieces in this to coat. Melt the butter in a 15 X 9 inch baking pan. Place the chicken pieces in this, turning to coat on all sides. Place crushed tortilla chops in a bowl. Remove chicken pieces from the pan and coat in the crushed tortilla chips, then return to the pan. Bake for 50 minutes, until crisp and juices run clear.
Place the oil in a saucepan and heat. Sauté the onion in this until soft. Stir in the flour until smooth. Cook and stir for one minute. Carefully pour in the evaporated milk, stirring and cooking until thick and smooth. Add the Tabasco sauce, cheese, olives and lemon juice. Stir to melt cheese. Taste for seasoning and add if needed.
Serve the crispy baked chicken on a bed of shredded lettuce with the sauce spooned over. Garnish with whole black olives if desired.
PS. I just saw the new "Take That" video on the telly and it's like WOWOW. I wasn't living over here when Take That were a popular group, in fact I had never even heard of them until I did move over here and let me tell you....these guys are great! You won't miss Robbie at all....
Written by mariealicejoan Blog about this entry |
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Hi there, fellow nominee...
I'd just like to congratulate you on becoming a nominee for the, '2006 Vivi Awards' and wish you the very best of luck on voting day. I know how excited you must be, because I too was voted for, in the 'Best Video Blog' catagory.
If you want to see exactly how excited I was, check out my video response here:
http://journals.aol.co.uk/davethesod/mish-mash/entries/677
As my blog is less than one month old and it doesn't have very many viewers yet, perhaps you could help me out and increase my chances come voting day, by sharing the link to my blog with all of your friends. If you could do that for me, I'd be ever so grateful.
Here it is...
http://journals.aol.co.uk/davethesod/mish-mash/
Once again, all the best and good luck with the votes on, 2nd November... -
Marie,
Hope the mammogram went OK. You are right to be vigilant.
Kate.
http://journals.aol.co.uk/bobandkate/AnAnalysisofLife/ -
Yes you are so right ,it is well worth checking,I had a cyst years ago ,and it was removed ,but was very scary at the time.....Jan xx
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Marie, I'm with you 100% while you get those breasts smashed to an inch in thickness. It's all worth it. But you know this already, don't you, sweetie? Vigilance is the key! Let us know the results!
Love,
Susie
21/10/06 00:31
It's so awesome... good luck!
hope your tests come back clean.
hugs
d
http://journals.aol.com/night
http://journals.aol.com/mydsd