I found a lump in my breast.
I discovered my invader while soaping in the shower six weeks ago.
It was the size of a pea and buried behind my left nipple.
My mind instantly went to the dark side.
I have cancer. I will die. My son will be an orphan.
Losing a spouse fundamentally shifts your universe. And you become a little paranoid, I have discovered.
On May 24 at 9:30 p.m., I became a single mom. My five-year-old has one parent. And I have only one child. There’s no spare parent if something happens to me. And there’s no spare child if something happens to him.
Mike was diagnosed in June 2011. From that moment on I worried about him and put most every other concern on the back burner. I worried for four years. He died and I stopped worrying. . .about him.
Now it was all about my son and I. Our survival is now a must.
And my paranoia has gone super sonic. The lump didn’t help.
This vicious, life-abreviating alien has been sent to kill me and destroy my son’s life.
I raced to my doctor. She had a feel and ordered a mammogram. In the meantime, she told me not to worry, forget about it for now, and not to touch my breast again. I tried to follow orders.
So I waited for my appointment. Weeks later I sat in the waiting room surrounded by women facing the same fears I had, I’m sure. And that’s when I started to panic.
After my mammogram, I was pulled into a secondary room for an ultrasound. More panic. The doctor came in and took an inside look with her wand. She found nothing.
“This is healthy breast tissue,” she said.
“I’m sorry. I know I’m being paranoid about all of this but my husband just died of cancer,” I replied.
And then she gave me some advice that applies to everyone, regardless of your connection to cancer.
“It’s not being paranoid if you’re taking care of your health.”
It’s great advice, sure, but I don’t know how long I can follow it.
The Big Diseasey 