Personal Journey Entry # 13

It is Saturday afternoon, and I am feeling down. It’s a combination of discomfort and sadness. I don’t have much of an appetite, and food has no taste. I have some chest pain, and my raspy throat has picked it up a notch. I am so tired. I was typing at the dining room table and fell asleep on the keyboard. But beyond feeling blah, I am sad we are going home tomorrow. This place in Turner Highlands has become home. Yes, we live in Exeter. My bus is waiting, and so are tests and appointments every day this week, but our hearts are at home in Turner. I plan to come here after surgery, for what better place to get my life back than our happy place?

I need to talk about the importance of screenings. My sister, Bobbie, had her life shortened by a courageous ten-year battle with breast cancer. She did not get her mammograms and found her cancer when she collapsed walking to her car one morning. Her cancer had metastasized in her hip, destroying her hip joint, and she went down hard. But she fought harder and never gave up her faith. She is my inspiration, and I pray I can be half as strong as my big sister.

I spent much of my life with a package of Tums or Rolaids in my pocket. I went nowhere without them. I blamed the heartburn and acid reflux on stress, bad food, gin, or whatever I could think of, but I never thought it would take me down. Dr King, who was my PCP for 43 years, diagnosed me with Barrett’s Esophagus years ago, and every three years, I would have an Endoscopy. I would do the prep, have the scope, be told it was still there, have no change, and see you in three until this year. The words were quite different this year. See you in three became we will know for sure when the lab is finished, but you have definite signs of carcinoma. You will need to see your Oncologist sooner rather than later. My life has been changed by a routine screening that was far from routine.

Don’t delay or skip them, whatever your particular screenings are. I pray for you that they will always be routine, but now I ask for your prayers because mine was not.

Thank you for stopping by, and God Bless you. Love, Ray