A Mommy Story

(God, I can’t believe I just wrote that title. Someone smack me.)

Having a breast ultrasound is not as exciting as other ultrasounds I’ve had in the past. There’s no small person to peek in on, no thumb sucking to view, and you don’t get a picture to take home and show your friends.

What you do get, however, is peace of mind. And I got lots of that today. The verdict is that my breasts are composed of perfectly healthy breast tissue, although it is lumpy. The hardened area the doctor found is a large mass of fibrocystic tissue, which, while a little larger than normal, is harmless.

The advice I was given was to cut back on caffeine, get more exercise, eat right, and lower my stress levels. I laughed, and then asked the doctor if he realized that I had a toddler, making most of that impossible to do. He replied, “Well, for your own health, make it work.”

He also advised that if I have another child (which we plan to soon) to breastfeed for the first year. Apparently it helps with the cysts, and it cuts your risk of breast cancer tremendously. I told him I would do my best, but I couldn’t promise that child #2 would go for it.

I’m so relieved to know nothing is wrong. It was only a slim chance of being a problem, and my logical side kept reminding me that I’m not at high risk, but I still found myself dwelling on it yesterday. I wondered what steps I should be taking to lessen my risks of diseases like cancer. Should I start eating organic? Vegetarian? More exercise? Non-toxic cleaners? Nothing like a minor health scare to make you wake up and make changes to your life, eh?

My last minor health scare was 6 years ago, when I had an abnormal pap test. I was put through a colposcopy and a cervical biopsy to determine if I had cervical cancer. But the results from that took over a week, giving me plenty of time to review the choices I had made in my life and to scare the bejeebus out of my 23 year old self. Luckily, the results came back as benign, and after a year of follow up tests every three months, I was given the all-clear.

I am so, so grateful for my health. Now that I’m a parent, nothing scares me more than the thought of leaving Cordelia without a mommy. I want to be there for her as she grows up, and be the one she looks to for advice if she becomes a mother someday. Yes, I know I could slip on the shower floor and break my neck tomorrow, and I can’t predict when my time will come, but I’m willing to do all I can to ensure it’s not for a long, long time.

PS – Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. It meant a lot to me. You’re all awesome, and I wish I could have everyone over to my place for drinks. Hopefully I’ll see some of you at BlogHer!

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OK, now that I’ve openly discussed my breasts and my cervix with all of you, shall we turn our thoughts to something a bit more lighthearted? (Yes, this is a ploy to get my girl parts out of your thoughts. You’re welcome.) Check out these cute videos: Kenya, Badger, and the Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny. Work safe – as long as work doesn’t mind annoyingly catchy tunes.