39/40 what's the diff.....

So I go to the doctors the other day because I feel this horrible lump under my arm. Ya, it scared the shit out of me but it just appeared and really hurt so my feeling was that it wasn't too serious. However I realized that at, uhhhhh well, my tender age it's important to check out these things. So I get in the doctors office, strip off the top half of my attire, and have this strange man ( I went to a walk in. My doctor is far ) poke around my breast and then tell me that he sure that it is a muscle strain and that it's not anything to be concerned about. That was a relief. I began to get dressed with a sense of glee and calm about the outcome of the situation as well as sense of pride at my self care. But then the Doctor had to stomp on my parade. He turned to me as I was grabbing my bag and asked "How old are you!". I told him 39 and he said(and I quote). "Oh, 39/40 same difference, you should still go to get a mammogram each year from now on just for precaution" YOU HAD ME AT 39/40 same diff....... WHAT! I don't think so. I am 39 and that is all. Not a year older then that. Not for another 11 months buddy. And as for your well meaning medical advice I know being in the "almost 40 category" that mammograms start to be a 40 year old regular routine but NOT at39!

Ok, you may be thinking, here we go again with the irrational behavior but come on. When you are feeling so vulnerable about not only your age change but at the moment you health, this is not what you need to hear. Hmmmmph...I was pissed. I looked at him with hate in my eyes and in a loud onerous voice said "THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMTION SIR" and walk out. I told him and he'll think twice before giving potentially life saving information to an almost 40 year old by possibly saying something more along the lines of ....." 39...wow I thought you were much younger than that. So I was going to suggest that if you are really concerned you could ask your family doctor about a mammogram to clear your conscience. However, you do know that even though I thought you were much too young to be worrying about such things, you may want to remind you readers..... I mean yourself that once you turn 40 a regular mammogram is pretty important.". This would have been much more "patient friendly".

Anyhow, don't let anyone tell you your older then you are, especially when the next age starts with a 4 as compared to a 3. Oh, and always remember that doctors are medically trained not necessarily trained in age differentiating.

Lise

A half of the paper

I would like you all to do an exercise for me. Take a piece of paper, preferably a blank Aby4 piece, and fold it in half. It doesn't matter which way you fold it just make sure that it is exactly in half. I then would like you to get a writing utensil of some sort and on one side of the paper write 0-40 and on the other write 40- . As you look at the paper you can physically see that half of the paper has a definitive ending, 40 and the other half you only have a beginning but no end number. Assuming that the other half of the paper is numerical statistic you may have already figured that if you were to put an end it would be 80. Well, yes that would be right if in fact we could be precise about that fact but considering each half represents years we've lived and will live we/I can only be precise about the initial 1-40 years.

Ok, I suppose you’re wondering what this is all about. Well I am all consumed about this visual. In this modern age the average woman live to be about 80 hence the other half of the paper. Of course I can not definitively put down a number behind my 40 because it may be less (oh god no!) or more (in which case I will need more paper). However, basing it on the average once hitting forty I will have essentially lived half my life (hopefully). This is consuming my thought right now and is freaking me out on many different levels. The idea that I have live for forty year already and it feels like it happened in a flash really flips me out about the second half. It’s also being aware that my parents are getting older and realizing that if my math is correct they are almost through that second half. That is crazy. So basically it's one of those things that provoked me to start this blog journey and to put to ease some of my anxieties. I suppose it's spiritual in a sense.

Anyhow, I know it's not that funny and may in fact freak you all out as well but it's just something I've been thinking about. (Oh, and it's a great fractions lesson if you put various numbers behind the second 40 and let the kids figure out the fraction of time you have left if it's....). (Nervous HEE HEE)

Lise