Medical Marvels and All That Jazz

Went to my gyno yesterday. Love him. Told my husband if we ever have to move, we must have all our children in this state first because I would hate to give up my gynocologist.

Yesterday he reminded me that I am 35. I knew what that meant when I turned 35. I forgot what it meant until I saw him.

"So, you're 35 now. Have you thought about getting a mammogram?"

Slapped myself in the forehead. How did I forget that fast? Clearly selective amnesia. I have no history of breast cancer in my family so that's probably another reason why I wasn't thinking about it.

"Don't I have to go every year now?"
"No. You won't have to go again until you are 40, provided they don't find anything, but you don't have a history."
"So if I go now, I won't have to go for another 5 years then."
"That's one way to look at it."

I told him I have yet to hear good things abou that test. Somehow we've made it up to 2006, gotten our cell phones down to the size of Tinkerbell, our cars tell us how to get where we're going and where they are if they are stolen, and we no longer need actual cash in hand for any transaaction. But we still have to barbarically smash women's breasts in a vice to see if there is cancer.

"I'll get back to you on that," I promised him without looking him in the eye. "I've got some calls to make first."

Called my friend who is a nurse. She's 37: "Ha! I'm not going until I'm 40! Are you crazy?"
Called my friend who has a high tolerance for pain. She's 45: "Yeah. I dread it every time. I feel it. It just doesn't bother me as much as most people."
Called my mother. She's 56: "Depends on who does it. I've had it done and been in pain until the next day." (There's a ringing endorsement if ever I heard one.) But they have a new way that's way better."

Wait! A new way? Doc didn't mention that. So, now I have to check that out.

Now my other reason for considering this now instead of later? Doc asked if I was planning to have more kids. "Not 100% sure yet but high possibility," I told him. "Well, we never x-rayed your stomach and we really should do that."

Why, you ask? Because I have eczema. And somehow that accelerates the healing process for me. Actually I think I know how that works, but I won't get into that here. So after I had Son by C-section apparently my scar on the inside turned into bone. Doc had never seen that before and said it was really odd. When I had Daughter, also by C-section, it was a little tough to cut through that bone he said. So the question is, is it actually bone and is it thicker than before? And if so, is it still growing and may pose a problem for him to get through should I decide to have another child in oh, say 2 years or so? If so, he says he may have to call in an orthopedic surgeon to help out. One more to join the peep show. Why not?

Yep, I'm some kind of medical marvel, apparently. So it would be good to know today to prepare for tomorrow.

Still, I'm not anxious to turn my watermelons into pancakes, so I think I have some research to do on that "new way." In the meanwhile, got any mammogram stories you'd like to share? In particular about this "new way"?