Upcoming MRI, Coughs, Cooking, and "The Hat"

I'm finally caught up with posts I had missed. It's been a crazy few weeks, and we're not finished yet. DH is at least staying away from me, so I'm coughing less and think I might be able to pull off this MRI tomorrow after all. At least that's my hope. I'm not sure I'll do the Valium, though. I seem to be able to control my coughing a bit better if I'm not befuddled. And, looking at images on-line, it's not a totally enclosed chamber - it's a tunnel. I can usually handle tunnels as long as I can see the exit. So ... we'll see how I do tomorrow. 

I don't have claustrophobia if I can see an out, 
so I think I'll actually be OK. I'll be enclosed, but 
not 100% locked in. As the saying goes: There's 
light at the end of the tunnel. LOL

What I do know for a fact is that my doctor needs the imaging to make sure she knows exactly where the tumor is located. That's kind of important stuff - LOL. Me? I'm more worried about where I check into the hospital for the surgery. It's a very large hospital, and I want to make sure I can do it efficiently, not waste time going from one location to another. I think I'll phone my Doc and ask the team this question so that we're all now wasting time. 

United Hospital is a large hospital near downtown 
Saint Paul, MN. The last thing I want is to check in 
at the wrong side of it and be late for the surgery 
on the 4th. I have time to check that out, though. 

Today I'm grocery shopping, depositing DH's check and paying a lot of bills, and making soup. I'm still undecided about what soup I'll make, but it's cold up here in the Frozen Northlands, and soup is my go-to in cold temps. The last one I made, the cabbage soup, was WONDERFUL. I absolutely loved it and I'll make that one again. But not today. Variety is the spice of life, after all. 

I'm in the mood for a nice vegetable soup today. I'll have to 
see what veggies look good when I go to the store in an 
hour or so. 

So we're starting out another Trump presidency. It's four years that we have to check off on our calendars, and we can only hope that we'll still be an independent nation of mixed peoples and cultures after those four years have passed. I have to say that I loved Melania's choice of headgear. She could stand up there, look prim and polished, and ignore 90% of what was happening around her. Nobody could tell the difference. LOL. 

I have to give her credit - not everyone could have 
pulled of the "Lady of Mystery and Mourning" that 
Melania managed at the changeover of power ceremonies. 
I actually rather like the hat ... on her! LOL

"Honey, did you see how masterfully I took over my old 
job?"

"No dear, I couldn't see a thing in front of me." LOL

Have an excellent Wednesday. Tomorrow is the MRI, but I think I'll still have the opportunity to post, although it might be a short post. If I don't post early, I'll post late and let everyone know if I freaked out or not - LOLOL. Slava Ukraini. 

Biopsy Report and Today's Agenda - Healing and Cleaning

I survived my breast biopsy, and I can report to anyone looking at possibly having that procedure. In my personal experience, although it wasn't the most comfortable thing I've ever gone through, it wasn't painful. That might be because I had a great Doc doing the work - she's the specialist at the clinic and she definitely knew what she was doing. There were uncomfortable moments, but nothing actually painful. I had worn the bra I own that supports my breasts the best, and I'm wearing the second of the two today, just to keep things in place and without movement. Thanks to everyone for thinking positive thoughts for me during this procedure. Now to wait for the lab results. 

So I had what is called a CORE Needle Biopsy - the type 
most highly recommended because it pulls out larger samples 
than a simple needle biopsy. I was told that most women 
bruise after the procedure, but looking at my breast this 
morning, I must be one of the exceptions, because I didn't 
see any bruising. What's the difference in biopsy types? 
Here's a video that explains them: https://youtu.be/XfSi77xoMjs

I got home from the breast clinic, skipping the grocery store, and went to sleep for a couple of hours. I was absolutely exhausted. I know that was emotional exhaustion, but emotional or physical, I was out. I did go grocery shopping later in the day and I'll make a nice batch of stew today. I'm already looking forward to it. DH gave me the option of taking today off, and tomorrow is a normal day off for me, so I'll actually have three days off in a row. (I've already apologized to Chickie for abandoning her solo for three days). 

The breast center does a booming business, which is rather 
sad in some respects, and excellent in others. I was amazed 
that there was more than one Sandra in the waiting room. 
They figured out which of us they needed, and she proceeded 
in while I waiting for another 15 minutes or so. 

Although Chickie Mama had offered to accompany me to the clinic, I turned her down. I really didn't need another person there, and just wanted to internalize and center myself. I don't regret that decision at all - it was exactly what I needed. 

I can't deal with my desk any more. I have an unexpected day 
off today, and I'm going to take advantage of it and clean this 
mess up. I can't see the surface of my desk at all any more. 
Shame on me! 

I'm looking for two checks that the store issued to me earlier this year that I haven't deposited. I'm not finding them, so today will be a "Sandi's Cleaning her Desk" day. It desperately needs it, my stacks of paper in front of my computer monitor are at least six inches tall. *sigh* A lot of paperwork to have to go through, but hopefully most of it can be shredded and I can have a functional desk once again. That's what's on today's agenda while the soup cooks. I hope you have a wonderful Thursday. I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Checking In - Very Short - Running a Bit Late

Just a very short post today as I head over to the Breast Cancer center. I promise I'll let people know when I know, but right now I'm running slightly late and need to get going. So, a VERY short and truncated post today, and I'll (hopefully) have things to report tomorrow. Keep well, stay warm (or cool for my Southern Hemisphere friends) and I'll be back on Thursday morning. Slava Ukraini. 

This and That and Decisions Made (I Think), blah, blah, blah

DH and I had a rather relaxing day yesterday, watching football and just kicking back. He was all tense for the Vikings game in the evening, I was tense because of my breast cancer BS Wednesday morning. All in all, it was a nice day - relaxing at least - but an annoying day at the same time. I'm sure you've all had days like that. When I finally turned out the lights and tried to get some sleep, I was on schedule to get at least 5-6 hours - pretty normal for me. But I ended up waking up around midnight, went down to the computer, and spent an hour researching the procedure that I'll have done on Wednesday. 

Apparently my possible tumor is located in the 
10:00 position LCC. At least, I know it's the 
10:00 position, but it might be the RCC. I have no 
idea. It is the right breast, so maybe it's higher than 
I thought it was. In any case, the people doing the 
sample will know where they need to aim. 

My major conundrum (and how often do you have the opportunity to say or spell that word?) is whether I would take Claire up on her offer to drive me to and fro tomorrow, or would drive myself. I think I have come to the conclusion that I'll probably drive myself. It's a local anesthetic, and even though the procedure might have some discomfort involved, it shouldn't be anything major. I can get myself home within 30 minutes of getting into my car, and I'll just tumble right into bed and go to sleep. Claire lives on the opposite side of town, so it would be a considerable drive back and forth for her. It was fabulous of her to offer, but I think I'll turn her down. 

Although I really appreciated Claire's offer to drive me to and 
fro from my appointment on Wednesday, it's only a 15 minuted 
drive back home, so I think I'll be just fine doing it on my own. 

I was going to hit the treadmill toady, but simply didn't feel up to it with the short sleep I got. So, I did a somewhat longer morning meditation, took my shower, made my cups of tea and settled down to write this before I have breakfast and head off to work. One good thing, though. The missing part from my treadmill has arrived and they contacted me to get installation scheduled. I'm trying for Friday, but I'll phone them today to get that locked in. As it is, Friday will be quite packed - it's the only day I'll have for cooking this week. 

Oy vey! We'll have to put off our chat again this week. 
By the time we can talk again, there will be so much 
to catch up on, we'll be busy doing that for the full hour! 

Also, Aearwen, I'll have to pass on our weekly chat on Wednesday. As it is, this week looks like a wash and I hope I'll be sleeping when I should be chatting with you. LOL I know you'll understand, but we MUST make it next week. We have TOO much to catch up on! 

Have an excellent Monday and Slava Ukraini. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Good News, Bad News, and a Holiday Get-Together

Yesterday's schedule was taken up by my appointment for my secondary breast exam. I was a bit nervous, as would be expected, but they were so professional and focused and very expert, I at least felt I was in capable hands. After a thorough pressing (women will know exactly what I'm talking about - LOL), I was put into a waiting room while they reviewed the images. Then I was called in and they did a more thorough exam using ultrasound. Well, that one showed a small possible tumor near the exterior side of my right breast. After another thorough exam by a specialist, I now have an appointment for Wednesday to get an "ultrasound guided biopsy". 

Did you play "Marco Polo" when you were young? I 
remember playing it often when I was a kid in the pool. 

There's something about the term "ultrasound guided biopsy" that reminds me of the old swimming pool game of "Marco Polo" that we used to play when we were children. That scattered group of kids calling back and forth to themselves, trying to avoid the one child who had been appointed to tag each of them while blindfolded. Fortunately, in this case, I don't think the technicians will be blindfolded at all - LOL. The possible tumor is 6mm in size, so fairly small, but not as small as I want. Still, nothing to be done about it except to show up on Wednesday and let them do what they need to do. I might have to stay away from the pool for a couple of days while things heal properly, so I guess I'll be on the treadmill a bit more often next week. 

Apparently what they will do is give me a couple of 
numbing shots, then use a larger needle, guided 
via ultrasound, to target the mass so that they can 
get a biopsy. They'll examine the biopsy and let 
me know if this is cancer or if it is benign. Since I'm 
needle phobic anyway, this won't be an appointment 
that I'll be looking forward to. But better to know 
than not, and techniques and treatments have
improved a lot over the last decades. 

Of course, DH barely acknowledged that I had been at the clinic at all, and had no interest in my discussing any of the findings with him. He doesn't deal well with mortality, operating more on the "If I don't think about it, bad things won't happen." mentality. In other words, completely nonproductive. I would have really love a good cuddle last night, I didn't get one. *sigh*

This is absolutely stunning and I'm looking for the 
perfect place to hang it. I adore it and am VERY 
happy with it. Great choice, Sharon! 

But I did get a cuddle from afar. A gift from Sharon (my delayed holiday gift) arrived, and it's simply beautiful! A Celtic seasonal/annual calendar featuring an owl at the center. I've got it strung up and am contemplating where I want to hang it. It was a totally delightful and positive message to receive amidst all of the angst and BS of yesterday. 

I made my next batch of baked fruit and set two larger 
containers aside to bring to the family get-together. I'll 
probably leave one in the car and bring the other into the 
house with me. That'll keep the other one cold. I suspect 
one is all I'll need, in any case, but I'll have a reserve just 
in case. 

Today we have the family holiday get-together. We'll make the final hour of the three hour invitation, and I'm bringing a container (or two) of my baked fruit to share. It's scheduled for 4-7 pm, and the earliest we'll be there will be 5:30-6:00. Oh well, no choices here - it's a Saturday, we have to print out the weekly sales report which is the longer one at the end of the day before we shut the shop computers down for the rest of the weekend. 

So, all of you have a fabulous and fantastic weekend for me. I want lots of positive vibes and reports on Monday morning to brighten my week ahead. *Hugs* to all, Slava Ukraini.