Not a Funny Post

This has nothing to do with what I'm
writing about. You're welcome.

There are some things I've been aware of almost my entire life. Most of them aren't worth thinking about or writing about, though some of them will likely make it into my writing at some point. There's nothing quite like being the odd duck in a family of eagles to give you a perspective on some things.

No, this post is about something I've been aware of for almost as long as I can remember. I can remember sitting in the laundry room with my mom and talking about how it works and explaining it to my brother at a kitchen table a few years later.

Of all things, this post is about cancer.

My paternal grandmother died of ovarian cancer when I was 8 years old. She'd had it for 14 years which is downright miraculous for that type of cancer. She was, we think (looooong story behind that statement, 52 years old. This means she got it in her late 30's.

Ovarian cancer is one of the scariest types of cancer's you can have as an adult. There's almost no way to tell you have it until it's almost too late to do anything about it. One of the most predictive factors is if you have a relative who's had it. On my dad's side of the family, the answer is a most definite yes. On my mom's, they don't talk about that kind of thing (but problems with the feminine parts seems to run rampant through that side, as well).

Lately, I seem to be having all the medical problems that run rampant through my family gang up on me all at once. The thyroid problem that everybody but my mom seems to have hit me at 21 rather than in my mid 30's and the scary bleeding that hit everybody else in their 40's has decided that now would be a good time to start. This brings me to the point of why hasn't anybody since my grandmother been diagnosed with ovarian cancer? Well, they all had their ovaries removed around the time when they would have gotten it.

Need a minute? 

I guess that's one way of handling it.

So, to say I'm a little freaked out about my health this last year is a bit of an understatement.

I've also been feeling a bit more driven to accomplish what I want to nownownow rather than take my time and do it while I do other things. Maybe I'm just jumping at shadows, but I worry some times that I won't be around to finish everything that I want to.

I donate to charities that help fund research for cancer's that effect women as often as possible and I pray for a way to detect it earlier. I'm also making an appointment with my doctor. Again.



Ovarian Cancer Symptoms:

• • Abdominal pressure, fullness, swelling or bloating
  • Pelvic discomfort or pain
  • Persistent indigestion, gas or nausea
  • Changes in bowel habits, such as constipation
  • Changes in bladder habits, including a frequent need to urinate
  • Loss of appetite or quickly feeling full
  • Increased abdominal girth or clothes fitting tighter around your waist
  • A persistent lack of energy
  • Low back pain

  Courtesy of the Mayo Clinic