Second Base

When you live in a house of boys, some things are normal conversation.  Male body parts, inappropriate sounds...well, you get the point.  And while I am the lucky one that gets treated like a princess every day, girly things are pretty much a taboo subject.  There is no talk of PMS or girly parts.  We would never discuss the ever embarrassing tampon either.  So tonight, this isn't for the boys.  It's for every girl I know.

Just before Christmas, I was feeling pretty crumby.  I chalked it up to the "faux" PMS feelings (that's what you get after a hysterectomy).  When the pain started, I did what every girl has been taught to do but sometimes forgets - a self breast exam.  That's when I found the lump.  And in true girl form, I didn't want to worry any of the boys so I said nothing to them. 

I did tell our family doctor and today was the day to have it checked out.  Accompanied by the best friend a girl could ask for, I spent the afternoon at the Center for Breast Care at Bethesda North.  I'm still processing the few hours I spent in that waiting room filled with pink shirts.  So many women, all ages, all races, all religions...all with one thing in common.  I tried to be positive, but you know that not everyone in that room was getting great news.  So for two hours, I hoped and prayed it was me. 
After two mammograms and two separate ultrasounds, I was blessed enough to be one of the girls that left with great news.  A cyst (actually, four of them) but nothing more serious.  I'm still hoping the woman that was there for cancer treatment follow up got the same good news.

So here's my public service announcement.  CHECK yourself every month.  You don't have to talk about it, you just have to do it.  As the boys would say, do everything you can to save second base.