Otherwise known as... A Pressing Engagement on a Tuesday Afternoon
A couple of weeks ago I had a phone call from My County Imaging Center... the kind of call women hate once they've had their annual smooshing (as detailed in A Little Necessary Smooshing). They wanted to take another look with a mammogram and an ultrasound. Last year it was my left breast. This year... my right one.
At least I'm balanced.
After a bit of haranguing about the appointment time and date (don't they know I am a very busy and important school counselor with schedules to change and credits to evaluate?) we settled on Tuesday the 23rd, at 2:30. This meant I had to leave the office at two. Doable, right?
Today I set the alarm on my phone for 1:55. Time has a habit of disappearing into my computer screen, and I wanted to be sure I didn't miss my pressing engagement. (I have stolen this description from a woman I work with-- I think it's just marvelous!)
The alarm sounded, I turned off my computer, gathered my things, and signed out for the day. After I walked to my car, I attached my magical satellite radio, and I was off! Traffic is definitely heavier now that school is back in session. Lots of school buses were on the main highway through My Small Town. When I had an opportunity, I cut through to the nice back road that connects My Small Town to the Slightly Bigger Town where My County Imaging Center is located.
Fifteen minutes later, I was parked and in the center. Fifteen minutes after that, I'd been processed and I was wearing the pink kimono-esque robe in the private waiting room watching the news go bananas over the earthquake in the DC area. When I lived in Japan I was in lots of earthquakes. I am sure it's because the buildings are built earthquake-proof the way that buildings in Florida are constructed to be hurricane-proof, but they were no big deal.
Truthfully, though, we were always waiting for the Big One followed by a tsunami. I lived on the coast. It was a constant threat, but one that I tried to forget about through karaoke, sightseeing, and copious amounts of green tea. And beer. So yeah, I knew what happened in Japan this past spring might have happened at any time when I lived overseas, but there was too much fun to be had in the meantime. Besides, we never think things like that will happen to us. We're invincible, right?!
Sorry for that minor detour down earthquake lane.
After a few minutes of waiting and learning about all of the government and historical buildings that now have structural damage, I was called into the imaging room. Once again, what happens in the imaging room, stays in the imaging room. This time however, at the end of the smooshing, the tech had me return to the waiting room until they were ready for my ultrasound.
A short time later, a nice ultrasound nurse with a cute pixie cut (that I'm not brave enough to wear now that I'm attempting to grow my own hair into a gorgeously long and shiny style!) took me back to her cave. The nurse had house music playing in the dimly lit space while she ran the ultrasound sensor over me. It did not feel like a party... but a short time later I was dressed and on my way... this time, absolutely sure, that for now (and hopefully for always) my bosom is firm and lump-free.
A year from now I'll have another.... pressing engagement.
No comments:
Post a Comment