Thanks to those who have written words of encouragement and kept me in your thoughts and prayers. Yes, even as an atheist I can appreciate prayers – if you care enough to intercede with your god for me, I take it as a sign of affection, and affection never hurts. Besides, I have so many… Continue reading Death by Waiting
Tag: health
Biopsy: Digging to China Through My Breast
Well, that was extremely unpleasant. First there was the wait, from Thursday to Tuesday, going through stages from: “I certainly don’t have cancer, they’re just being careful” to: “Ohmigod I’m going to die!” I spent a lot of the weekend working hard in the garden – a very good distraction. Saturday afternoon Enrico and I… Continue reading Biopsy: Digging to China Through My Breast
Difficult Breasts
I had my first mammogram about ten years ago, around age 35. I was surprised when the gynecologist I was seeing suggested it; I thought routine mammogram screening didn’t start til age 40 or 45. He said: Lei ha un seno difficile – “You have difficult breasts.” By which he meant that they were naturally… Continue reading Difficult Breasts
Dental Trauma
At five months, human babies love the world and trust everybody in it. When I took her in for a routine pediatric checkup, my daughter Rossella smiled and gurgled and laughed, assuming that everyone in the world loved her, and nothing and no one would hurt her. The checkup required that a little blood be… Continue reading Dental Trauma
The Land of Illness
Another “country beginning with i” which is unfortunately very familiar to me is Illness. I have spent a lot of my life being ill. Perhaps the earliest memory I have (of any kind) is of green bathroom tiles, and myself screaming. I had a high fever, so my parents thrust me into an ice-cold shower.… Continue reading The Land of Illness