Oh wow, Kate! I was just saying the fact that it hasn't gone above freezing here is actually helping things after our little snow and ice the other day -- the sun has been out, so between that and salt, the streets and sidewalks are nice and clear.

Meanwhile the drought here in SELA is so bad cypress trees are dying all over town. It’s warmed up today but back to a high of 45 tomorrow, so I’m leaving up all my Jerry-rigged extreme weather measures.

Hi Kate! Good to see your pixels. That is crazy for Tennessee.

Laura, don’t leave us hanging - how did the swimsuits go over?

I’m now three for three ending the work week with a migraine this year. I left at lunch yesterday. I need to find a new job fast, this isn’t working for anyone anymore. I’m half tempted to see if I can get a Mardi Gras job and make some quick bank. My therapist thinks that’s a bit impulsive. She spoils all my fun.

Laura, don’t leave us hanging - how did the swimsuits go over?

They absolutely loved them. My son happened to have a shirt with him that was a perfect match and while we were out and about going to the dog park and out to dinner a number of people remarked on the awesomeness. His friends last night loved it too. Since hers is a 2 piece she wasn't wearing it out and about, but it is also super cute for the pool and beach. Picture of son from my FB page - [link]

So last night I had the breast MRI that I'm supposed to have six months after my mammogram every year since they found suspicious cells when they did my breast reduction. Well, now I have "a 7 mm x 10 mm x 10 mm oval, heterogenous mass with irregular margins scene in the lower outer quadrant of the left breast in the posterior depth," and they want me to come in for a biopsy, and I'm terrified. I have messages into my primary care provider and the care navigator at the hospital, but no one has called me back yet, and did I mention I'm terrified?

That is very scary, Susan. Sending all the ain't nothing to see here ~ma. In the meantime while waiting for a response, a reminder to not see Dr. Google. Also!! Call her back ~ma! It seems you never get anything but recordings.

Susan, yikes! I hope you get some comforting answers soon.

My son happened to have a shirt with him that was a perfect match

I clicked over and totally laughed out loud. Perfect indeed.

I dropped my car off this morning, ran into a friend at the coffee shop, walked to therapy, then walked to the library and took a streetcar back home. Now I’m walking around the corner to a bar for king cake and possibly a spontaneous dance party. I am doing my damndest to undo what this work week did to me. It was really not good. There has been scream crying and intrusive thoughts while holding a (very old, actual silver plate, totally dull) knife.

UGH. Turns out my primary care doc isn't in today, so the clinic was holding the fax from the hospital for her to look at on Monday. They suggested I message her on Spruce (the app they use to communicate with patients) and I said I had but hadn't heard anything, so the front desk was going to send her another message.

This is a clinic that has like 5 or 6 doctors/NPs on staff, but they can't just have another doctor send in the referral--she has to see it. I don't understand this at all. All I want to do is A) talk to someone who understands what's going on and can kind of give me parameters to help me cope until I know more, and B) get the first available biopsy appointment so I can get definite information and start any treatment needed ASAP. Why do they make this so hard?

{{{Susan}}} I hope your doctor gets back to you soon. My mom just had a small mass removed after her follow up biopsy was cancerous, and they got it all. Just as a reminder that early detection is effective because there are good established treatments. In hopes that that helps.

Timelies all!

{{{Susan}}}

It snowed again today. Mr. S had the day off from school, which makes 3 out of 4 days this week. Roads were awful this morning, as not much plowing occurred. Getting to work was an adventure.

Didn’t help that I got less than 6 hours of sleep last night. I went to the house to do laundry, but there was so much that I had to do two loads. I didn’t get back to the room until after 12.

I was able to talk to the care navigator from Fred Hutch cancer center who was in my chart as having contacted my PCP. A big part of what was freaking me out was that they were already involving the Hutch folks, but it turned out that one of this nurse's Other Duties As Assigned is to coordinate when a patient who doesn't get their primary care at one of the UWMC clinics needs extra testing. (One of her comments was, "You seem like a really lovely person, but if all goes well we'll never need to talk again.") She said that at this point the most likely outcomes were "false alarm" and "cancer caught so early that the prognosis will be excellent." Which is what some of y'all, not to mention Dylan, were telling me, but it's just more soothing coming from a nurse at a cancer center!

And as I was typing this message, my PCP messaged me back to saying she's having one of the doctors who's on site today sign off on the referral, and the clinic will let me know as soon as that's done. So I'm feeling less immediate anxiety, but I'd still love to faceplant into a box of Belgian chocolate and comfort re-read Bujold books and Murderbot until I can get the biopsy over with and get results.