Three Doctors for Three Square Inches

One woman’s exposure to the medical-industrial complex

Cancer. I hate that word. Unfortunately, it’s also my astrological sign which I prefer to call the sign of the crab. Better to think of myself as born under the sign of a sideways-walking critter than a disease that kills. Especially since I’ve had cancer, had to get up close and personal with it. Fortunately for me, our relationship was brief, kind of like “slam, bam, thank you, ma’am” as the surgeon was able to fully excise the unwanted cancerous cells from my uterus … as well as the rest of my reproductive organs.

I was 43 and not at all looking forward to being drop-kicked into menopause. I had endometrial cancer, associated with too much estrogen in my body. Key risk factors are early onset of menstruation (I had been 9 when I got the “curse”) and nulliparous (I’ve never given birth). This all happened in 2001 and I’ve been considered “cancer free” since five years after my surgery.

But I’m not here to write about my cancer. That is just for context in this, my latest rant on the joy of aging.

Since I’ve been cancer free, I no longer need to have pelvic exams (because there’s no there there). However, the fear of recurring cancer has not left me. Some studies have shown an associated risk of colon cancer so I’m a good girl and keep up with my colonoscopies. I also do … or I should say did … self-exams.

I learned all about my body from that book, and I wish I still had my original copy (it was so 1970s!). From OBOS, I learned to examine my vulva with a magnifying mirror and even get a look at my cervix using a plastic speculum. Ah, those were the days when my back had real flexibility.

But I digress. Back to my story. Because I still fear cancer, once my doctor stopped with the pelvic exams, I started examining myself. Usually that just means a quick inspection after a shower and usually that results…

Related posts:

It has been almost five years since I wrote a blog post. I began Inesianion when I was twelve years old, fresh off the airplane from a school trip to Bali. I wrote briefly, almost like making a…

Sixteen year old Shuhrat Kabir is an incoming junior at John F. Kennedy High School who has defied the odds in what she can or cannot do as a business student. She has been heavily involved in the…

Cualquier enfoque de la educación que se adapte a las necesidades de una amplia variedad de estudiantes debe considerarse favorablemente. En este momento, hay muchas personas en el mundo que están…