DAY 5: Breast Cancer Journal

Our Health

Discussion

October 3, 2009

Anonymous The Meadville Tribune Sat Oct 03, 2009, 12:52 AM EDT

Spent the day in the doctor’s office and all looked well, woke up this morning with a baseball under my arm.

What the heck is this, did they forget something, is there a bleeder, what did I do to cause this and how do I stop it?

It is not becoming to say the least, I don’t have a midriff bulge, and I have an armpit bulge.

Not easy to hide that one!

Off to work I go, but what a nuisance. What am I supposed to do now?

I call long distance and get the secretary who will leave a message for the nurse, and the nurse will then call me and I can relay my story and she will tell the doctor and then they will call me back.

Will that be today ... or next month?

I continue on my daily schedule with my beeper on, waiting for the call.

I do get it mid-morning and I explain I had seen the doctor yesterday but today I have a baseball under my arm. She will get back to me.

Being the nurse I am (but not at this point, I am all patient), I seek out others for answers and, after several different people and different doctors, I am told that it is a seroma (which is clear serous fluid that sometimes develops after surgery).

Bingo, the answer!

Now what can I do about it?

In the meantime, the nurse has called and told me I must make the long-distance trip back and go to the Emergency Department and someone will see me there.

Another day off work and another day of travel?

Can’t something be done?

The tall and short of this is that it was taken care of and rather succinctly without a lot of muss and fuss locally, but I was scared and lost and the phone call was less than comforting.

Unfortunately it had to be drained more than once but I was better prepared when it happened again and better able to deal with the situation and outcome.

I like the personal touch, knowing the person on the other side knows who I am, what I am about and what I am dealing with.

That familiarity is a comfort to me and nothing to be taken for granted.

Oh, yes, I did have a fudgesicle afterwards.

Text Only

Our Health

Elderly, disabled and their caregivers have tremendous new local resource
The new Crawford County Link isn’t a place, but an information network to help people age 60 and older or those between 18 and 59 with disabilities stay living independently.

May 22, 2012
Teaching others brings great rewards
For the past seven years, I have been coordinating a sports fitness program for children known as Way To Win for Life (better known by the kids as W2W). While the program exists to help increase physical activity among children, this year has seen an unanticipated result among the instructors.

May 1, 2012
There’s a new children’s game in town: BEAM –– Balanced Eating and Movement
In the fall of 2010, I approached Meadville Mayor Christopher Soff about signing Meadville up as a “Let’s Move City.” Intrigued by the idea, he passed it along to a collaborative committee consisting of administrators from Meadville Medical Center, Allegheny College and the City of Meadville (coined, MAC).

April 9, 2012
Heart health: Take risk factors into your own hands
February 15, 2012
Work toward eating well ... most of the time
January 10, 2012
Christmas feasting: Enjoy but don't go overboard
December 14, 2011
Adult Halloween - Spooky tricks to keeping candy calories in line
October 11, 2011
Whole grains for a healthier diet
September 29, 2011
Oral health, personal safety key issues in Crawford County
August 15, 2011
Fad-free nutrition: July is picnic month
July 2, 2011
More Our Health Headlines

Two of five Americans are on Facebook. It seems that everyone has strong opinions of either liking the program ... or despising it. As for you:

Our Health

Search Results

Discussion

DAY 5: Breast Cancer Journal

Two of five Americans are on Facebook. It seems that everyone has strong opinions of either liking the program ... or despising it. As for you:

Site Map

Contact Us