Clean Bill of Health

I show up for my annual physical and am pronounced healthy.

This is the first page of so many cancer stories.

Weight: 161.8 lbs.

Blood pressure: 120/70

Temperature: 98.1

Oxygen in blood: 96%

Dr. Wolford does a breast exam and reminds me to get my annual mammogram.

She suggests getting the vaccination against shingles: Zostavax - $245.

Blood samples are taken to check on things like whether I might be developing late-onset diabetes.

No big deal--just another annual physical--but actually I have cancer in my left breast, and it's been growing for about a year.

Brushes with Cancer

My annual physical was scheduled for today, but I postponed it in order to attend the memorial service of the father of Kathleen, one of my daughter Marie's friends.

He died of cancer after fighting it for many years.

Also this month I am faithfully applying the Aldara cream to my right cheek, where Dr. Shim removed a pre-cancerous spot on December 24.

As I daub it on the pink spot, I reflect on whether there might be a cancer somewhere else that I don't know about.  

The dermatologist can do a visual exam to find these spots, but who knows if there are spots developing in some hidden place, the pancreas or the colon?