The Autumn term is the longest and, in my opinion the toughest. This academic year 2018-19 the second half of the Autumn term was eight weeks long. It is is always busy on the run up to Christmas and this term was no different. However, there was a couple of new activities for me. The first was that I had met with the Chair of the Primrose Foundation and had a good chat which ended up with an invitation to read at the Carol Concert in aid of the charity. I was given the reading and took it to school to one of our Drama teachers to be coached into making sure it was a good reading. The service took place at the Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Boniface, it was a very chilly evening and my mum and daughter came with me – three generations, five boobs and one cannonball. The service was lovely and the Stanborough Chorus were amazing. The evening raised £600 for the Primrose Foundation.
The first of five… the first of an annual mammogram was booked in a couple of days later. Nick and I made our way to the Primrose Clinic on floor 7 of Derriford. I had developed “scanxiety” which was a silly feeling as I felt anxious about having a mammogram. Before the scan I had to be examined and met a new lady breast surgeon. New to me and new to Derriford. Ms Z met us in the examination room and asked “do you know why you are here?” to which I responded yes… “but do you?”. She knew, I knew so it was off with the Paso cape and on with the examination. Both the cannonball and normal breast appeared fine so I was discharged from this clinic and sent off to the mammogram room. Here a young woman told me that we’d start with the left breast.. I had a good chuckle with this and told her I didn’t think they’d want to do that as I reckoned the silicon implant might pop. We agreed that the right one would be screened as so it was arm up, breath in, stand clear, arm round, breath in, stand clear. The Radiographer told me that the results would be sent home in a couple of weeks and that was that. Nothing to worry about, no need for scanxiety, clothes on and off out of the clinic, down a flight of stairs, through the concourse and head home.
A letter arrived four days letter – all clear, no evidence of disease – come back in a year! First one done, four to go.
The Impatient Geography Patient 