Friday, February 17, 2017

Mammo-smash

I had my 2 year mammogram/boob sandwich X-rays done today.
Old hat.  I've done this before, was in an out in under 30 minutes, with no trauma done.  I know some women are very sore and tender when it comes to this X-ray, but I am not.  Not a big deal at all.  And, I got to go and enjoy the rest of my 70-degree sunny day!
The nurse said the radiologist would read the results on Monday, comparing them to last year's pictures, to see if there are any changes.  If anything causes concern, they will call me to come back for more pictures.  If I don't hear from them, I'll just be receiving a letter in the mail.  And I'll see my surgeon next in April.
I'm not concerned, but there is that little bit of anxiousness lurking in the back of my brain.  I tried to decipher from her face as she was looking from her computer if there was anything weird, but of course, I'm sure they are really good at disguising their facial expressions with this kind of thing.  So, we will see!

I read an article, The Disappearing Educator, today, and related to it in abundance.  Particularly this about trauma, and specifically "secondary trauma":
"[...] it’s no secret that teachers in urban and low-income schools are especially at-risk. The reason why occurred to her at a professional development session she attended to learn about the effects of trauma on kids.
“I thought, Wow, our teachers are experiencing the same ‘symptoms,’ so to speak,” said Giallombardo, president of the Battle Creek Education Association.
After further research she learned there was a name for the phenomenon, secondary trauma, in which people in helping occupations suffer burnout faster—from carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders and being asked to solve problems too big for individuals to fix alone."
Yep.

Well, that's all my thoughts for today!

Monday, February 6, 2017

Two year Cancer-versary

Yesterday marked 2 years as a cancer survivor! Boom!  After an unusually busy weekend, I decided to play hooky from work this afternoon and go celebrate, by enjoying some of my favorite things that downtown Lawrence has to offer.   Picked a nice day for it.  Its cloudy but the temperature is nice.  60 degrees.  Businesses have their doors and windows open.  A tease of spring, before it gets cold (and snows!) later this week.  Sigh...

So:

Yoga class.

Ladybird Lunch.


PIE.

Coffee shop time.


I haven't published anything in my blog for awhile, I noticed!  I haven't had much of note to say.   (all the craziness in politics this past few months was consuming my mind, but I WILL NOT BE WRITING OF SUCH THINGS.  In fact, I went on a radio ban last week.  I just couldn't handle listening to the news.)

I have been sometimes frustrated at work recently.  I realized, when I come home annoyed and frustrated, it was because I was caught in situations where I was forced to do things that ARE NOT  my job.  Lots of teacher absences, especially this time of year.  I do not like being a babysitter.  I am not skillful at convincing reluctant students to be productive in their teacher's absence.  Most of the time, I'm able to disappear and make myself useful, doing my job, in a different location.

It can just be uncomfortable.  I can mind my own business (and feel guilty like I'm not being a responsible adult) or I can get up in the business and be subjected to unpleasantness and frustration.  Its an odd situation to be in.  And doesn't happen very often.  Just more than normal this time of year.

Its almost like there's this teacher-demon inside of me, and it wants to do A THING, and heather-piano-accompanist, says no, don't do THAT THING.  That thing isn't your job, and then I end up doing THE THING, and regretting it.  Heather, just mind your own business.  You are no longer in charge of discipline, or instructional decisions.  But the teacher-demon is like, how can you just sit there, and let this happen.

Its the beauty of the situation, and also the ugly of the situation.

Other than that unpleasantness, things are fine.

So that's all the news for now.  I have my yearly mammogram scheduled for later this month.  I'm sure I'll take some time to write something then!