Just another body part

Before getting started with what brought me to this place of harboring what I sometimes not-so-lovingly refer to as a 'boulder' in my butt,  I want to clarify, 'we' (pretty much everyone but God) don't know for sure what this is yet. At least 'we're' 99% sure which is a heck of a lot closer than 'we' were just a week ago.  My team of oncology doctors at Scott and White are going with invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the anus, ie: anal cancer, so I am too.  It will all be confirmed with yet another biopsy the morning of the 10th.  This Wednesday.

Having invasive anal cancer  promotes much whispering in social circles.  For one, it has to do with words like, well, 'anus.'  Which, for whatever reason, is somewhat more uncomfortable to say than 'boob' or 'skin.'  It is also a cancer that can have direct links to the HPV virus (OMG, she had SEX,) HIV virus (OMG, he had sex . . .with a man,) smoking and *whisper*  . . .hemorrhoids.  Well, I'm here to tell you, folks, it's just another body part.  And in just a few short weeks, I've gone from  my own whispering to being able to talk about bloody stools and rectal exams at the supper table.  (Not to say it doesn't clear a room in a matter of seconds.)

I'm hoping that by sharing my story, awareness to the symptoms of a crappy disease will be heightened, I will maybe even encourage an early diagnosis for someone else, and I can openly share that, yes, having cancer is insanely scary.  But, to me, it's not as scary as, say, crashing to the ground from an airplane into Caddo Lake from 35,000 feet.(I'm thinking alligators, drowning and oh yes, that dastardly impact) or being pulled to doom while in a tight spot exploring dark underground caves by unidentified and really ugly creatures (think 'The Descent.') Cancer's not THAT scary.

With cancer, there's always hope. . . .while with crashing into Caddo Lake from 35,000 ft or being eaten alive by demonic cave dwellers, there's not so much.