I will begin this post by stating that I am fine. I am going to be okay. Typically, I am opposed to sharing something so personal via the web unless, of course, it's hilarious. Inspiration struck about an hour ago and, though you may be reading this after several days have passed and I've begun to regret the decision to be so open, I promise to leave this posted because it is important information.
Cancer is a terrifying thing and, even though I've known people to die from and overcome it, I have never thought about it beyond the scope of its mere existence. As a young buck (Actually, I suppose I'm a doe.) no one imagines they'll have to seek an answer to that dreaded question- Is it cancer? The term "cancer scare" now has a whole new meaning to me.
Luckily, when I discovered my body's latest...uh...development, I was a week away from an already scheduled appointment. I spent one agonizing weekend worrying that I could be knocking on death's door. After that appointment, where I was told I was not allowed to worry or stress which did not work, I was referred to Stroger hospital. As a newly insured American citizen, I did not have a regular doctor to see and all recommended physicians had mile-long waiting lists.
Another agonizing couple of days. A trip to the ER because, apparently, that's how you start things at Stroger. Initially, I was told that my insurance would not cover the cost of the ER visit to which I responded, "You mean I have to pay out the ass and jump through hoops to find out I'm not dying of cancer?" I don't know if it was my talent for being extremely blunt when I am scared or the tears I shed that won over the administrator's heart, but she personally walked down to Stroger's financial services office to make certain I was covered. I was. Considering I would have left without treatment had I not been, I am grateful for this woman and glad that I terrified her.
Hours later, I was sitting on a cold table in the emergency room, my heart pounding out of my chest, the nurse asks, "What brings you in today?"
"Um. I found something. In my breast. I want to make sure it's not cancer."
My voice was shaky. I was timid. It was the first time I'd said it aloud to anyone while looking them in the face, and I wanted to handle this with discretion. (I'd handle it publicly later.) She made some notes on my chart, told me the doctor would be in shortly and, closing the door behind her as she exited, shouted, "IT'S HER BREAST!" So much for being discrete. The doctor came in, felt of the thing, said, "Yep," and scheduled me for another appointment. More worry. More stress. Another appointment at a clinic that had clearly not been remodeled since the late 70's. Still no answers. This happened twice more before my favorite doctor throughout this entire process said, "I'm going to stick a needle in this."
These words should have terrified me but, on the contrary, they gave me a bit of relief. Not to go into too much detail but sticking a needle into this sucker could tell her whether or not it was a cyst or something much more sinister. Favorite doctor (Should have learned her name)set up an appointment for an ultrasound, which meant there would be more waiting. The thing I had was indeed a cyst but, as she put it creepily, "There could be something lurking behind it." I was given my choice of bandaid- "Barbie, peace sign, princess frog, or Disney princesses?" - for the spot on my ta-ta where I'd been pierced with a needle. Wasn't this a place for, I don't know, adults?
"Uh...peace sign?"
Upon seeing my psychedelic bandage, I contemplated doing a ton of flashing that day, but I didn't.
For the ultrasound appointment one month later, I sat in a mammography clinic full of women where the receptionist used always gross to hear, "Ma'am?" whenever she needed anyone's attention. Because, when you're in a room full of thirty women, that's the easiest way to single out a specific individual. I kept telling myself to find the comedy in this situation, so I was grateful this woman existed and that her method was so piss poor. I sat in my chair and played with my new, pink breast cancer awareness pen until my name was called. Worry.
I saw the ultrasound tech. She asked if I'd ever had an ultrasound before and, after a game of "Who's on first?" we both understood that I had not. She spread the goop on me and looked at the cloudy abyss that is the inside of my body. It occurred to me how I'd always imagined my first ultrasound. I never thought I would be nervous about it. Happy would have been more like it. I kept hoping she would say, "It's not cancer, Casey. You're just pregnant...in your boob." I don't particularly want a baby at this stage in life, but at least I'd know what to do with one. How do you nurture a cancer? Instead of giving me any feedback, however, she said, "You'll have to see the doctor. He'll be here in about thirty minutes. Please get dressed and go back out to the waiting room." Great. Another half an hour of waiting, more goop, and finally! The ultrasound confirmed that Favorite Doctor was correct. This was a cyst and, most importantly, it was not sinister and there was nothing lurking beyond it. I didn't have cancer. A weight was lifted from my shoulders.
I've been to Stroger once since the ultrasound for a follow up. I will have to go back in six months just to make sure everything is okay. In the past four months, I have had about ten medical appointments. There's a reason why I am eager to see the end of this year. I'm tired of cold exam tables and paper gowns. All things considered, I am grateful for those appointments because they gave me peace of mind and put the rest of my year into perspective. In the past twelve months I have:
-Written, co-produced and performed in my own one-person show
-Attempted and survived stand-up comedy many times
-Been a storyteller
-Said goodbye to one great roommate and friend but gained a new great roommate in a two week span
-Started work on two other plays as well as mapped out plans for a sketch revue
-Started a brand new job at Second City- a place I've loved and worshiped since way before I knew I would make Chicago my home
Everything I experienced this year caused me stress and worry. My first thought when I found this thing was that everything had been a waste. Of course I'd get cancer after a couple of months of finally feeling settled and fulfilled. Why wouldn't I? And how great of me to be a worrier all my life? I had ruined perfectly good days of living by being freaked out that my shoes were dirty, or my mom had a headache, or my windshield wipers needed to be replaced. Now, here I was, at the potential end of my life, and I would fret about what was killing me. A few weeks into the process, I realized that stress and worry were in fact my strongest motivators, because they kept me going back for answers. I had to make certain I was well, to eliminate that stress because I still had work to do. Fun to have. Stress to manage. Things to make and other stupid shit to worry about.
Thinking you could have cancer makes you appreciate the following:
*Production schedules
*Comedy
*Theatre
*Music
*Friends who sit with you in the ER and buy you giant Hello Kitty dolls
*Moms, grandmothers, aunts, and best friends who listen as you cry into the phone and offer words of encouragement
*Roommates who make you laugh and make you food
*Boyfriends who know the importance of wine and strong shoulders
*Love, as gross as it is
*Planned Parenthood
*Gchat
*Fucking Lifetime movies
*Harry Potter, especially those last two movies. Glad I lived to see those!
*Work, but not too much work
*Sitting on the stoop watching your neighbors interact with their dogs and children
*Beer
*Fat cats
*Peace sign bandaids
*Text messages from my dad about weird last names he heard
*Slamming my thumb in a car door
*This pad thai that I am currently eating
*Trips to New York
*and football
I'm just kidding about that last one, but I think that's a pretty stellar list. I used to believe that I would be famous by now. I thought I would be selling out shows on Broadway, starring in major motion pictures, creating brilliant art that spoke to the world, and/or publishing novels that set the world on fire. I haven't done any of those things. At the end of the day, I am just a lady who does regular stuff and makes things she hopes people will like. I'm not saying I'll never stress over little things or where my life is headed. I believe I can attribute 80% of my personality to the presence of stress in my life and how I handle it. (I deal with it like a crazy person, by the way.) Most importantly, though, stress means I'm alive. It means I have a life. Even if I'm not where I thought I would be, I am someplace good even if I don't always remember that.
I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm glad I'm not dying? Not at an accelerated speed anyway. I have a new understanding and respect for those who have lived with cancer. I get it. The fear is palpable even if you don't have it. Getting yourself checked is important, ladies. Peace of mind is everything! I am incredibly lucky to be out of the woods and surrounded by supportive people. Instead of worrying about my day-to-day stress, I'm going to embrace it and then move past it. You'll probably hear me bitch a lot. Just remind me in times like that, friends, that I am not sick, it's just a bad day. Also, remind me that I once had a ten-day vacation...which I should be packing for at this very moment instead of writing this. Fuck.
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