I have debated for months on whether “my story’ should be a blurb on my website. Decision made that I did want you to know my story! It was a Tuesday afternoon as I sat on an examination table in my doctor’s office. I recall a small cold room mostly empty except for the examination table and a small sitting stool on wheels. Walls painted in dull grey doing little for my scared waiting soul. This is where I was after an ultrasound, which had been ordered as a result of 6 months of excruciating pain episodes. Why did it take me 6 months to go to a doctor?  I owe that to my mom and her deafening words in my ears after my last episode “ you will die if you don’t go to a doctor? Yes in my head Die and Doctor made sense. So here I was waiting in my doctor’s office for the verdict!

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My gastroenterologist is a wonderful sweet Egyptian man; he is friendly and very caring. I say, “is” because he still exists but not on my speed dial. He entered the room and sat down on the little stool on wheels and announced in a very think accent “you have gall bladder stones – many!! You need to have surgery! He demanded I schedule it with Aida (his office assistant) for the coming Saturday – yes 3 days later I was to be admitted to a hospital for surgery. I had never had surgery! Broken limbs, cuts and bruises, flu, food poisoning but never surgery! So now I was to join the club of brave people who had experienced surgery and were often asked about the mystery scar somewhere on their person! I sat down on the floor of my living room, scared no actually petrified, alone with thoughts racing through my head. All this time there was this faint voice that kept saying, “You don’t need surgery!” As I have always been inclined to choose the less traveled path in my life (especially when in includes pain)