Here's to your health

Today has been a strange day following a path to good health. It started with a trip to Albuquerque with a good friend to keep an appointment with my dermatologist.  A few weeks ago I noticed a small growth below my eye, that had existed for some time, seemed to be growing. I first had my primary care doctor look at it and although she didn't think it was serious she suggested making an appointment with my dermatologist, which I did.

Bright and early this morning my friend, Ginny, and I were off to the big city. We arrived about an hour early and decided to check out Trader Joe's. We have never shopped in that market without buying something and today was no exception. If you are looking for healthy this is the place to go. I ended up with a bag of Minneapolis (small oranges), honey wheat pretzel sticks, orange flavored dried cranberries and just for the heck of it, a bag of veggie & flax-seed tortilla chips. That should give me enough munchies for awhile.

After our little diversion we ended up in the parking lot of Dermatology Consultants. While I kept my appointment, Ginny, who doesn't like to waste time, decided to walk around the neighborhood. She has a certain amount of steps she likes to take daily to keep fit.

Face to face with my doctor I showed him what I was concerned about. At first he said the growth was benign, but then decided he wanted to do a biopsy and send it to the lab, just to make sure. I calmly asked, "can you freeze it?", hoping for the least painful approach. His answer was, "No I have to cut it out".

The most painful part of the procedure was not the cutting it was the needle, necessary to numb the area. I tried to remain calm and still through the brief surgery. It is a good thing I have complete trust in my doctor and the decisions he makes to keep my skin healthy. I have been going to him since my daughter, now 33, was in the 6th grade.  Fair skin and sun do not mix well. He always reminds me it is not what I am doing now it is what I did years ago.

Our next stop was something we had been looking forward to since I made the appointment. Lunch at the Tomato Cafe. Ginny had introduced me to this fabulous eatery on our last trip to Albuquerque. We love it! It is Italian with a healthy twist, which includes: a salad bar with 6 dressings, 2 homemade soups, 5 handcrafted thin pizzas, handmade bread sticks, 3 pastas, 6 pasta sauces, meatballs, green beans, broccoli and if you still have a little room, soft serve yogurt.

After our tummies were full we headed back home. It had been a day of healthy choices for us both. Most of all I am grateful for a dependable friend like Ginny who always comes to my aid when I need her..