Sarah B's Story

[Sarah B]

Hi One and All

Just to let everyone know I'm ok.  Why would I not be?  I have a breast screening today at 12:00 hours Aussie Eastern Standard Time.  I'm sure you really liked me to tell you that.

I will definitely know the results in a week at least unless Breast Screen sends me a copy of the results.

Ok I will boast a little because I was thinking of it.  Breasts being screened an affirmation of being female.  There I said it.

Have a nice day everyone and I will endevour to keep this log a little bit more uptodate. Yes I will have a bit more time to work on Sarah's Race...  Especially tomorrow.

Anyway I have to get ready to go, that means.  Put on some appropriate clothes, long skirt and blouse with no sleeve, some lipstick and mascara and of course my hair in plait.  No braid today my finger nails are long and it's harder to do.  No full makeup because the weather can get very hot and I perspire easily (bugger that).  Then I will get in my car and travel to my destination, it will take under 2 hours, but I have planned for extra time.  Does that sound familiar?  If you don't then you have not been paying attention or you have not read my story.

I will wrap this post up and I will have to wait another 2 hours to go before I go.  I will lurk unless I make another impromptu post.

Love, Hugs and Hugs to all
Sarah B

@Oldandcreaky
@imallie
@Northern Star Girl
@LoriDee

[Northern Star Girl]

@Sarah B
Dear Sarah: 
I am glad that you reported that you are OK.
Regarding your breast screening.... yes, I am glad that you shared
that bit of information.
I will be looking for your update regarding the results, but only if
you wish to share.

HUGS and as always, my very best wishes to you.
Danielle

[Sarah B]

Hi Danielle

Thank you for your concern, I'm really ok and I'm just frigging mad that family members are telling their partners 'about me'.

I have to go and have a sleep I was up until about 3 I think and I have only had two hours sleep and then I have had 5 hours of driving for about 10 minutes of squeezing my proverbials
.
Hugs and Hugs
Sarah B
@Northern Star Girl

[LoriDee]

Glad you are OK.
Are you still on Walkabout, or back now?
Any exciting stories to tell? Don't keep us in suspense. 

Hugs!
Lori

[Sarah B]

Hi Lori

Thank you for your reply and concern.

I'm frothing at the mouth because members of my family are telling new members of the family 'about me'.  As mentioned. I will take care of it.

Walkabout trip starts on Friday and may go until Sunday.  Will be going to my bush property to mow the lawn like Forest Gump.

I'm doing this lying down after a much needed sleep.

Hugs
Sarah B

[davina61]

My mum keeps dropping me in it like shes proud and has to boast! Give up with the he will you.

[Sarah B]

Hi Everyone

A little tidbit about me.  How did I learn to take off my bra, while I still had a blouse, jumper, or a t-shirt on?

Flashdance of course!  Unbelievable, when I first saw that scene where Alex and Nick were facing each other and Alex proceeded to take of her black bra, while still wearing her sweater, I thought that was so cool.

Today that is one of the methods that I use to take of my bra.  One other tidbit, Flashdance was the only movie that I ever took my mum to see and she certainly enjoyed it.  Watching a chic flick with mum, a priceless memory.

I have mentioned in other posts that I also listened to the Flashdance sound track while travelling across Australia.

The memories and Flashdance are in bedded in my psyche forever.

Hugs for all
Sarah B

[Sarah B]

Hi Divina

Good to see you here:

My mum keeps dropping me in it like shes proud and has to boast! Give up with the he will you.

I honestly do not know how to solve that problem, maybe tell her off, would probably not work.  Age I suppose plays a part in this or not?

The only family member who I would tolerate calling me by my previous name was my grandmother, but I think she had dementia so I did not care if she called me properly or not.  I loved her too much.

I hope you can find a solution to this pronoun issue.

Love and Hugs always
Sarah B

[Gina P]

I grew up in a household where I was the entertainment and my mom would phone all her friends and family to tell them about any embarrassing thing I did growing up. Within minutes the whole family and town, knew what I had done. I couldn't stand her knowing I was trans so unfortunately, I waited till she passed to start my journey. Not a good decision on my part but its done. Some people just have such small lives they live off others and gossip. I doubt you will ever change her if she is anything like my mom was. Perhaps acceptance is the best one can hope for and reveal only what you want everyone else to know.
Hugs Gina

[davina61]

She is 88 next week! I do tell her but it refuses to sink in, I did have a couple of "goes" at her over the holiday as she doesn't listen when being told things. Think they call it selective hearing.

[REM.1126]

I understand not liking them outting you.  That's easy to understand.  I think anyone would feel that way. 

As you may remember, I am not out to many people.  I haven't transitioned at all.  So, there isn't any reason to out myself unless I want to confide in someone. 

One of my holdups on transitioning is that I would be out to the whole world.  And, in part, I am sure that I feel that way because I am sure I'd never pass.  I wouldn't have to tell anyone I was trans, they'd just know. 

They might be polite.  They might be rude.  But, they'd know.  And, I don't have the self confidence and self love to be able to handle that well. 

I guess what I am saying is, if you are worried about family outting you, that is a strong sign that you believe you pass well.  I admit that I am jealous. 

[Sarah B]

Hi Gina

The last couple of posts have not been pleasant and I do not like dwelling on what has been mentioned it wastes so much energy.  I will sort the problem out and move on.  You wrote the following post and I did write a reply.

However I did not do the reply offline and some silly mistake on my part, I lost what I had done and of course I had nearly finished it.  I was fuming to say the least.  Anyway I have just got back from activities and interruptions and finally have a chance to reply to what you said in your post:

I grew up in a household where I was the entertainment and my mom would phone all her friends and family to tell them about any embarrassing thing I did growing up. Within minutes the whole family and town, knew what I had done.

There can be several reasons as to why your mum would tell friends and family.  One they want to feel superior and they are insecure because of you.  So they put you down to achieve that and they do that by belittling you.

Two, they are afraid of you and hence try to put some distance between the both of you and they do that by belittling you.  There probably is a reason for that and that is they don't want to discuss your issue with them.

We can talk about this a lot more, however others need a way to avoid situations like this and move on with their lives sooner.

I couldn't stand her knowing I was trans so unfortunately, I waited till she passed to start my journey. Not a good decision on my part but its done. Some people just have such small lives they live off others and gossip. I doubt you will ever change her if she is anything like my mom was. Perhaps acceptance is the best one can hope for and reveal only what you want everyone else to know.

Hugs Gina

It saddens me that you had to delay your journey until after your mum's passing. I know you made a wrong choice, but I hope you are a lot happier now than you was before.

Acceptance is one thing, changing them is another or revenge, but that never works in the long run.  If these solutions don't work then there comes a time in certain cases, where one has to leave the family to protect oneself.

In my case I'm more than likely to let sleeping dogs lie.  Please look after yourself as I will do and become more successful in what you do.

This I'm sure will make you the better person than you are and of course others.

Best Wishes, Love and Hugs
Sarah B
@Gina P

[Sarah B]

Hi Everyone

It's me again and after a hectic week of baby sitting, visiting a breast clinic and going walkabout.  I know you all read about my exploits in baby sitting so I will not repeat them here, well there was not that much to tell anyway. It was just another day.

The main points for this post is a report on what happens when my doctor, Dr Alice asks me to have a breast screen done.  I have not had a breast screen done since 2016.

BreastScreen is an Australian states and Territory governments initiative and aims to reduce illness and death from breast cancer by detecting the disease early.  Women between 40 and 75 can have a free mammogram every 2 years.

So I made an appointment and they still had my details, updated a few minor details.  My appointment came around and that was on Wednesday, March 6th.  Obviously I have already mentioned this I think and I prepared myself for the trip.  Which goes like this, clothes on, makeup done, hair in a plait.

Travelling in the cities is usually cars, trains or buses.  However when you are inland or the country one travels by car and very long distances.  So I get in my car and I travel 150km (93mi) to a big town called Toowoomba where the BreastScreen clinic is located.

Yes I did try to find out if they had clinics nearby but no.  Only mobile units and the dates were not practical ones, one was in January and the other was in September for this year, so no go.

I arrived pretty much on time 11:50 and navigation was pretty good, using an app called Waze.  Damn good if you ask me.  Anyway I go upstairs and check in with the receptionist and I have to fill in some details on a form, well in this case it was a tablet.

There are about 10 questions, none of them were obnoxious, well one or two, like 'do you identify as an aboriginal',  I usually answer 'do not wish to answer the question.  How about a question like, are you an Australian Citizen? or are you Human?  Alright I will get of my hobby horse.

The most important question of course is, "are you pregnant", sadly I have to answer no, to this question.  So all in all this took about 5 minutes.  Then I was called in, the technician introduced herself and guess what her name was?  Her name was Sarah, unbelievable.  She then asked me to confirm who I was and my date of birth.  Then you take of you blouse and bra.

I was prepared for this, you do not put on a full length dress for this examination!  Walk over to the machine and she asked me to put my right breast down first, some fiddling ensued to get it just right, the machine then squeezes the breast, then keep still, x-ray taken.  This happened for the left breast as well.

These shots were taken, with the machine looking straight down on my breasts.  Another two shots were taken of my breasts with the machine angled at 45 degrees differently for each breast.  So a total of 4 shots were taken and then it was get dressed.

She then explained, after I asked her when the results would be ready and she said 3 weeks and 3 doctors will examine the x ray's of my breast.  After thanking her and saying good bye.  I went to the receptionist and checked to see where my result would be sent.  One to me I believe and one to my current doctor, but not Dr Alice.  She was not on the system.

On the way out there were some pink lollipops on a small table, I looked at them and said to myself "why not", and I said out loud, "I might as well take one", so I took one and a couple of ladies that were waiting for their screening, laughed, I then said "I was a good little girl, so I can have one",  more laughter ensued.

I was out of the building and I noticed the time and it was around 12:10.  So the whole procedure only took about 10 minutes to put my breast on the class plate and out the door, the efficiency of the visit was unbelievable, 10 minutes to have my breasts checked and 4 hours travelling time, which was annoying at it's best.  Well that is what happens when you become a country bumpkin.

So having your breasts examined for cancer is no big deal and when I receive the results I will let you know.  It's a good experience.  It was a wonderful day.

I will not include my adventures in going walkabouts, but will do so in the next post by me.  Take care and I will see you soon.  I placed an order for cakes and biscuits and they will arrive in due course.

Hugs and more Hugs
Sarah B
PS Was I embarrassed? Not even in the slightest.

[LoriDee]

I have mammograms done every year because I am turning 67 this year. I am fortunate that they can do them here at a local radiology clinic. The images get checked by a radiologist, and then pics and reports go to my doctor. If I make a special request, they will send me copies as well. But I can download them through the VA patient portal after my doctor has reviewed them and the reports and everything gets entered into my records. A four-hour drive for a ten-minute procedure sounds mind-numbing. I'm proud of you for doing it. It is never a bad thing to protect your health.
Save the ta-tas!   

[Northern Star Girl]

@Sarah B
Dear Sarah:
I love reading about your exploits, you describe them all with such interesting detail.

I hope, pray, and trust that the results come out negative...  Thank you for keeping me and the rest of your followers updated.

I chuckled regarding your country bumpkin comment and driving many hours to go to another town to the clinic.
My situations is similar, I had to drive 7 hours (~370 miles) [~595 Km] to the big city of Anchorage to get my mammogram.

A couple years ago in one of my mammograms they wanted to do a followup "needle biopsy" when they saw what they assumed was a benign cyst....  the needle biopsy was not fun as the doctor wiggled it around about an inch or two into my breast to get the biopsy sample that he was going after.
    ..... pain and discomfort.... but the results were negative, so that was comforting.

Again... I am wishing a good report for you.
HUGS, Danielle

[Sarah B]

Hi Everyone

Short post.  I'm going for a swim at the local pool which opens at 10:00 on a Saturday.  It's a weird hour, but it's open which is all I care about as I have not had a swim this week.

This is one program that deals with medley training.  The other strokes will be done next training session.  The butterfly will be done as follows (one arm down, the other arm back, one full lap both arms).

500m warm up
500m Freestyle kick
500m Swim Freestyle pull (3, 5, 7 breathe)
500m Swim backstroke
500m Backstroke kick
500m Swim backstroke pull

So not a bad session, at all.  This is just a moderate session in terms of distance but reasonably easy.

Now you can have nightmares about swimming training.

Love and Hugs
Sarah B
PS Did I tell you, that I love swimming?

[Jenn104]

Hi Everyone

Short post.  I'm going for a swim at the local pool which opens at 10:00 on a Saturday.  It's a weird hour, but it's open which is all I care about as I have not had a swim this week.

This is one program that deals with medley training.  The other strokes will be done next training session.  The butterfly will be done as follows (one arm down, the other arm back, one full lap both arms).

500m warm up
500m Freestyle kick
500m Swim Freestyle pull (3, 5, 7 breathe)
500m Swim backstroke
500m Backstroke kick
500m Swim backstroke pull

So not a bad session, at all.  This is just a moderate session in terms of distance but reasonably easy.

Now you can have nightmares about swimming training.

Love and Hugs
Sarah B
PS Did I tell you, that I love swimming?

I am curious, is swimming training like marathon training? A lot 'low and slow' with a little bit of intense/interval training mixed in?

[Karen_A]

So having your breasts examined for cancer is no big deal

It's a bigger deal when you have have implants... They do each breast twice... Once with the implant between the plates and one without the implants in the field .. so besides the squishing, your breasts also get pulled and stretched for the latter!

- karen

[Sarah B]

Hi Everyone

@Jenn104

You said

I am curious, is swimming training like marathon training? A lot 'low and slow' with a little bit of intense/interval training mixed in?

I really don't know, however I just do distance work and over a period of time, decrease the time to do the distance.  Which means more laps one can do.  When it comes to race times I just work through and if its a big meet then tapering happens and more intense and interval training occurs.

@Karen_A

It's a bigger deal when you have have implants... They do each breast twice... Once with the implant between the plates and one without the implants in the field .. so besides the squishing, your breasts also get pulled and stretched for the latter!

- karen

My breasts were x-rayed twice, one at 90 degrees and the other at 45 degrees so a total of 4 x-rays.  I do not follow the comment "one without the implants in the field".  Could you explain this a bit more I'm clueless.

As for the pulling, stretching and pushing of my breasts, I thought it was a bit funny as the technician was doing such a fantastic job.  The look of "I seen one breast, I have seen them all" expression on her face was comical, it was blank, she just did her job.  As I said in and out no fuss.

@Sarah B

Yes I know, talking to myself is the first sign of madness.

I changed my program while swimming this morning

1000m warm up (not 500m)
500m  Freestyle kick
1000m Swim Freestyle pull (3, 5, 7 breathe) (not 500m)
500m  Swim backstroke
500m  Backstroke kick
500m  Swim backstroke pull[/quote]

Still not a bad session, at all 4000m or 4km. Roughly 80 laps of a 50 yard pool.  But paying the price I'm exhausted and tired.  One more thing 3, 5 and 7 means, 3 strokes breathe to the side, then 5 strokes breathe to the other side and finally you guessed it, 7 strokes breathe to side you started on.

You then start the pattern again.  it sounds easy, but you have to concentrate on controlling your breathing, but it's not.  One mistake and you have to start all over again and getting back into the rhythm is the hard part.

Now you can have more nightmares about swimming training.

Hugs and more Hugs
Sarah B

[davina61]

My 3 kids swim like fish but I could never get my head above water, added to that my vertigo from not being supported and I gave up.