I Once Had A Mole...

... And now I don't.

Okay, I still have lots, but I now have a bandage where the one on my neck used to be. I'm the last one in my immediate family to have something removed, so I guess I've been lucky so far, but being a sailor leads to all sorts of fun sun-related stuff.

In any case, I have one mole less than I did this time yesterday. (I ask you: who else do you know that goes and has surgery on her lunch break? How very Manhattan!) In any case, it was pretty amusing to have a numb right ear all afternoon yesterday. You wouldn't think something like a numb ear could be diverting, but then, of course, you would be wrong! Ah, the things that are funny when you live in a cubicle.

So the mole thing is the latest in a long string of doctors’ appointments this month. In fact, including the mole finding/ mole removal/ removal of mole stitches, I will be in a doctor's office six times in four weeks. Something about no longer needing forms for school has caused me to put off some things for a while, so I've been for a physical, a dental checkup, etc. I ought to get something in return for all these office visits. You know, like a medical degree.

With all these appointments, having the mole removed, and other key wedding players having lots of dental work, is it any surprise that I had a dream about my front tooth falling out days before the wedding?

Oodles of doctors appointments notwithstanding, I am healthy, and I'm happy about that. Unfortunately, Aunt Pecky has not been faring so well.

I mentioned my Dad’s maiden aunt several posts ago, (see entry titled "Gotta Love Lunch Dates," 8.24.06) saying that she was back in the hospital. Pecky's mental and physical health have both gone downhill in the past two months or so. She has moved into an assisted living facility in Tuckahoe, which has proven to be a very wise decision.

On the mental side, she has been diagnosed with dementia. She keeps a journal of her daily activities to remind herself of what pills she has taken, but now also needs to include who has visited her and who she has telephoned, because she simply doesn't remember having called 15 minutes earlier. In terms of long term memory, she remembers family members most of the time, (even if she does get old photographs confused,) but she didn't remember that I was engaged and that she had met my fiancé. What is particularly fascinating is that the older the memory, the greater the detail in which she remembers it. When I visited her a few weekends ago, she told me all about the table she was sitting next to: her father had purchased it when the family moved from Spain back to New York when she was seven years old and had used it to rest his cigars. She said this while sitting in a chair that she could not remember when or from where she had acquired it. The chair in question has "Mt. Holyoke" and the school's crest carved into the back rest: Pecky's alma mater. Pecky's mind has become quite a puzzle.

Pecky's physical health has also been an issue. After Grandpa died, Pecky (who had been obese her whole life) lost a lot of weight. She saw what diabetes did to her brother and decided to take action to help her own health. I don't know the exact number, but by dieting and exercising, she lost around 150 pounds. Unfortunately, that amount of weight loss can complicate one's health, especially at an older age. I'll spare you the unpleasant details, but Pecky has had two or three surgeries and multiple hospital visits to restore her health following complications related to her weight loss. She was finally happy and healthy in her new home… then my dad got a phone call at 4:30 this morning telling him that Pecky had fallen in the night and broken her thigh bone. She’ll have surgery tomorrow to put a pin in, and then will have all sorts of therapy to do.

It is difficult to see someone you care about having a difficult time. I was very lucky to have all four of my grandparents in my life until I was 19, and even more so to have close relationships with all of them. Both of my Mom’s parents are still here, and I love that they live in New Jersey, because I get to see them for holidays and random visits here and there.

In other news, I got the first pictures of my dress today! It needs some tweaking, but I’m really excited. Hopefully I’ll be able to have a fitting in a few weeks… which means this wedding diet thing might have to actually start working. I’ve been exercising here and there, but crunches could pop the stitches in my neck, right? So I shouldn’t do them, right? ;-)