How did you know?

One of the questions I always get about being a mom of twins is: "Do twins run in your family?" (Yes.) It's part of our social script, apparently. Another big one: "How do you do it?" (I just do.) I do not mind these questions. Bring 'em on. I also do not mind when people ask me about my "sort of" cancer, my tumor. Tumor is such an ugly word. Even my surgeon said so and started calling it a "growth." The number one question about my growth is: "How did you know?" Even doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals ask me that question when they find out what I've been through. In other words, what caused me to go to the doctor that first time? One word: Heartburn. 

Thanks to "the cloud" I have a record of when and how I started feeling unwell. Here's part of a conversation I had with my husband, Chris, on October 14, 2014:

"It just feels like acid indigestion. Nothing worrisome." Ha. It seemed so inconsequential at the time I mentioned it in passing before Chris reminded me I was due to go to the eye doctor. I had started feeling "off" the week before. I blamed it on an increase in coffee consumption. My kids were not sleeping well and as a result I was not sleeping well, so I drank more coffee than usual. I problem-solved, and stopped drinking coffee. I hadn't had coffee on the day of the above conversation, but you will have to trust me on that one. I'm not going to screen shot every minute detail! Speaking of screen shots, here's another conversation I had about twenty-four hours after the one above:

I still wasn't super worried. I just really, really, didn't feel well. So not well I made an appointment with the first available doctor. I didn't actually make it to my Friday appointment. I called on Thursday and begged for an earlier appointment. They eked me in with a doctor I had never seen before and never saw again, though he was a huge important part of what led me to be diagnosed. Nearly a year later, I am thankful that he was the one who had 15 minutes to talk to me. I didn't really care for him at the time, but he knew something was up. 

I really don't mind talking about my "growth." I also don't mind talking about my twins. The only question that crosses the line is: "Are they natural?" Um, what? I haven't had any questions that crossed the line about my tumor. Not yet, anyway. So if you're curious, ask away. And if you have really, really bad heartburn, go see a doctor!