What If?

The weeks leading up to the start of school are pretty busy around here. There are supplies to buy, school open houses to attend, haircuts to get, and new clothes to buy. For me it also means time for my yearly well woman check up.

You know the one that we girls always look forward to.

After my appointment as I was leaving the doctor's office the receptionist told me that if everything came back alright I would get an automated call with the test results but if there was a problem they would call me from the office. Yesterday I glanced at my seldom used cell phone and I had a voice mail from the doctors office asking me to please call them about my tests. Immediately I knew that something was not right but of course by the time I got the message the office was already closed.

The rational person in me kept saying that these things are common and often nothing to worry about but the irrational worrisome person in me kept making my thoughts turn to the "what-ifs".

The next fifteen hours were spent dwelling on the "what-ifs" When I called the doctor first thing the next morning I was told that while the results were abnormal they didn't feel that it was due to anything major and for me to come back in for a recheck in six months. Suddenly the "what-ifs" evaporated and I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. Then I thought about all of the women that get that same call but with different results and instead of being able to be thankful and relax, the "what-ifs" become their reality. I found myself saying a prayer for those unknown women who are suddenly dealing with that unwanted news.

For the next six months I will be able to go about my everyday life and not have to give those test results a second thought. Some women are not that fortunate. For them those test results have changed their lives forever. I will never meet them face to face, but I will keep them in my prayers with the understanding that one day I may be confronting those "what-ifs".