Category: Sat with Nat

Nat’s still married after the 30th Anniversary hike.
fall · hiking · holiday fitness · Sat with Nat

Nat’s still married after the 30th Anniversary hike.

natalieh (she/her)3 Comments

It wasn’t a disaster. Honest! No one got injured either. Yay!

But we definitely didn’t have “type 1 fun” that is fun in the moment. Welcome to “type 2 fun”, aka fun when it’s done.

To celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary Michel and I decided to go on a hike someplace new. I was charged with choosing the route. I swear I set the filters to:

  • Route type = loop
  • Difficulty = easy
  • Distance = 4-6 km

I was looking for something not to far away but also someplace new. We have a bunch of trails near London. I played around with the map. Suddenly a loop at the Dalewood Reservoir appeared. It was a 20 minute drive. Perfect!

I threw a few snacks, my water bottle and hiking poles in the car. Michel smiled. I knew he was thinking “classic Nat over preparing.” (I later confirmed he thought that and, to his credit, he admitted it!)

The first hiccup was that the entrance to the conservation area was locked. Huh. I had not anticipated that. Michel to the rescue! He had noticed we had passed a sign marking a trailhead entrance just up the road.

A short drive and we were at a parking lot with trail map, bathrooms and a garbage can. Pro tip, don’t use those toilets. Pee outside. They were super gross.

Michel holds our dog Lucy in his arms. She’s licking her chops in eager anticipation of a good hike. I smile, confident this will be a jolly 90 minute jaunt.

The weather on the holiday Monday morning was cool and overcast but surprisingly humid. After skittering down to the main trail loop we were both quite sweaty.

We crossed an iron bridge and kept an eye out for our right hand turn to go around the reservoir. Otherwise we would walk along a subdivision and end up on pavement after a kilometer or so. We did not want to do that.

Imagine our surprise when we were definitely walking along a fence line as people roasted turkeys. The mosquitoes were fierce and the path was kind of a gravel trench with a narrow gap where it had been washed out.

“We missed our turn.” I frowned. There were no trail markers. But the trail was well worn. As we turned around Michel offered that we could go back to the car. A 3 km walk met our minimum daily walk distance.

“No!” I exclaimed. “I picked this route to see beautiful fall colours, water and listen to birds!”

So we back tracked nearly to the bridge and saw a no snowmobile sign high up on a tree.

“Dang. I saw this on the way out but it didn’t look like a main trail.”

Michel pushed aside several shrubs and 10 feet off the trail was a single blue arrow. We laughed. It was absolutely not visible.

Confident we were now on the trail Michel broke out his Merlin app as I shed my outer plaid jacket layer.

It had rained a lot on Sunday and the trail was clay with freshly falling leaves. There was a lot of little up and downs and it was slippery. Michel slid down hills, Lucy’s leash in one hand and his phone on “listen” in the other.

“That’s a Carolina Wren!” He was like Jack Be Nimble. I was picking my path carefully. Stick, stick, step, step. I soon shed my mid layer and was just in a tank top.

We saw a handful of people going the opposite direction. It was beautiful going from stands of oaks to cedars then maples. The birds were singing, mosquitoes biting and the views were beautiful.

Michel regularly checked in with me. He shared that his legs were hurting. I admitted the trail was more challenging than I had expected. He laughed. We were 90 minutes in.

We kept walking, sweating and minding our footing. Each boardwalk or bridge was numbered, counting down to the locked conservation gate that was close to the car.

We discovered other spots to park and join the trail. At our 6 km point we joined the road to walk on a beautiful bridge above the damn. We knew we were close now.

We rejoined the trail, passing through the canoe launch for the paddling route. Michel offered we could walk back out to the road and find the car. I doubled down on completing the loop. It was the same distance either way. His watch and phone were dead and he was feeling as done with the adventure as I was.

We started seeing the same folks we had met at the beginning. One couple was worried they would not find their car. After a short chat we realized they had parked near the bridge. We reassured them they were almost done and they could not miss the bridge.

The last half hour we were both tired and kind of done with slipping and sliding.

Lucy sits on a bench, looking away. We play the game “up,up” when hiking. Her job is to jump up onto the designated object and pose. She loves having a job!

We got back to the car and devoured all the snacks.

A screenshot of our route from Strava shows it was 8 km and “a three hour tour”.

On the drive back we were both tired. Back at the house I exclaimed “that did not feel like AN EASY 5 km”.

I re-read the trail description. It was best to be avoided after heavy rainfall. No shit. It was also scored as a “ moderate” difficulty. Uh-huh. And it was 6 km only if you avoided the north-east spur, which we did not!

The house was pretty quiet all afternoon as I knitted and Michel did schoolwork.

At dinner we had both regained our sense of humour. I shared a video of a man saying his parents didn’t raise a quitter, they raised a complainer. It was spot on. I had been determined to finish the loop but, boy, there were a few moments where I complained.

I wonder if I do truly enjoy hiking? I’m not sure. I do love the views. We were treated to regular Bald Eagle calls and were rewarded at the very end to see the giant bird close up. We could hear the wings flapping when it took off.

Michel shared he was glad he hadn’t picked that route. I offered I would not have complained then, I would have just pushed it down.

“Your silent fuming is much worse than your complaining!”

That’s what 30 years of marriage gives you, perspective and understanding.

Happy Anniversary?

Nat’s Birthday-Thanksgiving-Anniversary extravaganza! Aka on being 52 and married for 30 years
fitness · Sat with Nat

Nat’s Birthday-Thanksgiving-Anniversary extravaganza! Aka on being 52 and married for 30 years

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Happy birthday!

I’m 52 today and driving up to Cambridge for a family dinner.

I’ve been kicked out of the kitchen-happy birthday Mom!

My adult children have asserted that I don’t need to cook Thanksgiving dinner. They think they are doing me a favour.

Some silly eye glasses have “happy birthday” written above them.

The thing is, I quite enjoy putting on a big feed. Food is love made real and wrestling up a load of grub is how I spoil people.

My kids insisted, as it is also my birthday, that they cook. I was offered the choice of location, my place or theirs. I think it’s easier for them to cook at their place. So Michel and I are packing Lucy and our contributions to the feast into the Nat Mobile. It’s just over an hour away.

Fall leaves are a not so subtle reminder of time passing.

I remember this type of discussion happening with Gran when I was 10 or so. Surely she was much older we all decided she was far too old to cook for us? Doing the math she might have been 55 or 60. Looking back it was motivated by kindness but currently it feels a little condescending. I’m not THAT old. I do deadlifts!

Michel finds all of this quite funny, the feminist clinging to food making, especially on my birthday.

He keeps explaining to me that the kids want to show they are adults. At 25 & 27 they certainly are adults. It’s hard not to compare my life at those ages to theirs. I had two kids by 27, was an Air Force Captain and owned a house. It’s very different now.

Accepting my fate?

So I’m bringing fancy sodas, homemade cranberry sauce and a side of green beans. The kids have taken care of everything else.

I didn’t tell them I bought a turkey and it’s defrosting in my fridge. It’s tiny, just 10 lbs. It reminds me of a plump chicken. I will definitely be making a smaller meal for the two of us, probably on Monday for our 30th wedding anniversary.

30th Anniversary

If the weather agrees with our plans there will be a short bike ride, maybe with Lucy in her trailer. Or we might go for a hike.

Michel has the week off so it will definitely be a week of chores and moments of rest and activities, anything but his paid work!

More than 30 years of working out

I’m wearing a dark blue dress and Michel is in his scarlets for his graduation from college in 1997

When Michel and I met in 1995 I was in the military college triathlon club. He didn’t think of himself as much of an athlete. He was fast and lean. Male fitness at college at that time favoured a more burly football, hockey or rugby build so he joined me in triathlon. I remain burly and he remains lean and no one would deny that Michel is an athlete.

My dad is driving our aluminum boat with our chocolate lab, Jenna. Michel may be cracking open a cold one while I smile at the camera. We are all wearing our personal flotation devices. It’s 1995.

Collaborating on our fitness goals has been a constant in our relationship. It’s always looked different for each of us but our support and commitment to our wellbeing is the same.

Michel and I May 26, 2012 at a triathlon before the start in our swimwear .

I love that we are able to stay active together. We have our separate activities as well as our shared daily walks and strength training. It’s a good balance.

I’ll be sure to let you know how it all shook down next week. Ciao!

Nat’s rainy walks
equipment · fall · Sat with Nat · walking

Nat’s rainy walks

natalieh (she/her)1 Comment

We have had some spectacular rain over the past week in London, Ontario.

I got to give my new rain boots a good test. I bought the boots and this is not a paid post.

A black rubber ankle boot with a neoprene upper and leather pull tabs.

In the spring I had bought Michel clogs from kamik. They are a Canadian footwear company. He is really happy with the insole structure, fit and how grippy the soles are so I decided to give the company a try.

I have beefy calves so I prefer an ankle boot. I especially like that the insole and tread are well structured.

There’s a small wedge on the back of the heel that you put your other foot on for a hands free take off. Perfect!

The boots have an anime look, which I also love.

I’m a proponent of the adage “there’s no bad weather, there’s just bad gear.” We are expecting a very wet fall and early winter because of El Niño, a weather phenomenon that brings warm, moist air over the continent. I also have movement goals I am looking to meet.

My kids got me an MEC raincoat many years ago for Christmas and it is still going strong. This is partly because I only wear it when it’s really coming down.

A black and white photo of a rainy day with a person holding an umbrella

It might be growing up in the woods, my time in the military or that I’m eccentric but I’d rather get a bit damp from a light rain than sweat in my raincoat. I often joke that “I won’t melt” but also “there’s infinite dry clothes at home.”

Despite some quite rainy days this week, Michel, Lucy and I got our two walks in each day. Sometimes we lucked out and were walking between showers but there were also a few downpours.

Our neighbourhood crossing guard always remarks that we are out every day, no matter what. It feels good to be equipped to keep the promise to myself of walking every day.

My red and white dog, Lucy, sitting on grass in dappled shade. She’s a real handful!
Nat’s surprised by what drops her resting heart rate
Sat with Nat

Nat’s surprised by what drops her resting heart rate

natalieh (she/her)1 Comment

Thanks to my smart watch I’ve got a lot of data about my daytime resting heart rate. I think about trying to wake up enough to take my pulse in college as our Triathlon coach Jake asked us to in 1994.

It’s 1994! Before you turn off that alarm you best be taking your pulse!

The instructions were to try not to move and just open your eyes enough to see your watch. Measure for twenty seconds and times by 3. Then quickly scribble the results in your training log book.

We monitored resting heart rate for evidence of improved physical condition, recovery from races…all kinds of things. But it was just one data point a day, taken under ideal circumstances and only when we remembered.

Now I get daily data of my daytime resting heart rate and I’ve seen some interesting results.

My “up and about” resting heart rate has averaged 63 beats per minute for two years. After a big effort it goes up and then drops after a few days.

Outlier data

Asleep my heart rate dips to 44, rest is a wonderful thing.

But one day really stood out. It was a day of my usual baseline walking and household tasks. But it was also a day I chose to dedicate the afternoon to knitting and listening to a podcast. My feet were up and I was in the zone. Knitting quiets my mind in a really lovely way. My resting heart rate was 59. Huh.

This human gets how happy knitting time is!

I shared with my crafting friends. Then I started looking at those days with dedicated reading, sewing, and tending to my aquarium. Equally chill days and wonderfully low resting heart rate.

The biggest surprise

I was out Thursday night at a pub with a friend. It was loud, we ate greasy food and laughed so hard.

I got a notification at 7pm that my heart rate was 52 bpm. I texted my friend before I went to bed telling her she was literally good for my heart.

It all counts

I was surprised that the biggest factors were not time since my biggest workout effort or my overall activity level on a day or week.

Yes, physical conditioning is supporting my cardiovascular health AND so is all the other stuff.

Having hobbies that are engrossing and enjoyable have an immediate and direct effect on my heart rate.

Spending time with dear friends relaxes and connects me. These are the most impactful things in my well being.

I am surprised by how much my hobbies are helping me be my best self, heart rate and all.

Taken care of our tender hearts is wonderful.
Nat’s 2 year Strava streak
fitness · Sat with Nat · trackers

Nat’s 2 year Strava streak

natalieh (she/her)1 Comment

My watch beeped with a ba-bing! My walk with Lucy had just posted to Strava and the notification read “You reached a 2 year streak!”

A screenshot of my Strava feed showing my morning walk with Lucy on Sep 7

I guess that means two years of having a smart watch. My love of my watch’s data gathering and analytics ebbs and flows.

I value the heart rate monitoring. I’m annoyed by the calculated secondary measures as well as the word soup “analysis” both Strava and Apple Health provide.

A screenshot of my September Strava calendar showing 104 weeks of tracking and 1,225 activities

I do appreciate the effortless logging of steps, breathing rates, hours of sleep – as well as the swimming, cycling and strength training tracking.

Since all of that requires no additional effort from me, I have reliable data and am able to analyze my own trends, thank you very much.

Ignore the sleep analysis

Aside from telling me how long I slept, and even that is suspect, I want to find a way to turn off the sleep narrative.

I know what time I went to bed, that I fell asleep quickly, or not, if I was awake for long periods and when I got up.

I absolutely despise the chastising about what time I went to bed. Worse, the tone about my “awake time”, as though it is something I can directly control is annoying.

A graph of my sleep score on a given night. The text reads “Your recent score was a 77 due to the number of times you woke up.”

I wake up at night, every night. Hot flashes, sleep apnea and toilet breaks. It’s my normal. I’m looking for variations from that norm, not a measure against a made up goal of not waking up.

There are reports of people going to their doctor with their smart watch sleep analysis because they think something is wrong.

There is no magic REM, deep sleep or core number to hit. Plus these are calculated and derived from other metrics. Having been to a couple of sleep clinics, I can tell you that the number of sensors required to truly analyze your sleep cycles is staggering.

Aggregate numbers are impressive!

1,225 activities in 2 years means I’m recording, on average, one or two activities a day. This is the active lifestyle I’m looking for.

While I strive for 2 to 3 activities a day, there are some with none and that is ok. My goal is over my lifetime, not 1 day or even a week.

In early June I drove down to New Brunswick and back. A solid 5 days of not doing much other than driving or resting and I’m ok with that.

Celebrate!

So here’s to 2 years of reliable metrics. Yay!!! It’s important to take a moment when you accomplish something.

Nat’s surprises 4 months into retirement
Sat with Nat

Nat’s surprises 4 months into retirement

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More steps

Since the hobbies I spend the most time doing are sedentary I assumed my daily step count would stay about the same.

I’m walking Michel and Lucy on average twice a day. No change there!

But my step count has jumped from 9,000 to 12,000 steps a day. Wow!

It turns out I take regular breaks knitting, gardening, reading etc. way more than when I was working.

Walking with friends

I get a text about once a week to walk with my neighbour and her baby. I love it! Sometimes Lucy joins us to work on her socializing. Other times I get to push the stroller or hold that baby. I love having the time to hang out and get a bit of movement in and this has definitely help bump up my step count.

Active minutes

My workouts averaged 60 minutes a day in April. Since then my workouts have steadily crept up to 100 minutes a day. That’s significantly more. Some of that is thanks to swimming but a lot of it is utility cycling and getting my strength training in. Yay!

Resting Heart Rate

While my watch assures me that my VO2max and other cardio indicators have improved my resting heart rate is still averaging in the low 60s. No big gains there. I am surprised! I thought more frequent and regular exercise would bring that down below 60.

Mediocre Sleep

I’m surprised I am not sleeping better. My stress and nighttime restlessness is less but I still wake up a lot in the night.

I’m often “up for the day” at 5:30 am. Yuck.

I go to bed around 10:30 pm and fall promptly asleep. But I thought not having an alarm or work would feel more peaceful.

A sense of calm

Some people report anxiety and sadness from leaving paid work behind. I have experienced a greater sense of calm and a lot more joy. My anxiety, previously a constant companion, only whimpers from time to time. What a wonderful surprise!

Net benefit

For me, retirement has been a net benefit for my physical and mental wellbeing. I think that is the best surprise of all.

A bespectacled senior is ready for all of life’s surprises
Nat on 10 summer swims
Sat with Nat · swimming

Nat on 10 summer swims

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My plan was to go swimming twice a week this summer at my local outdoor pool. It’s a short bike ride and with my new daytime availability I figured that was a very achievable plan. That would have given me 20 swims!

It started off strong with an evening swim with Michel on July 2 and I went the next day at lunch. It felt great to be back in the pool.

The next week I went twice and started finding my breath again. The strokes started feeling more natural. I still had to concentrate on breathing and form but I was struggling less.

My schedule got interrupted when I had a mole removed and I stayed out of the pool until the stitch was removed and the wound healed.

There were also missed days from the weather, lightening and smoke kept me away more than I had planned.

Nat sits against a brick wall in her swimsuit, smiling.

What struck me is how much my endurance and distance recovered over the summer, even with inconsistent effort. I had started the season covering about 500 meters and not being able to swim for 30 minutes. At the end of the outdoor swimming season I easily swam an hour covering 1,300 meters.

Same swimsuit, different day but this time I had my red swim cap on!

More importantly, I got into the meditative headspace where my attention no longer needed to be on my breath or technique and just stayed in the moment. Swimming is the one sport where time falls away for me.

I especially enjoyed outdoor swimming with the rippling sunlight dancing across the bottom of the pool.

Nat squints and smiles. It’s very sunny out!

This summer taught me that cycling to the pool is convenient and easy, especially with a bike rack inside the enclosure.

Next year I will keep an eye on the opening date, it was before Canada Day because the pool is heated, so I can get more workouts in.

I will also get a 3 month pass instead of a 10 visit pass. I think I can find time to go 3 or 4 times a week.

I really love swimming. I don’t have any goals other than getting a full body workout. I find that quite freeing.

Nat takes fitness “friend homework” very seriously!
Sat with Nat

Nat takes fitness “friend homework” very seriously!

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Are you familiar with the term “friend homework”? My yoga instructor friend Jess introduced me to this term a while back. It means any digital interactions with friends: liking posts, reading blogs, watching reels in your DMs. It’s the online things you do between the in person interactions that keep your friendships going.

I see it as an aspect of kin keeping, the emotional and social work we do to define who our people are.

In person is best

Last weekend I enjoyed seeing some of my fellow Fit is a Feminist bloggers. Some I met for the first time!

We talked about things we don’t necessarily blog about, the deeply personal stuff as well as sharing about our lives outside of fitness.

It was a great afternoon. Thank you Sam, Sarah and Kathleen for hosting us!

Kudos, likes, shares and comments

Whatever platform you share your fitness activities on (Strava, Peloton, Zwift, Facebook, Instagram…) there is some way for your friends to acknowledge your workouts.

A tiny human takes a break from riding a cool toy to give you encouragement. Way to go!

And I’m here for all of it. Ellen mentioned at the barbecue how great it was to get consistent kudos from me on Strava. I check it almost every day and I do my best to thumbs up all the activities. It’s a tiny connector and positive reinforcement. I see you friends!

Normalizing active living

Seeing what everyone is doing normalizes daily activity for me. I see your daily cycling commute. I see you lifting heavy things. Nice walk!

Two women walking, holding coffee and wearing athletic shoes on a paved path in a park.

I especially appreciate seeing activities when I only know folks from one sport. Like Randonneur Luke is a triathlete. I didn’t know he also swam and ran like he cycles. I appreciate him even more!

Making the invisible visible

When I went to the gym I’d see some friends but only those whose workout timing synched up with mine. Everyone else’s time in the gym was invisible to me.

For cycling friends, they live all over Canada: Ontario, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan….all kinds of places. Aside from the occasional event I would otherwise have no sense of the kind of season they are having.

Having some way to see what everyone is doing gives me a better picture of what it means to be fit.

Sharing is caring

I’m lucky to be in a group chat with some London area Randonneurs. We share car rides to event starts and other strategies to reduce costs of events. We problem solve to eliminate barriers to participation. Sometimes we just share a silly reel or meme that is about cycling. It all counts!

Cheerleading and consoling

I’m here for your wins. HIGH FIVE!

High fives feel great to give and receive!

More importantly, I’m here for the DNFs, the mechanicals and the injuries. Because these are important moments in our fitness stories.

A Lycra clad cyclist bent over to help a friend loosen the quick release on the front of their bike

CASE study

I’m also doing that friend homework as a Copy And Steal Everything (CASE) study. Oh is there a great 50 km route with a delicious pastry shop? Thank you for the idea!

Ohhh you can open water swim there? ON IT!

There are free kayak rentals from the library? Hello! I’m going!

Wins all around

I hope this post encourages you to share your workouts and activities on a platform that works for you. It helps with accountability and a sense of community.

I also hope you realize that when you do your fitness friend homework you are making a real difference to your friends.

Sure, nothing beats Kim grabbing me by the shoulder, shaking me and exclaiming “Keep cycling! You are awesome!” but a little digital thumbs up is a sweet taste of that in person sugar. I encourage you to give it a go.

Nat’s reasons for riding
cycling · goals · Sat with Nat

Nat’s reasons for riding

natalieh (she/her)3 Comments

My post last week about how my 100 km ride did not go as planned generated a lot of discussion across my social media platforms. The conversation is ongoing!

I have marvelous friends who are supportive, encouraging and unapologetic when calling me out on being mean to myself. I’m very lucky.

There were several gems I have mined from those discussions. Today I am looking at a question my gym buddy Rob asked me.

Why did I want to ride 100 km?

The first answer that came to mind was that I wanted to test if I was ready to ride longer than 100 km.

I’m very comfortable completing the MS Bike Tour. The two days of 80 km supported every 20 km felt great. It’s a different challenge to ride continuously in 50 km blocks. I underestimated that gap and was disappointed.

The myth of linear progress

I wanted to complete a 100 km ride as part of a story of physical fitness that showed progress.

When my results were similar to the ones I had 12 years ago it felt like a set-back.

In chatting with my friends in Randonneurs Ontario they shared stories of struggling to have consistent times on a given distance.

We spoke about routes, conditions, health, training, age and injuries.

There are a lot of variables that affect how long it takes to complete a route. Only some of those are under my direct control.

Is that the real reason?

Rob invited me to push against the first answers to validate if that is really why I wanted to ride 100 km.

Hope

What I wanted out of the ride was some evidence that my longest distances are ahead of me.

Ten years ago I completed the People with AIDS Bike Tour from Toronto to Montreal. It was 600 km over 6 days. The longest distance on a given day was around 135 km.

2016 Me, in Montréal, embracing a volunteer at the finish line.

Between then and now I quit cycling in 2020 (during the pandemic) then re-started in 2023.

I’ve been inconsistent. Without a capstone event after the MS Bike Tour my distance peters off each year. I have not used the indoor trainer in the winter.

New goals

What I really want out of cycling is more adventures with Michel. We are getting ready to try some rail trails this fall. I got a trailer to bring our dog Lucy along.

Active living

My big picture goal is an active life that supports my physical and mental wellbeing. I really enjoy shorter jaunts and I want to extend that to longer rides.

Consistent Riding

There is no secret to going longer, faster and happier on a bike. It’s time in the saddle on a consistent basis.

Training for the PWA ride had specific milestones to meet in order to be allowed to ride. There were distances to hit, an average speed above 20 km/hr and a deadline for back to back 100 km days.

Unstructured fun

In the shoulder season my focus will be fucking around and finding out. I will try some wider tires and some rail trails. I will get on my bike 2-3 times a week in addition to my utility cycling.

Folks jumping with joy by the waterside.

Thank you

I wanted to wrap this up with a giant thank you to my friends and family. I never imagined my writing about being disappointed with my 100 km would illicit a tsunami of responses. Texts from Nova Scotia and British Columbia and every province in between!

Messages from folks showing they had read every word and could relate. Thank you for reading my posts and connecting over our shared experiences of try to keep these bodies doing all the things.

A coffee with ‘thank you’ dusted on the creamy froth in cinnamon.

The Future

I’m still thinking about my mid and long term cycling goals. I’ll be sure to let you know once I settle on them.

Whatever the future holds, I suspect it will include my dog!
Nat is thankful for Canadian Universal Healthcare
Sat with Nat

Nat is thankful for Canadian Universal Healthcare

natalieh (she/her)2 Comments

The inciting incident

It started as a tiny spot above my right eyebrow about a year ago. At first I thought it was a recurring blocked pore.

Over time the dot grew into an uneven mole. I kept checking it. It was growing, slowly, but constantly. I decided I’d take the time to get it looked at when I retired.

Taking Action

It took a month to find an appointment with one of the new doctors at my family doctor’s clinic as my guy is retiring and working part time. I choose the same new doctor I had seen last year to get continuity of care.

Validation

My appointment was at the end of May. My new doctor had a look and she agreed the mole should be removed because it was changing, had ill defined boundaries and different colours.

I was relieved. I was prepared to be told I was worrying for no reason. Since faces are tricky to biopsy, she referred me to a clinic specializing in dermatology and facial surgery.

“If you don’t hear from anyone in a month call us and let us know.”

Waiting

I marked the date in my calendar. In three weeks my doctor’s clinic called to check in. Since I hadn’t heard from the original referral my doctor sent out multiple requests and asked me to let them know when I heard from anyone. This would allow them to cancel the outstanding referrals.

Moving forward

A week later I got a call from a clinic minutes from my home. The Attending physician was going on holiday but he wanted to see me right away. I got an appointment within 3 days. I let the referring clinic know I had an appointment.

Punch Biopsy

I showed up and found out it was a teaching clinic and I was so happy. Maybe it is watching The Pitt or living in a university town but I’m thrilled to see the next generation of doctors in action.

The Resident had a medical Student with her. They took time to explain their analysis. They too agreed the mole should be removed. I was informed of all aspects of the procedure. I felt confident that a punch biopsy was the right choice.

The Resident left the room to confer with her Attending. They both came in and all 3, the Attending, Resident and Student looked at my mole, palpated it and discussed it.

“I’m a 4 or a 5 of worried out of 10. Not extremely worried but a little to a bit.”

That was enough for me to feel confident getting this off my face was the right decision.

Quick Action

The prep, freezing, biopsy and single stitch took less than 10 minutes.

I went back a week later to have my stitch removed. Another week later I got a call saying my pathology report was ready. I opted for an in person rather than a phone call. I’m glad I did.

Outcome

In my mind there were 3 outcomes:

1 – no cancer, no further action

2 -Basal Cell or Squamous Cell cancer with a clear margin, no further action

3 – some type of melanoma, lots of further action required

Turns out there was a fourth option. The pathology report confirmed it was a Basal Cell Carcinoma and the sample had clear margins.

The Resident took time to examine the site and palpate the edges. She left to confer with the Attending. They both returned and re-examined the biopsy site. The Attending did not like the edge on one side and recommended freezing with liquid nitrogen, aka cryotherapy, to get rid of any suspicious skin cells the same day.

Cryotherapy

I have to say, the freezing was daunting since the site was so near my eye. After 4 rounds the Resident was satisfied all offending cells would slough off.

The Waiting Game

I get to go back in 3 months for a follow up to see if any other interventions are needed.

Thankful

The next day my family doctor’s staff called me for an update. I let them know I had two procedures to remove the mole and the diagnosis. I also asked to pass on my thanks to my doctor. Her following up on the referral and having a sense of urgency meant I got timely treatment.

I’m so grateful for the excellent care I got both from my family doctor and the whole team at the teaching clinic. Total cost to me? Zero dollars. Even the parking was free.

In the end it was 4 months from the moment I decided to take action until I had the results of the biopsy and a full resolution of my chief complaint.

Wait times in our universal healthcare system are often criticized but I have found that when urgency is needed the staff find a way.

Next steps

So now what?

An image of a note that says “don’t skip the sunscreen”

Wear sunscreen. Wear a hat. Limit time in the sun in the afternoon.

I have not always been good about wearing sunscreen. I feel properly motivated to do it now.

Better late than never!

Hey you!

A finger pointing from the page to you.

Ya. You. If you see a mole on you or someone else that is changing get it checked out. Don’t wait. If my diagnosis had been a more rapidly growing cancer I might be having a very different outcome because of my reluctance to get it looked at.