if given the choice, nine times out of ten, i prefer to laugh instead of cry.( sometimes it is rather challenging, though.....)

today i had to go to my endocrinologist's office in Raleigh for my bi-annual blood work and ultrasound of my neck. my appointment with my doctor is not until the 27th of this month, but she insists that i have all labs done at her office. this is fine with me, since it is kind of important that the lab work is done correctly. in the past,  i have found that results do vary from lab to lab, so i have agreed to this extra trip twice a year. when i made my appointments for the blood work, ultrasound and doctor's visit six months ago, i had no idea that i would end up being some little kid's worst nightmare.

let me explain. i had the mohl's surgery two days ago. i have seven stitches on my face-covered by a large bandage-, a very black eye on one side, bruising on my face, and both of my eyes are blood red. and i am just getting started! the med tech who drew my blood today is not as talented as the one in my oncologist's office. last time i went to my endo's office, the med tech dug around in my arm for a while, then had to stick the" man veins" in my hand. today, i decided to just  cut to the chase. i asked her to please just stick my hand. and boy, did she ever! in her defense, she did get 4 large tubes of blood out of the back of my hand, but now, in addition to all of the " face stuff" i  had a large bandage on one of my hands.

after the blood letting experience, i staggered out to the elevator to make my way down to the parking garage. several people file into the elevator with me, including this very sweet looking little boy. he is about 4 or 5. the doors close, the little guy sees me, and his jaw drops. i am sure had there been any flies in the elevator, he would have been spitting most of them out. at this point, his mother and another lady are looking a little worried. so, i said to the little boy: " don't worry, sweetie. i am just getting ready for Halloween!". he laughs, a few others do as well, and i could just feel the tension leave the elevator. it seemed like everyone had been holding their breath and could now, at this point, get some air. as we were exiting the elevator, one of the ladies stopped me and said : " it is nice that you have a sense of humor. i am sure that it is helpful," she was right.

having a sense of humor is beneficial to me, as well as to  others. it is hard to laugh sometimes, though. but as i said, if i can laugh at myself, or my situation, it is better than crying. my face will heal (eventually). my stitches are to be removed on monday. my black eye will also get better in time. i will not get my results for my thyroid cancer tests until a couple more weeks. until then, i am hoping that some sweet little boy i met today in the elevator does not have to sleep with his bedroom light on tonight!