Would the real Georgie please stand up! aka: I got a biopsy today, and other things.

I had wanted to do Checkpoints for my 27 by 27 list far more regularly but it turns out I couldn’t manage that, and all that really mattered to me was updating the list itself.

Today I had to go to the imaging centre to have a biopsy done. Unpleasant isn’t exactly the right word, I’d be more inclined to say it was an experience more so than anything. I’ve had a biopsy done before but this one was a core biopsy, meaning no fine needle but a rather thick one, so I don’t get a baby band-aid the size of my thumb but I get a large one that I have to try to keep dry as much as possible and I can already feel bruising and pain from that needle being prodded around in there.

I can always detail the reasons for the biopsy in another post, but I’m not going to be an ass and make you wait. I’ll tell you right now. I’ve had lumps in my breasts for some time. Basically, they’re not malignant tumours. They are called fibroadenomas and any woman can have them at any age. There is no one age, background, diet, or other factor that causes more of them. They are generally harmless and you can’t feel them under the skin, but occasionally they can get very large.

I had a biopsy a while ago to check one out. Now that I’ve had another biopsy, I kind of don’t really remember why the first one was necessary. The one I had today was to get a sample of an abnormally large one that I am able to feel through my skin. An ultrasound revealed that it had irregular borders so it was best to check. And I just don’t remember my biopsy from eight years ago being concerning.

So my experience today was fine, really. I have a bandage on my chest and I have to leave it alone until it starts to peel off by itself. I couldn’t really see what my chest looked like while the doctor was using the needle because I would have had to bend my neck and not relax. Although I was on local anaesthetic, I still feel I’m gonna have some brutal scar there, haha.

Starting two weeks ago, I’ve been eating five meals per day and incorporating a lot of healthy snacks into my diet, following advice from Nick’s personal trainer. I say Nick’s because Nick pays to have training sessions with her, but I had a free one with her. I had taken the opportunity to ask a whole heap of questions, namely “how do I get shredded”. 😂 I’m getting to my goal of having more toned abs but I know it’s very hard, and that diet has more to do with it than exercise. If just exercise worked, then the 200 crunches I did every day when I danced ballet would have gotten me a sixpack ten years ago.

Anyway, because I’ve been eating five meals I always keep my eye on the clock, and my meals also end up being smaller too. Last time I wrote a Checkpoint post, I had visited five out of twenty new cafes in Sydney. In the past six months I’ve racked that total up to 17, and I visited that seventeenth cafe today. It was just around the corner from the imaging centre where I had my biopsy. Named 169 Cafe, it was named after the street number.

A soy chai latte in a glass cup, sitting on a table with some empty tables and chairs in the background
This chai latte was not too sweet, which was lovely

It was quiet when I popped in. After perusing the menu I chose salmon and avocado on toast, went for the gluten free bread option (because I can’t stand sourdough and today was the only time I bothered asking for an alternative), and picked the half-serving. Spoiled myself a little with a chai latte, too. I was pleasantly surprised and happy to find out that it was very natural and not sweetened. The meal itself was small compared to a lot of cafe food, but it was a very appropriate half-serving. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I felt content when I’d finished.

Smoked salmon, a poached egg, and avocado on gluten free bread
What a satisfying little lunch.

I decided to walk home. It took 35-40 minutes, walking relatively fast. Had I taken a bus, the wait was over 20 minutes so I couldn’t justify spending the money or waiting and doing nothing when I could walk home instead and burn some calories.

I worked from home the rest of the day, after which point I continued working on a new design for my blog. It’s getting somewhere – I’m trying to use images to draw attention to different posts, and I’ve made the captions look more interesting on the posts. The colour scheme is simple, and unfortunately I have to admit that the aqua/bright teal colour is going to be bid farewell.

I’m going to a concert tomorrow. And I’m going to be photographing it! 😱 It’s been two years since I last photographed CHVRCHES, and I’m probably going to be out of touch and so rusty. Really the only reason I haven’t shot a concert in two years is because Casual Band Blogger went on hiatus and I wasn’t able to get any other gigs. So when Rochelle let me know CBB was back in business, I jumped up straight away. It’ll be an experience getting back into it – really it will. I’ll be photographing a band named Cloud Nothings, who I’ve seen supporting another band before… but I don’t really listen to their music very much, which means I’m potentially going to cross off #26 on my list… 😉

This post started out as me wanting to write a Checkpoint for my 27 by 27 list, then I realised it was pretty much a Georgie Gazette post, and then I realised it’s been almost a year since my last Georgie Gazette post, and then I realised that I miss writing like this. I miss writing just for writing’s sake, just because I wanted to sit down and write. I’ve been vocalising to Nick quite often, “I just want to write”. It never really happened because I felt it was my duty to fill in the travel posts and the Fashion Fridays and the Hey Girlfriend! interviews – not that I don’t like them – but after setting a few regular series, and becoming busy with real life, I’ve forgotten the way I used to blog.

Let’s come back to that. Let’s do it. 🥂 And when I say I’ll see you on the flip side, I will.

Reply to Jane

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I hope you’re okay and that it’s not too bad a thing! D:

What a sexy cup of latte! ;)

Ah, I do miss the posts about you! I was starting to have the same thoughts about my own blog…but blogging about myself-self is so hard?? Like, what do I even say?? I…started a Jane Lately last December…I edited it in January, and then again early February, and then again today. Regular features are super convenient! but they definitely make it easy to get tied into them and forget about how to blog beyond them. The habit takes over.

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I hope everything goes well. I can’t help but to worry. “Lumps” and “breasts” should never be in the same sentence together.

I’ve had the same layout since I started my blog three years ago. I know I should change it, but I’m just too lazy right now. Oh well. :p

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Oh man. I hope you’ve gotten results back by now! :( These scares are never fun.
Perks of being married is being able to take advantage of each other’s payments ;) My boyfriend and I have been consolidating the little things like Amazon Prime and Netflix recently, and while it’s not much, it saves little bits here and there!
The cafe looks so cute and that chai looks so good… :Q
I feel like word vomit and free-flow writing is really cathartic. I’ve heard “5 minute in the morning” writing is useful for that, but I’m just not disciplined enough to do it. Hope you had a great time at the concert!!

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I know this was aaages ago, but sorry to hear that you had to have a biopsy. That can’t have been a pleasant experience, but at least it’s over now, and hopefully that was the last of it.

The food looks amazing. I’ve heard that it’s good to have five smaller meals rather than three, but I have no idea how I’d fit that into my schedule. I struggle to have time for breakfast most days. Hope it works out for you!

I miss writing posts about whatever happens to be on my mind that day. I tend to stick to a theme now, or it ends up being written with a particular set of questions. When I first started, I just used to put anything down that I wanted to, and never considered structure or anything. I really miss it!

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