PART 1

This is an x-ray. Of me.

Let’s zoom out.

Left side of my torso. The obvious stuff is there: bones. But notice the shard of glass in the underarm area. A shard of glass about an inch-and-a-half long. It’s been in my chest for 11 years. Only now is it causing discomfort. For eleven years I didn’t even know it was there.

Rewind to spring 1991. A bizarre accident with a broken window. (Ray!) Bled like crazy. Props to Mr. LeMaitre for the ride to the hospital. (“I’ve been shot!” I joked as we walked into the infirmary.) The docs sewed it up with just four stitches. Little did we know how deep it went. And that this little piece of fun was still in there.

Fast forward to 2002.

The soreness in my chest was a mystery for several weeks this summer. Doctor visits. CT scans. What the heck is it? we wondered. A tumor? Calcification? A tumor? Scary stuff.

It wasn’t until yesterday’s x-ray that it all came together. Glass! Nuts!

Next week: a preliminary visit with the surgeon to get this thing outta me. I’ll keep you posted. Wish me luck.

PART 2

Surgery went well. Here’s a pic of the culprit. I’m thinking of making a necklace out of it.

Eleven years. Weird. Especially when you consider the path it took:

No kidding.