'Worry is a down payment on a problem you may never have'

One

'Worry is a down payment on a problem you may never have.' Joyce Meyer.

A couple of months ago a routine visit to the dentist resulted in me being referred to the hospital. On a previous visit the dentist had told me that I had something called Leucoplakia, which is like an area of dry skin on the tongue. She told me that it was nothing to worry about and not to google it. Reassured by her, I didn't. But when, on this occasion she said that she wanted a 'second opinion', I decided that I needed to know what I might be facing.

Big Mistake.

The information I found said that Leucoplakia is usually found in heavy smokers, or in people with rough teeth or dentures, and in these cases is completely harmless. I don't fall into any of these categories. It also said that it can be a sign of oral cancer. That's when I started to worry. It wasn't so much the thought of having cancer that worried me. After all, a cancer diagnosis these days isn't the automatic death sentence it used to be. No, it was the thought of having oral cancer that scared me, not the best place to have it for someone who loves talking and singing as much as I do.

But one of the advantages of growing older and having been through a lot is, I've come to realise the quote at the beginning of this blog is true. Worrying about something won't change anything, but it will stop you from enjoying days, weeks or even months that you'll never get back. I've said this many times, but life is short and it's important to make the most of every day.

So I made the decision to try not to let it stop me enjoying life. I won't pretend that I managed it 100% of the time, but on the whole I was able to do it. I even managed to go on holiday and not think about at all.

I've been to the hospital and had it checked out and thankfully I got the all clear. I don't even have Leucoplakia, but something called a 'geographic tongue'. The doctor was able to reassure me that it is completely harmless, and not just from a medical point of view, as he has the same condition.

If it had been cancer, I would have dealt with it. But by choosing not to worry, I've saved myself a lot of sleepless nights and anxiety filled days. As my hubby said, as we get older the more chance there is of something going wrong. So why waste precious time worrying about it. After all, it might never happen.





For anyone is wondering what a geographic tongue is, here is a link to a website about it:-

 http://ow.ly/Pnn2K

Worry does not photo courtesy of:- http://ow.ly/Pk0GF

Wake up every morning photo courtesy of:- http://ow.ly/Pnmbu

Isabel Johnstone 2015 ©