Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Cancer-noia

Am I the only one out there who is perpetually paranoid about contracting some horrible disease? Both times I spent time in Africa, a good portion of that time was spent worried that someone was going to run up and stick me with an HIV-infected needle or that I was going to get bitten by a malaria-carrying mosquito (oh wait—that one actually happened).

But really. I didn't eat at Taco Bell for like years and years after that hepatitis whatever scare, and I can hardly touch raw meat and have to religiously disinfect any possible salmonella breeding grounds in the kitchen. I use hand sanitizer like it's a drug (which, at this point, it pretty much is). 

All these worried tendencies are nothing, however, compared to my cancer-noia. As I write this, I'm waiting for some doctor results to come back to tell me, in my worst-case-scenario mind, whether or not I have cancer. (I really don't; I promise.) I'm not worried about it, although the ultrasound technician spent an awfully long time wielding that gooey, looking-through-my-skin ultrasound instrument. Anyway. So as I wait (I'm not really waiting... Just bored at the moment), I thought I'd give you a glimpse into my paranoia-filled mind and make a list of all the things that I'm positive are giving me cancer:

1. Standing in front of a microwave when it's going. After pressing that start button, I leave the room always if I can help it. Microwaves at stomach-level seem somehow worse...
2. Walking through a metal detector while talking on a cell phone. People probably thought I was so weird every time I walked through the metal detectors in the library at BYU, because if I was on the phone, I'd put the phone down as I walked through. One too many waves going on there.
3. Goiters. Just don't ask any follow-up questions. It's a real thing. You know, for some people.
4. Looking at the light from a copy machine while it's scanning. Again, coworkers have almost certainly seen me looking up after I press the start button and have thought that I'm super weird. Whatever. I can get away with it, though, right?

So, yeah. Basically I'm insane. Please tell me I'm not the only one with crazy, irrational cancer-related fears. 

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I had a coworker in Indiana who made us rearrange our lunch room so the microwave was not facing us while we ate. Strange. I'm not worried because we are getting cancer from so many angles that there is really no hope. Maybe you'll find out one day that lip-gloss causes cancer. What are you going to do then?

Linnea said...

But...if you are afraid of salmonella - does that mean you don't eat raw cookie dough? Because that would be also quite tragic.