Sometimes I feel like a bit of a forecaster. I knew 2025 was going to be a bit of an abyss, but not on so many fronts. This year, my favorite post to write was our Mammogram Mom Date in celebration of Mary and I turning 40. But since then, my health has been a bit…

The goal behind writing our Mammogram review was to enthusiastically remind moms that their health is important and taking care of ourselves shouldn’t feel like a burden. I still stand behind that because prevention and proactiveness are good habits. Since high school, I’ve pushed through sickness, worked until I lost my voice and (for one day) my eyesight. I’ve had stress dreams and red-eye flights. I’m constantly putting sunblock on my kids and never on myself, literally and metaphorically. To think that this doesn’t have a long-term effect on our health is delusional.

Following up from my mammogram, I was told I had dense breast tissue and needed a follow up. The 3D scan was way easier than the original; think of it like Xeroxing your boobs. All clear after that.

In October, I also had my first big girl panic attack. Quite the occasion.

And to finish it off, I had my first ER trip last weekend, thanks to a ruptured ovarian cyst. I couldn’t tell if it was a painful new addition to my cycle, if it was an actual anxiety attack, or if it was a combination of both with a stress ulcer on top. I was just watching Home Alone, what gives…

Moral of the story: Forty is a weird time. You are in a recycling of cells, the first symptoms of perimenopause are coming to play, late onset conditions, mid-life recalibrating, mid-career transitions, Millennial burnout, etc. It’s weird feeling like you might not know your body as well as you thought.

I hope you enjoy the re-read and keep it in mind for those 2026 Resolutions.