As some of you know, I was recently out of commission with an serious headache that left me literally unable to get out of bed for several days. (It was quite unpleasant, but I am now happily on the mend.) The girls, understandably, were concerned. We were trying to keep their anxiety down, in part by sharing basic information about what was going on.
Claire, who, along with her bizarre ability to remember every fact she's ever heard or read, has also long shown signs of being a serious worrier. Don got into a conversation with her about my headaches and encouraged her to talk about any concerns she had. She had clearly already given it some thought.
Claire: "Maybe cancer is causing the headaches."
Don: "Well, no. They did a scan of Mommy's brain and she definitely does not have cancer."
Claire: "Stroke?"
Don: "No. Strokes can cause headaches, but Mom did not have a stroke."
Claire: "Migraines?"
Don: "Well, that's a good guess - these headaches are a little bit like migraines, but they're not exactly migraines either."
Claire: "Amyloid placques?"
Don: (who apparently knows what "amyloid placques" means) "Um . . . no. Definitely not amyloid placques."
I, unlike Don and Claire, actually had to look up the meaning of amyloid placques, and I am very happy not to have them.
