I Finally Put a Date Beside It
A fictional narrator keeps saying a mouth sore appeared the other day, until a calendar makes it clear that it is time to get it checked.
The other day
I kept saying the sore had appeared the other day. Then my daughter asked whether I meant before or after her visit. She had been back in Ottawa for nearly three weeks. I looked at the calendar on the fridge.
I had blamed a crisp, then a hot drink, then the same crisp again. Every explanation gave me another reason to leave it alone. Meanwhile, I was eating around it and pretending that was the same as it getting better.
A date was better than a guess
The NHS advises seeing a dentist or doctor for an ulcer lasting longer than three weeks, or one that is unusual, bleeding or becoming more painful. Most are not serious, but a persistent sore should be examined. Mine had stayed long enough to earn a phone call.[1]
I wrote down the earliest day I could remember, where it was and what irritated it. I did not try to identify it from an image search. Every photograph seemed to introduce another possibility, and none could examine my mouth.
When I called, I said "a sore that isn't healing" instead of "a quick question." I asked when I should be seen and brought the note with me. It was only four lines. I had spent far longer explaining it away.
The appointment went on the fridge
My daughter asked how the call had gone. I sent the date, then added a photograph of the calendar so she would stop worrying I had written it on a loose receipt. She spotted her birthday on there too. "Good," she said. "Two useful entries."
Ruth