Katy McKenna Raymond  
Personal blog of christian writer Katy McKenna Raymond in Kansas City, Missouri

Personal blog of christian
writer & fallible mom
Katy McKenna Raymond
in Kansas City, Missouri


Katy is represented by
Greg Johnson at
WordServe Literary

Read more Katy at
LateBoomer.net

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What Are The Odds?

Today I awakened feeling like I need to make a solemn commitment to you, my friends and readers. It's long overdue, but believe me when I say it's been weighing heavily on my mind for some time now.

I know, I know. You think I'm going to renew my reneged-upon promise to resist posting on panties. If only it were so.

No, today I make a fresh promise, one I've never made before, one which contains within its few words a sincere sentiment I hope with all my heart to accomplish: I will do everything within my power to prevent this blog from turning into nothing more than an old-fashioned "organ recital."

That's right. You deserve better. For the most part, you are young, healthy specimens who do not deserve to be brought down to my level of personal medical expertise. You have so much to live for, so many hopes, so many dreams--why should I be allowed, with a single post about a colonoscopy gone wrong or the scary label on a sterile needle package that reads "BiopsPunch," to dash your many illusions?

I should not be allowed to bring you down, and my commitment to you is that it won't happen again. Starting, I swear, tomorrow.

For today, though, I have to ask a question of the higher-math aficionados among you. Please, please send me your responses in the comment space provided here!

Suppose a woman develops a brain tumor called an "acoustic neuroma," which occurs in the population at the rate of 1 per 100,000. She has surgery to remove said tumor, which has robbed her of the hearing in one ear, and goes on to tell the story six years later. Her condition is not inheritable, nor is it catching.

What are the chances, I ask you, of said woman's husband noticing a marked hearing reduction in one ear only, going to an audiologist at the insistance of his worldy-wise wife, and being immediately scheduled for an MRI to look for an acoustic neuroma?

So far, that's where we are in the story. Next week, Doug has the MRI. The following week, we find out the results. Could it be statistically possible for both man and wife to develop matching tumors, which only occur in 1 out of 100,000 people out there in the normal world?

If you can do the math, I'd love to know the chances.

All I know is that when I told the nurse in my doctor's office about it the other day, while she prepped me for a needle biopsy to see if I've got basal cell carcinoma, she couldn't help laughing and saying, "Katy, it'd be just your luck."
Posted by Katy on 10/06/05 at 03:13 PM
Fallible Comments...
  1. Oh no! I hope everything turns out well, including the results of your biopsy.

    Just speaking for myself, I am very interested in all the medical stuff you write. I'm 50 and I agree with your observations (months back?) about your whole life revolving around maintenance after age 50. Add aging parents and grandchildren to make a very full life indeed.
    -----
    Posted by Sabine  on  10/06/05  at  10:03 PM
  2. Sabine--I visited your site yesterday and got a little jealous when I saw the names of all your grandkids! (Scotty and Brooke, no pressure!) Thank you for your kind comments. I do think every stage of life has its fascinating (and largely unanticipated) aspects. I am enjoying being in my 50s as much or more than any age thus far. And I can't believe I just admitted that! :)
    Posted by Katy  on  10/06/05  at  10:30 PM
  3. One of my sons-in-law is named Scott. He's Meghan's husband and the father of Julia and Evelyn. We never call him Scotty, although Meghan might when we're not around ;-)
    Posted by Sabine  on  10/07/05  at  04:51 AM
  4. Sabine--My dad was from Scotland, and while his given name was Robert, when he came to America, everyone called him Scotty. (All his brothers were known as Scotty, too.) So we named my son Scott, but I call him Scotty. I think I'm the only one who does. :)

    OK, everyone!!! Are you telling me there are no Masters of Probability among my readers? That's just so hard to believe...
    Posted by Katy  on  10/07/05  at  05:15 AM
  5. Katy, somewhere in the midst of all these trials he's testing you with, God is smiling down on you. Because he knows he's put them in two strong hands, and in a heart full of faith.

    But holy cripes. Enough already.

    My thoughts are with you. Sincerely.
    Posted by Jennifer  on  10/07/05  at  07:17 AM
  6. Jennifer--You are so kind! Sister-in-law got through today's appendectomy with flying colors. So there's my break! Thank you, Lord...
    Posted by Katy  on  10/08/05  at  12:49 AM
  7. Oh dear, Katy. I just caught up on your blog and am sitting here in shock. I'm so sorry this is happening. I'm right beside you in prayer and wish we could find a quiet corner and pray together. Holding you close and asking the Great Physician to outstretch His healing hand, Tammy
    Posted by Tammy  on  10/08/05  at  02:17 AM
  8. Is this my sweet buddy, Tammy Alexander? If it is, you should know you met me in Nashville at my personal best for 2005--it was the first time I'd been away from hospitals and nursing homes all year!

    Girl, I wish I could have hung out with you for another week!
    Posted by Katy  on  10/08/05  at  05:00 AM
  9. katy, praying God's best for you + your fine husband...this living here can be so hard sometimes, but we're not left to ourselves, thankfully.

    and it could just be that all the lovers of words you have commenting here are just plain right brained...
    Posted by lisa  on  10/08/05  at  08:21 AM
  10. Let me first say that I hope that he does not have an acoustic neuroma.

    The math... well, the math. I think the following is correct: The likelihood that two people who both have acoustic neuromas would meet would be 1/100,000 times 1/100,000 (which is one out of 10,000,000,000). Now the likelihood that these two people would be married to one another? Well, no math can figure that one out because... well, love doesn't follow an equation. ;)
    Posted by Maria  on  10/08/05  at  08:34 AM
  11. By the way, do you know that your comments thing will shut down on October 13th?
    Posted by Maria  on  10/08/05  at  08:35 AM
  12. Lisa--You sweetie, you. I, too, was starting to think everyone here was a word person only, except that I know it isn't so...My son Scott uses both sides of his brain to great advantage, I know for a fact. O Scotty, where art thou? ;)

    Dr. Maria--Thank you! You're my other both- sides-of-the-brain reader! Is that really how the bloomin' math works? You multiple 100,000 by 100,000? I read your solution to Doug and he may be stopping by here with his comments. I hope. He started explaining his thoughts to me, and realized my eyes were glazing over. I told him to please weigh in here!
    Posted by Katy  on  10/08/05  at  07:25 PM
  13. Katy - my mentor who is around 70 has told me over and over, "God trusts you with "this." And, she's said over and over, "When you have a lot going on, you cannot pay undue attention to any one thing!" I live by these :) There is actually a Bible verse backing up what she's said about God trusting me . . . if I find it again I'll share it with you. Many things in life can seem both good and bad . . . like time . . . sometimes we want it to stand still so we can completely absorb the beautiful fragrance life is filling us with . . . and sometimes we are thankful it keeps moving because life is so hard right now we need to know the difficulty will end sometime.
    Posted by Ame  on  10/09/05  at  12:34 AM
  14. I think this is waht we call a person's inner feelings.
    Posted by Kimi  on  01/05/06  at  10:01 AM
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