I Made Everyone In The Waiting Room Listen To Phantom Of The Opera By Accident
After I had been formally diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, my dermatologist at MD Anderson also wanted me to get a mole removed for a biopsy. I don’t even remember what it looked like and the only reason I remember where it was is because I now have a scar on my shoulder. What I do remember is the nurse telling me they were going to have to cut it out. I was so scared. “It’s like a cookie-cutter, it just pops out a little hole.” Wrong thing to tell me.
My poor boyfriend
My boyfriend at the time (we've split up since then but we remain really good friends... hi, Jordan!) had to console me so I would go through with the small procedure. Looking back, it really wasn’t that bad. I was afraid though because I had to be awake for it. The nurses put something on my arm, something resembling a cuff, so I wouldn’t get electrocuted from the tools they would be using on me. (I know that helps so much, doesn’t it?)
So there I was lying on my side, without my boyfriend because he wasn’t allowed in the room. (I really wish they would change that rule. It would make things so much less scary.) I could feel the pressure of them cutting into my skin, but I couldn’t feel the pain. They took out a good chunk, they had to solder the hole closed. But I got through it thanks to, you guessed it, music.
My favorite musical is The Phantom of the Opera. The music just does something to me, I can go into an almost trance-like state, it’s just so beautiful and the lyrics are so poetic. Not to mention the title song with the pipe organ and... see? There I go! It’s just so good. I love the original cast with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. Anyway, the nurses had asked me if I wanted to listen to any music while they did the procedure and I asked for Phantom. What I didn’t realize was that they were going to blare the music so loudly that everyone out in the waiting room could hear it too. Later I learned, Jordan was sitting in the waiting room minding his own business and heard the DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN of the title song and knew exactly what was going on. It made me laugh later.
Music can be beneficial
Music has been shown to increase moods, amongst many other health benefits. It certainly helped me with many procedures I had to go through during my 5 years off and on battling the disease. It gave me something I loved that was familiar that I could focus on so things would be less scary.
Singing is also a great way to relieve stress! I know for me, it boosts my mood and makes my body feel looser after I’ve let out a big belt or a high note. I think it gives me a way to get the tension out of my muscles. Even if you can’t sing pretty, just sing for fun! It really is a wonderful feeling. Sometimes I like to just play music in the background while I’m in nature or cleaning my house. It’s great for just about any occasion and there’s a song for just about anything! So sing my angel of music! (Or whoever is reading this.)
Warm regards, Katelynn
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