For THIS kind of comment, it was worth going to the dentist!

[DFW]

Today, my wife was having a routine dental exam, and the hygienist looked at her chart and said there was an error in her birth date.

My wife said there wasn't any error before. The assistant said there was one now, because according to the chart in her hand my wife was 64 years old, which couldn't be right. My wife said, "I AM 64 years old, and that IS right."

I would dearly love to have heard what the dental assistant was mumbling after that, but my wife didn't hear it (rats!!)

[csziggy]

1. Ohne year I was having an eye check up

The ophthalmologist made the comment that when I got to my late 40s I would need bifocals. I thanked him and he asked why. When I told him I was 48 he was very surprised - he thought I was about 40.

It comes from good genes, which from your family photos you've shared I can tell your wife has inherited. In my case, it's from my Mom. A few years back she got a new doctor. When she went in for her first visit with him he sat down with her and started reviewing her chart. He started, looked at Mom, then checked the chart carefully. Mom asked what the problem was and he responded, "When you came in I thought, 'Oh, another patient in her early 70s.' But then I read your chart and was shocked to find that you are 89!" Mom's now 95 and while her physical health is still good, her dementia is getting bad.

[DFW]

2. Her genes are a two-edged sword

She looks 15-20 years younger than she is, but she also inherited her mom's family's susceptibility to having cancer. Her mom has survived it twice now, and she lost a year to battling it (successfully) some 15 years ago, and we find out in a couple of weeks if it's time for round two.

[csziggy]

3. I am so sorry to hear that - give your wife and her mother my best wishes

I hope that there is no recurrence - ever. I also hope the genes have not passed down to your daughters.

[DFW]

4. Both my parents and all their siblings had cancer

For me, it's not "if" but "when," and my daughters are already maintaining a life-long vigilance, so anything that shows up can be handled in its early stages. My wife's mom and all her sisters beat cancer at least once and al lived into their 90s. Most of her brothers (she was by far the youngest child) were killed in World War II, so we don't know much about the male side of her family.

My daughters' only genetic hold-out hopes are my grandfather, whose only cancer was a mild skin cancer contracted at age 101, and my wife's dad, who died of Parkinson's disease. He had a rough time of it early in life anyway. He was a farmer who got drafted at age 17, got sent to Stalingrad as cannon fodder, and returned minus a leg at age 18 (artillery shell blew the other one off), his farming life obviously over. It's amazing he lasted as long as he did. Our blessings do not come without a heavy price.

[csziggy]

5. Sometimes knowing the family history is not encouraging

But at least today there are better ways to monitor for hereditary diseases. Your wife and daughters are smart enough to keep up with their checkups and hopefully will catch anything early if it does crop up.

[steve2470]

7. hope she's ok! nt

[DFW]

8. We find out soon

We always knew it could come back in some place or other. I'll let you know.

[MicaelS]

6. Those pictures you posted of your wife

Have shown she is a gorgeous woman.

[DFW]

9. You'll never hear me contradict you on that

But I'm not the most objective judge you could find on the subject, either

California Peggy and Lionel Mandrake are the only currently active DUers who have met her. They are friends, so don't count on them being too objective, either. We had dinner with Tom Rinaldo in NYC a loooong time ago, but I don't know if he's still active here.