ablation a-ˈblā-shən noun
1. the erosive process that reduces the size of glaciers
2. surgical removal of a body part or tissue
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The word ablation has appeared in two articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Feb. 27 in “Raising a Glass to Chronic Disease” by Susan Gubar:
“Alesha,” I said, “you are my guardian angel, but remember the ileostomy!” With a compromised digestive system, it is impossible to eat a sufficient portion of the foods she listed without suffering some sort of ghastly bowel blockage.
“Ah, yes,” she nodded. “Maybe peanut butter … or bananas!”
Bananas, neatly packed in their lined coats, are a portable source of nourishment — for those who can stomach them. I’m wondering if they lose their virtue if they are baked into banana bread, when a late-night email pops up from my friend Nancy K. Miller. A cancer patient, she just learned that a nodule in her lung is growing. She must choose surgery, radiation or ablation, all far worse prospects than gagging down a banana.
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