nope -- that was not a typo... it was a pun...
I have no voice. *grin* well, I do have one, sort of... but it's very froggy and very hoarse -- and when I get to laughing I can't stop because I sound so silly! Unfortunately my mom doesn't like my new laugh (my dad seems to love it)... so she spent the evening trying to get me to stop while he was egging me on!
Well thank you all so much for the prayers and good wishes -- God has been very gracious to me. The surgery was a success -- I'm sure you read Andy's report that the surgeon said it was as big as an apple. I can't wait to hear the results of the analysis (probly will get that when I go in for my check up in a week or so). Hopefully I'm done and just can get on with life!
I am still glad I stayed up all night (thank you again Akieno, you really did save me bud) because it made me so relaxed and a bit loopy before the surgery -- I had Andy laughing like crazy (i mooned him once or twice). The surgeon came up to see me and I asked if he could make the incision in the shape of a bowtie or something interesting so that if ppl are going to see my scar, at least they would see something fun? He laughed.
I remember going down the hallway and hearing people ask me over and over "how are you?" and I remember thinking "uhhhh DUH i'm in a hospital in a drafty gown.... being wheeled to my impending doom...." HELLO! *laughing* Nevermind -- they were only being polite.
I remember the feeling sleepy part, and closing my eyes a few times and then I remember waking up. I guess I'm really lucky in that I don't have a hard time at all with anesthesia -- I was fine within about 40 minutes of starting to wake up. They took me up to my room after that -- and unfortunately I had to share a room.
The only thing I want to say about my roommate is a. I felt sorry for her -- obviously had some major issues going on, and b. she was a real cow. I was soooo glad I didn't have to share a room with her for more than the one night. Nuff said.
Okey kokey -- I'm going to continue this later... it's getting late here.
Thanks again for the well wishes and cards and prayers --- you have made me smile!!
Kristen got released from the hospital this morning, got her wish of a Wendy's frosty and fries and then had to sit in the car for 30 minutes whilst Giant Eagle slowly fills the prescription. I have no idea why it takes 4 people 30 minutes to put 40 tablets in a plastic bottle. Yes they have other people to serve - about 3 of them!
Anyway, she's home now, feeling a little tired but relaxed from the medication
1 hour and 59 minutes after going down to surgery, Kristen has come out of surgery. Apparently the thyroid was big - "like an apple" but they have removed it all and sent it off for diagnosis. Everything went well and she is now slowly starting to wake up. She is in recovery for a couple of hours and then will be moved upstairs to the general ward when she will be able to see me.
is at 10am my time -- at Riverside Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. The surgery should take anywhere between 2 and 2 1/2 hours.
Right now it's about 5:30am, and I haven't been to bed (THANK YOU AKIENO FOR STAYING UP ALL NIGHT TO KEEP ME COMPANY PLAYING GOLF AND POOL), and I'm as awake as I was at 6pm last night. So I'm pretty much just gonna hang loose for the next few hours -- only about 2 1/2 hours til I have to leave for the hospital. So maybe they won't need as much knockout juice as usual?? :) :) Yeah, right.
In any case, I'll be staying overnight tonight in the hospital and coming home tomorrow with a a fantastic scar that any guy would love to show off and any girl would die knowing people will see it. I'm sure at some point I will post a picture of it.
My surgery is tomorrow morning sometime -- I won't find out the time until I call the surgeon's office this afternoon. I'm starting to really feel the butterflies and just could not sleep last night.
Unfortunately my favorite golf game had it's weekly scheduled maintenance that started at 3am (yes, andy don't kill me, 3 am -- I told you I couldn't sleep!!) --- how rude of them to carry out their scheduled maintenance on the night of my unscheduled insomnia!!! Hmph. I see how they are. But the maintenance is good -- it brings new and fun things to the game...
While I am talking about the game... I have gotten to the level where I am almost what they call an "Amateur" -- you start as rookie, then beginner, then junior then senior, then amateur, then semi-pro, then pro, and then world pro. I have hit 31 hole-in-ones -- one day last week I hit 5 in one day!! I'm getting scary-good. :D
Just a quick one -- that this sinus infection will go away and that I won't have to postpone the surgery -- I'm so ready for the surgery, and I don't think I could handle having to reschedule and then wait again.
I'm feeling better today but still coughing at night and still snuffly in my nose. I took my last antibiotic today (though it is the kind that stays in your system and works for another 5 days after the pills are gone) so pray that it will be enough to kick the infection out of my system.
Also pray that I continue to get good sleep -- because the date is getting closer, I am starting to feel more anxious about it... and often when I'm a bit anxious bout something, I lose sleep. And right now, my poor body needs all the sleep it can get.
Thanks so much for all your sweet comments -- they are much appreciated!!
The weekend was wonderful -- Andy and I realized just before we left that it was our 2 year anniversary for being in the states. Wow. Where does the time go?
The cabin was fabulous -- an honest-to-goodness log cabin in the woods. With a VERY steep hill (scary to drive up! I mean -- I have had nightmares about that very kind of hill) and lovely and secluded. We didn't see much in the way of wildlife... one deer crossing the road on the night we got there. But the hottub was superb, sooo relaxing. And it was nice to be somewhere where it was quiet and peaceful and time kind of stood still. The stars were so bright in the very black sky -- almost no light pollution from anywhere to ruin it.
My sinus infection kicked into high gear on Friday night, so pretty much I stayed in bed for the morning and part of the afternoon of Saturday. While I napped and then cross-stitched, Andy went out geocaching in the afternoon and came back early evening. We did a lovely steak dinner with jacket tats and broccoli -- yumm. Then watched a movie and some episodes of the american version of The Office. We love that show -- both the american and the british versions... love them both, have them both on dvd. We laughed our bums off.
Drove back Sunday morning and picked Mom up to take her out for lunch at our favorite mexican restaurant -- El Vaqueros. We even got our favorite waiter there -- Pedro. He's such a nice guy -- so sweet. We ask for him every time we go -- this time the host was teasing me saying that Pedro no longer worked there -- I fell for it and was gutted, til I spotted him! He was so cute -- he's a bit shy, so he gets embarrassed easily and we were joking around with him. Anyway, Mom had my favorite dish (the only one I get now -- it's just THAT good) -- chicken Chimichangas suprema. She loved it and even took some home for leftovers. She has to get her international cravings out of the way now, because Dad is away in Minnesota helping Bri and Ali move house, and when he gets back, it'll be back to meat and potatoes for her, bland city!! So she's had mexican and greek and had friends round and cooked for them.
I'm really happy for them -- Mom and Dad both -- Dad retired in December of this past year, and Mom is retiring in May -- so they'll be able to go and visit whomever they please whenever they please regardless of vacation days etc. It will be nice for them. Course it does mean that we'll probably look after Alpine a lot more :( but oh well.
YAYY -- we're off to a cabin in the woods in south-eastern Ohio today -- for a nice 2 night stay away from home. The cabin sounds lovely... fireplace, hottub, porch with rocking chairs, grill... sounds perfect...
pity that I've come down with a sinus/chest infection! I'm on a super-mega antibiotic that will hopefully kick this infection before next friday and the surgery -- otherwise i'll have to postpone...
I'll post more from the weekend when we get back -- we'll take lots of pics, I promise!!
*begin playing mission impossible theme now*
okay -- so if you don't laugh, you cry, right??
Anyhoo -- here's the latest on what's happening:
I went on Tuesday to see the endocrinologist -- Dr. Polly Reddy (based in Dublin, off Sawmill Rd) and she was very nice. I really really liked her and felt very comfortable with her. She put me at ease right away and answered all my questions.
She didn't know that I had been to see the surgeon and that he'd done a needle biopsy, so I told her all that I knew. She told me that the person who had read my ultrasound and made notes on it didn't write the typical blurb on it -- basically it's just one massively overgrown nodule or mass or something, rather than multiple nodules. That's probably why the doctor said it was an "odd looking thing". She also told me that there are three nodules on the left side of my thyroid -- each about .6cm big. She mentioned that if a person is a nodule-builder they will always be a nodule-builder. When I told her the surgery was scheduled to be a partial thyroidectomy, she said she would contact Dr. Pomerants (who is not the surgeon that she usually uses, she hadn't heard of Dr. Pomerants) and let him know that she is recommending a full thyroidectomy for a couple of reasons -- one is because of the nodules on the left side, she said that there is no point in leaving the left side only to have to take it out at a later date; two, I am already on the synthroid and would be even if I only had the right side taken out, so there is no benefit to saving the other half -- it will not prevent me taking synthroid the rest of my life. To be honest I was relieved, because the thought of a second surgery just really depressed me.
So she is contacting the surgeon. She had blood drawn on Tuesday to check my TSH levels and other things and I should be getting the results of that today. She said she wouldn't increase my daily dosage between now and the surgery but what she would recommend (based on the results of the TSH) me taking an extra 125 tablet once a week to kind of boost the levels leading up to the surgery.
I have my pre-op appointment with the doctor next week on the 11th.
That's pretty much all I know at the moment -- she did talk to me about a plan of action should the thyroid be determined as cancerous. I'd have to do an intake scan (be off the synthroid for about 4 weeks) and they'd see if there were any thyroid cells left in me, then if there were, I'd be connected to nuclear medicine and go that route -- which would involve me swallowing one or two radiated capsules (Dr. Reddy told me it's not the typical chemotherapy, that this kind doesn't have the side effects of hair loss or illness etc.) to kill off any remaining cells. Then six months from then I'd have another intake scan and if necessary another one or two capsules.
She was very reassuring -- said that even if it was cancerous, that more than 80%of the cases are the type of thyroid cancer with a high cure rate. So I am not worried -- more relieved to get this over with.
Thanks so much for your prayers and good wishes -- they help me so much.