Feeling Better

I can't believe it has been so long since I updated the blog!  This week has been very busy and tiring. On Wednesday Nate and I drove back up to Jacksonville to meet with the surgeon for a follow-up appointment.  He said things looked good and he gave me the ok to resume regular activities, including holding Mikayla, which has made my life much easier!  He also said that I should expect more swelling in my throat and that my voice should take another month or so to fully recover.  My voice is much stronger than it was, however it still sounds softer than normal.

I also recieved my pathology results from the surgery this week.  It was confirmed from the pathology reports that the mass in my thyroid was cancer.  The lymph nodes that were removed also had cancer, so that means I definately need to do the radioactive idodine treatment to rid my body of any left over cancer that wasn't removed during the surgery.  They also found the removed parathyroid and confirmed that it had a tumor.  This was what was causing my high calcium levels.  The parathyroid was hiding somewhere in my thyroid and was removed with it.  People typically can live normal lives with 3 parathyroids, which I now have.  If you have less than that, you have to take lots of calcium supplements.  Since my calcium dropped so low after my one parathyroid was removed, my doctor has me taking 9 calcium pills and a Vitamin D pill each day until my parathyroids that are left recover from the surgery shock.  Hopefully only another week or two of the pill craziness.  I also started the temporary thyroid hormone this week (2 pills twice a day) to get my body back on track.  I have an appointment on June 6th with my endocrinologist to discuss the rest of my treatment.

I went to work yesterday for 5 hours.  It was good to get out and see people, but definately tiring.  I know I better get used to being tired because I have another few months until I can get back to normal again.  For now, I will enjoy relaxing while I am forced to.  This weekend should be fun and relaxing.  We are celebrating my birthday with family on Saturday, enjoying time with great friends on Sunday and going out to eat for our anniversary on Monday.  Definately a good weekend planned.  I am happy and in good spirits.  I am blessed to celebrate my life and my 30th birthday with those I love!

False Expectations

So for some reason I must think I am superwoman because I expected to feel pretty good by now, but my throat is still swollen and sore, my voice is not yet recovered and I'm tired. I definately had false expectations that by Monday I would be back to new, ready for the work week. I guess my big hint should have been that the hospital dischage paperwork indicated that I can't lift more than 10 lbs for two weeks, meaning I better take it easy and not pick up my toddler! This is difficult for a busy mom! Fortunately my inlaws were here today to help and mom is spending tomorrow night. I have a follow up appointment at Mayo on Wednesday to check my calcium levels and make sure everything is healing ok. I plan to do some email for work this week and possibly go in on Thursday if I feel good enough. The goal is to be rested enough to enjoy my 30th birthday next weekend!!!

Finally Home

Yesterday I was finally able to drink some water and eat some solid foods on my own, so was discharged from the hospital.  It is still difficult to eat and speak because my throat is swollen, but it keeps getting better.  We spent last night at my parents and just got home this evening.  The hardest part is keeping my little bundle of energy (Mikayla) entertained while I rest and Nate takes care of things.  It has been really hepful to have family help us the past few days.  We plan on spending a relaxing weekend at home and plan to have a few visitors stop by to help with Mikayla.  Thanks to everyone for the voicemails and texts.  Recovery is going well.

Recovery

We arrived at the Mayo Clinic this morning at 10am. Pre-op started at 10:30, but surgery was pushed back to start at 2pm. Surgery went well and was complete at 4:30. Dr. Casler removed both sides of the thyroid along with one parathyroid and about ten lymphnodes. Currently in a room having an orange popsicle. Should be released from the hospital before lunch tomorrow.

Thanks for all the prayers.

Time

My check in time for tomorrow at the Mayo Clinic is 10am, with surgery scheduled for 12pm. I'll send something out once I am able! Thanks to everyone for the many prayers!! I am so blessed. My nerves are good for now.... We'll see how I feel tomorrow. Mostly I am glad to have this scheduled and to have good confidence in surgeon.

Details

I really would love to thank all the family and friends who have expressed so much love and concern over my diagnosis.  Being surrounded by love really has made this experience so much more bearable.  I can't express how thankful I am for such wonderful blessings!

I know many of you are curious about the details for this week, so here is what's going on....
Tomorrow night Nate, Mikayla and I are driving to Jacksonville and will stay at my parents house.  During the day tomorrow I will get a call from the hospital with the time of my surgery, which will be sometime Tuesday morning.  Once I know my surgery time, I will arrive 2 hours ahead of time for the surgery.  The surgery should take about 2 1/2 hours and I will stay overnight at the hospital for observation.  Nicole will watch Mikayla during the day and mom and dad and Janice and Carl plan to be at the hospital with Nate.  I am glad to have such an amazing family who takes such great care of Nate, Mikayla and I :)  We plan to stay at my parents on Wednesday night and then drive back home on Thursday.  From what I have read and from people who I have spoke with who have experience with this surgery, I expect the recovery period to be rather quick.  I anticipate being able to go back to work on the Monday after the surgery.

I anticipate the surgery and recovery to be pretty straightforward.  What I am more concerned about is getting the thyroid hormone pill and radioactive iodine treatment afterward because I am not totally clear on all the details for this yet.  My current understanding is that I take a temporary thyroid hormone pill for a few weeks after the surgery and then go off that pill for a few weeks and then do the radioactive iodine treatment.  Apparently during the time when I am off the thyroid hormone pill I will feel really tired like I have the flu.  As I get more information on this I will update everyone.

For now, prayers for my surgery is appreciated.  I will blog tomorrow about the time of my surgery and any other details.

A Few Busy Days

This week has been super busy and it is only Wednesday!  I am starting to get all of my days confused because of the craziness of my schedule lately with all of my appointments.  The good news is today was my last day of doctors appointments for awhile and I now have everything planned out, which is such a relief.

On Monday I met with Dr. Gurri, the surgeon that was recommended by my endocrinologist in Melbourne.  He had a good amount of experience in thyroid and parathyroid surgery and seemed as though he would be capable of doing a successful surgery.  I had a list of questions for him and he seemed to find my throughness amusing.  He wanted to know what type of career I had.  I told him I was an engineer.  To me it makes sense if you are going to entrust someone with your life that you ask all the right questions.  I guess most people are a little more trusting.

On Tuesday I met with my endocrinologist to have an ultrasound of my parathyroid to compare that to the scan I did last Thrusday.  The results of the scan were inconlusive - nothing really stood out.  The ultrasound had similar results.  He said he saw an enlarged lymph node on the right side of my neck and a possible enlarged parathyroid gland, but it was hard to tell. 

Last night we drove to Jacksonville and stayed at my parents house because I had a 8:45am appointment with a surgeon at the Mayo clinic this morning.  Nate took the day off to go with me, which was really nice.  The Mayo clinic is extraordinarily organized and efficient.  I feel like the facility must be run by Industrial Engineers. I had an appointment at 8:45am to check in and an appointment with Dr. Casler the surgeon at 9:30am.  They called me into the office at 9:30 and Dr. Casler came into the room at 9:35 and apologized for being late!  Nate and I were extremely impressed with Dr. Casler's demeanor and throughness.  He was personable, calm, and explained things in a way that didn't make Nate feel lightheaded, which is awesome!  He went over the scan and ultrasound results with us and explained the details of the surgery and his recommendations.  He performs about 200 thyroid surgeries a year and 50 parathyroid surgeries a year, which is by far the most experience out of any of the other surgeons I met with.  Nate and I decided to have him do the surgery.  Once that decision was made, they scheduled the surgery for next Tuesday and had me do all of my pre-op work today.  We stayed at the clinic for a few more hours to take care of everything.  It was amazing how they scheduled everything so quickly!

I am thankful to have a plan in place and a surgery date set!  As details continue to unfold, I will blog some more.  For now...good night!