How Do You Feel Today? v4

[Menolly]

Yeah, I'm soon to have my thyroid removed as it might be cancerous. But they say it is treatable if it is, so just another damn daily pill. Nothing as scary as all that.

Ack, I'm sorry to hear, Cag.

Nowadays, thyroid surgery isn't too bad. If they follow up with radioactive iodine, that is a hassle. And, getting up an hour before breakfast, or even coffee, is a drag, but it is doable.

The good news is it is highly treatable. Love and Light for healing sent your way. Please do keep us informed.

So, the schedule for my surgery went all wonky.

I was brought back for the injection (not an IV; it was a radioactive dye in to the lymph nodes closest to the biopsy site) at 8:00, but then was brought up to pre-surgery for additional check in and paperwork. I was then brought back down to nuclear medicine for images of the lymph nodes, to see if they "lit up." Thankfully, they did.

Surgery actually started about 10:30, and lasted a little over 5 hours. So, I guess I got in to recovery around 4:00. Much later than my expected 12:30. I recall coming to in my overnight room around 6:10; if I was responsive to anything other than that before then, I don't really remember it.

Dinner was served, and I sent SD and Dam-sel home to go eat their dinner and have some down time. They came back with my phone around 9:00, and I sent them home around 10:30 for a well deserve rest. I got to sleep a lot of the day; they've been up all day.

I watched t.v. until about 12:30 am, then turned everything off to try to sleep, even though I felt wide awake. I must have drifted off, though, as the next thing I remember is being awakened at 3:45 am for blood sugars and pressure testing. So, now I'm wide awake again, an hour or so later.

Murphy says I'll drop off right before the next round of tests...

[Linna Heartbooger]

...I was brought back for the injection (not an IV; it was a radioactive dye in to the lymph nodes closest to the biopsy site) at 8:00, but then was brought up to pre-surgery for additional check in and paperwork. I was then brought back down to nuclear medicine for images of the lymph nodes, to see if they "lit up." Thankfully, they did.

I'm confused... thankfully b/c if they lit up, it meant the dye was working?
or did you mean to type "Thankfully, they did not."?

different technology than was used to check if it had spread to the lymph nodes for me, so I don't know things.

Murphy says I'll drop off right before the next round of tests...

Gahhh...
Being woken up for tests..

You might be amused to know a game I used to play was, "Try to evade Murphy's Law," in which I would try to make it so that if one thing went wrong, at least some other thing would go well...
I can't remember any specific example of it, just the idea. (I also don't know that I was ever actually good at it.)


Deer- <3

On the upside, I have gotten to see my sister and Fawn of the dawn (my daughter)

Yayyyy.

So whassup Linna? What are you stuck on, maybe we can help. Who knows, someone may have been where you are and it might help to look at how they got through them.

Thaaank you!
Some of it has to do with the perfectionism thing...
...and with being "stuck" with regards to not communicating with others; I think "avoidant" is one word that fits.

In fact, in my mind, I've composed a more detailed post to talk about the problem...
...now all that remains is for me to type it out and post it! *facepalm*
(Get it?)

[Menolly]

The radioactive dye was to make the lymph nodes light up. I'm not exactly sure why, but supposedly it was done to help the surgeon find them to harvest for removal for further pathology.

I never did get back to sleep. Thankfully, all that is planned today is to go home and recuperate. So, if I can stay awake through dinner, and then go to sleep, it shouldn't throw off my sleep cycle too much...

[Menolly]

Apologies for the double post.

A poster on FB explained why we wanted the lymph nodes to light up. Her explanation follows.

When they do the injection of the radioactive tracer in the areola, it goes up in the lymph vessels and up to the sentinel lymph nodes which are the first lymph nodes that drain the breast's lymph fluid. The ones that light up are the ones the surgeon has to be remove to get tested. If the cancer is in her lymph nodes, these would be the ones most likely to be involved. This procedure allows surgeons to take out a small sampling to test instead of taking out all the armpit lymph nodes which can leave women with a lot of life-long side effects. If her sentinel lymph nodes are not involved with cancer, then she doesn't need anymore lymph nodes taken out and has been spared these side-effects. If they ARE involved, there is a discussion to be had regarding whether she needs more taken out or not. The lymph nodes lighting up in nuclear medicine just indicates that the tracer was properly taken up in her body. It has no indication of whether there is cancer there or not.

[Menolly]

Third time's the charm...

Thank you all!

I just saw my surgeon, and she is happy with what she's seeing, so I'll be discharged at some point today. I walked 12 laps of the floor after breakfast this morning, which the staff says is one mile. I wasn't winded or tired afterwards, either. So, your prayers and healing light has already lifted me up and given me strength!

Thank y'all, again!

[Linna Heartbooger]

A poster on FB explained why we wanted the lymph nodes to light up. Her explanation follows.

When they do the injection of the radioactive tracer in the areola, it goes up in the lymph vessels and up to the sentinel lymph nodes which are the first lymph nodes that drain the breast's lymph fluid. The ones that light up are the ones the surgeon has to be remove to get tested. If the cancer is in her lymph nodes, these would be the ones most likely to be involved. This procedure allows surgeons to take out a small sampling to test instead of taking out all the armpit lymph nodes which can leave women with a lot of life-long side effects. If her sentinel lymph nodes are not involved with cancer, then she doesn't need anymore lymph nodes taken out and has been spared these side-effects. If they ARE involved, there is a discussion to be had regarding whether she needs more taken out or not. The lymph nodes lighting up in nuclear medicine just indicates that the tracer was properly taken up in her body. It has no indication of whether there is cancer there or not.

Ahhh.. my bad!
In that case, it might well have been part of what I had done... as pre-prep, and just got forgotten by me.

Yay, for that poster on FB giving a detailed, human-readable discussion of this!!

And now I give my apologies... for stirring that bit of confusion into the mix!

Walking about 1 mile in the hospital?! Yay! cool...

[Savor Dam]

Menolly is now home and settled on the couch with Fred the cat on her lap. They missed each other!

[Skyweir]

Awwww Its good she has an obliging fur bundle. Glad it went well.

Linna did you have a mastectomy as well .. I didnt know.

[Avatar]

Well, glad it seems to have gone well for you Menolly. And hope everybody else's hassles go well as well.

At least it's Friday. Half-day at work, afternoon at the range, then home for a relaxing weekend. The GF got my flu, so probably won't have to do anything this weekend. (Except wait on her hand and foot of course. )

--A

[Skyweir]

It is as it should be

[Sorus]

Well, glad it seems to have gone well for you Menolly. And hope everybody else's hassles go well as well.

I second both sentiments.

[deer of the dawn]

Will continue to pray and send light to Menolly, and I didn't realize Cags had issues as well, I missed that amidst all the other awesomeness.

Stag and I have both had our ups and downs. Feeling sidelined. But also really, really thankful that there are few demands on us for the time being, and we have a house and a car and people have even given us money. People do not suck this week.

Fawn and Buck of the dawn (our daughter and son) were both here for the weekend because Fawn had to move, so Buck came up from VA to NY to help her. This was planned before we were coming. So they both took off this morning and we expect them to arrive fairly soon-- although 95 was all in red on Google maps this morning, so hopefully they did not spend hours baking in traffic.

Sky, I have Doctors 9-13 on my computer, currently re-watching season 8 of the reboot. I think Matt Smith is my personal favorite Doctor and feel his story arc with Amy Pond is the most engaging. But I love all the Drs.... haven't seen any of the new female Dr though.

[Avatar]

Well, Monday again damnit. Cold too. Meh.

Weekend was busier (and more expensive) than I had hoped it would be.

--A

[Skyweir]

Nice Deer Matty Smith is awesome Love him and David Tennant .. really hard to pick a winner out of those two. Yeah havent seen the new dr either .. but am looking forward to it.

Hope you and Stag keep getting better .. and hope you make the most of the zero demands.

[Sorus]

Hope you and Stag keep getting better .. and hope you make the most of the zero demands.

Second that. And the new season of Doctor Who doesn't start until later this year. I don't think an exact date has been announced yet. Seems like it's usually April or May, but I guess they have more to work out this time around with all the drastic changes to the cast and crew and whatnot.

[Skyweir]

Nice info Sorus

We never get the show at the same time as the rest of the world ..

We usually have to wait a year later. Seems like that .. cos they start with their xmas special .. and we get that much, much later

[Avatar]

Wow, quiet night huh? Oh well, half-way through the week. Cold and wintery. Meh.

--A

[Skyweir]

Cold but sunny here ..

[Sorus]

Nice info Sorus

We never get the show at the same time as the rest of the world ..

We usually have to wait a year later. Seems like that .. cos they start with their xmas special .. and we get that much, much later

I get mine through iTunes, but I think it's available more or less at the same rate it airs on BBC or whatnot - Xmas special on Xmas, new season a few months later. The only thing I've had to wait extra time for is GoT - it's usually available about a year after it airs on HBO, and I've given up trying to avoid spoilers, but I'm still resistant to the idea of paying a monthly fee for a service when I really don't watch much TV.

[Menolly]

Follow up appointment with my surgeon yesterday. I'm healing well and the pathology came back completely clear. She feels no radiation or chemotherapy will be needed, but I still need to meet with my oncologist in a few weeks to make a final determination. But, so far, so good.