Skip to main content

The big reveal and catching up....

Wow, has it been almost a week since I blogged? It's been a busy, hectic six days, but I'm makin' it...some days barely, but making it.

Let's see...oh, my post-op appointment on Friday. The "big reveal" went well. Dr. Sanders ripped (or at least it felt like he ripped....) my bandage off then he, his PA, and my mom gathered in a semi-circle about a foot from my neck and said things like, "wow, it looks good" and "it's healing nicely." I have to agree, it looks better than it did last summer...or does it?

I think the shock factor was gone this time around. I am now used to looking in the mirror and seeing the five-inch incision/scar so really, it just looked the same, just more pink and swollen. I have the semi-frequent stabbing pains throughout the day and night telling me that my nerves are slowly but surely coming back. Dr. Sanders says this is good. My neck is generally just sore, tender, and tingly, um, let's say all day every day, BUT I am alive. And cancer free. Again.

My energy is definitely lagging behind, which I'm a little disappointed about. Wait a minute, I just had surgery on my neck 13 days ago to remove cancerous lymph nodes...it's OK that I'm tired, right? I'm fairly sure that starting a new job on Monday has contributed to my fatigue as well. I can make it through the day then....I'm done, kaput, over and out.

That new job is going great, by the way. Love the new job, new supervisor, new organization. And....I have an office with (ta da!) a window overlooking 18th Street NW in DC! I'm still thinking I made the right decision to take this job. I listened to my gut, that it was going to be OK to switch jobs while dealing with this recurrence, and I seemed to have made a good choice.

I know it is winter and January but really, the ice has got to go. The snow, it's pretty and then melts. However, the ice? I felt like a mountain explorer in my snow boots this morning climbing down our steep front yard while avoiding our driveway that was a solid sheet of ice. It's almost making me laugh out loud now, that mental picture in my head of me scaling the front yard this morning, trying to get to work. Kids were out of school today and on a two-hour delay tomorrow.

Comments

  1. hollybfJanuary 29, 2009 at 9:43 AM

    Get Kevin to go have lunch with you--he's at 19th and H. He needs a break. glad all is going well!

    ReplyDelete
  2. GaryJanuary 29, 2009 at 1:02 PM

    so, what is the big dome across the street from you?

    Geege

    ReplyDelete
  3. JenalynJanuary 30, 2009 at 1:43 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. JenalynJanuary 30, 2009 at 1:45 AM

    Hi Charlcie! You are amazing!! I always thought you were and now that I get to "see inside your head" through your blog I know what I always guessed, is true. YOU ARE AMAZING!! I'm sorry you have to suffer though. I hope you'll be FEELING amazing before very long. Know that I think of you often and wish for you the very best!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. JenalynJanuary 30, 2009 at 1:47 AM

    Okay, that was lame! I just wanted to fix a typo and now it leaves a "comment deleted" notice on your blog. Sorry about that.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

More about batting a thousand...

Ah, I didn't really explain the "batting a thousand" reference in relationship to me when posting on the blog last night. Was still in a bit of a fog from the news I received from the ultrasound. A bit of history... Batting a thousand: 1. June 2008: ultrasound reveals suspicious nodules that should be biopsied. 2. July 2008: after biopsy confirms papillary carcinoma, neck ultrasound to look at lymph nodes finds suspicious lymph nodes. Post-surgery found out about the four positive lymph nodes, two of which were the size of small plums. 3. December 2008: Ultrasound post total thyroidectomy and neck dissection, small nodules found in the thyroid bed along with a suspicious lymph node. So in summary, every ultrasound I have had of my thyroid and neck this year has revealed something suspicious. Thus, I am batting 1,000 with the ultrasounds in 2008. Feeling rather bleh and crappy about it all today. It's Christmas...why do I have to deal with cancer again? Ugh.
11 comments
Read more

On my soapbox about "the best cancer to have"

Those of you who follow me on Twitter know I was on my soapbox this morning after reading yet another article about the dreaded subject of how thyroid cancer is "the best cancer to have." Think about that...the best cancer? Why would someone say that? In an attempt to make you feel better about having thyroid cancer, some health care profesionals try to convince those of us who have or have had thyroid cancer that it is "the best cancer to have" because it has a high survival rate. An aside here, that high survival rate applies to papillary carcinoma, one of the three types of thyroid cancer out there. Survival rates are lower for medullary carcinoma and anaplastic carcinoma, the other two types of thyroid cancer. Back on topic...OK, so tell us that papillary carcinoma has a high survival rate. Truly, that is good news. But because of this "best cancer to have" statement, and the fact that I was told my thyroidectomy would most likely be just an easy, ove...
13 comments
Read more

After a year, I'm still waiting....and waiting

Here I am back again at my blog talking about thyroid cancer again. I had my yearly appointment last week with Dr. Wartofsky. It was an interesting one. He had two students in the exam room with us. I didn't mind. He's one of the best thyroid cancer doctors in the world (I'm not kidding) so please, spread your knowledge to any who will listen. He could have easily said, gesturing to me, "This is exhibit A, a papillary carcinoma patient who has had multiple recurrences." I actually think he did that before I came in the room. I started the appointment with honesty: "Hey, I am really nervous because I have not gone a year between appointments since my recurrence." He understood. The students nodded. I showed the students my scars along with their accompanying stories. I have two scars: one large one about five inches long centered on my neck, lower half, and the other about three inches long on the upper right side of my neck. The longer one ...
2 comments
Read more