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It's Not a Leap Year...Hit the Road 40!

Today is my birthday...sort of. I was born on February 29th, which comes every four years. It's crazy when you think of the odds: one day every four years, and I was born on it! Then I've got this unusual name too (thanks, Mom!), which I really like now, didn't when I was little.

Anyway...Last year I had my 10th/40th birthday, and it was great! I had no issues with turning 40, embraced it, spent a great day with my husband and family.

Then the year started to unravel...
  • Christian decided to move back to Indiana to live with his mother, which nearly broke all of our hearts
  • July 14th of 2008, I was diagnosed with papillary carcinoma (thyroid cancer)
  • A week later, I found out that I had suspicious lymph nodes as well. Turned out four of 14 lymph nodes were positive for cancer on the right side of my neck. Two were as big as small plums!
  • Surgery on July 31st was supposed to be an overnight. I ended up four days in the hospital with complications, a lovely five-inch scar on my neck, and home for the entire month of August recovering.
  • In August, I met the endocrinologist that would soon be called "the doctor that I don't like." If cancer didn't make me crazy enough, he did even more so.
  • In preparation for radioactive treatment, I was on a low-iodine diet to make what was left of my thyroid/thyroid cancer hungry for iodine, thus, the treatment more successful. Iodine is in so many things you would never suspect. I hated this and ended up losing weight (I know, not a bad thing) and being grouchy (right, family?) because of it.
  • Radioactive treatment is September was uneventful...thank goodness.
  • But then my lab results never would come down. Something was up. Doctor that I don't like wasn't worried but still ordered an ultrasound/follow up.
  • Oh yeah, and the economy was starting to tank at this point.
  • Which lead to an early January 2009 finding of more thyroid cancer. Recurrence or left over from the first diagnosis, it didn't matter. I had more cancer to deal with.
  • Also early January, my in-laws had a fire at their house that caused extensive smoke damage! At this point, we all wanted to start 2009 over. :)
  • Surgery again on January 15th. Dr. Sanders went in looking for one cancerous lymph node and found three more. Scar had just started to heal; he had to open it again.
  • Just this week, Chris's grandfather, our Boompah, passed away.
  • Another family member close to me was diagnosed with cancer this week. Definitely treatable, but still cancer.

Honestly, this is the bad stuff. There were lots of good things that happened along the way like my new job that I started the end of January. It couldn't be a better fit! Morgan changed soccer teams and, again, it was a great decision! Certainly other positives I'm missing.

I'm recounting all of this to say: Farewell 40! I had high hopes, but then you stunk up the place with cancer and other stuff. Get outta here...leave!

I'm ready for 41! Couldn't be more ready for a new start with a new day, a new attitude. I'm moving on.

Since 2009 didn't bring promise in and of itself, I'm going to rely on my birthday year, starting today, being great. Join with me...endeavor to make this year the best you can starting today!

Comments

  1. Meg McCormickMarch 3, 2009 at 9:07 PM

    41 ain't so bad. Hope it's much better for you than your 40!

    ReplyDelete

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