Skip to main content

Here It Comes Again....

Chris posted photos from our June North Carolina trip this week on our flickr page, and it takes me back to that incredibly relaxing time. We took the three kids plus Chewie plus Spencer (friend of the kids that quickly became a part of our family), rented a house in North Carolina and proceeding to generally do.....nothing.

For those of you who know our crazy lives and the lifestyle in the Washington DC area, "doing nothing" is truly a gift. We are often running from soccer practice to performances, etc. Add to that mix the past year doctors appointments, ultrasounds, scans, and it gets a bit overwhelming at times.

It was a great time at the beach...wouldn't trade it for the world. Wonder why we have never done it before, wondering when we will fit it in next summer, the summer before Christian and Mackenzie's senior year. But I will do everything in my power to get it done.
I am being sentimental about the beach trip because....it's coming. No, I'm not talking about a scary movie, which I can't stand (don't even bring up Silence of the Lambs to me...I'm not kidding!). I'm talking about the beginning of school. It starts here September 8th.

Oklahoma/midwest friends, you can give to me now....yes, I know your kids are already in school. The disadvantage to the late start? The late getting out part in June. But I digress...

School will start, and we will start out busy lives again. But there is much to be thankful for.

Cancer-wise, I'm doing well. No cause for worry on the horizon. I'm having a routine follow up ultrasound in October as well as doctor's visit. Still getting used to being a cancer survivor, still sometimes think back to "what was I doing a year ago?" And think, "Ah yes, getting my voice back, my stamina back, starting at that scar on my neck - still in shock about it all." Now? Really proud of that scar (you can see said scar in the photo above...look close!). Shows I did it...twice in the last year.

My lack 'o thyroid, well, that's a different story. I'm still often tired, taking naps whenever I can. I've gained weight since this time last year to the point my clothes are tight. Will not buy more...must lose weight. Battling to get my thyroid meds regulated but will keep working on this with my endocrinologist.

So starting a new school year soon...this time, thankful for the family time at the beach this summer and thankful for the lack 'o cancer.

Comments

  1. Meg McCormickAugust 24, 2009 at 10:39 AM

    OH man, is that you up on the 4x4 beach? FUN! We really missed our week at the beach this year. Hopefully our lives will be such that we can swing it next year. If we don't, our children may never forgive us.

    ReplyDelete
  2. LisaAugust 27, 2009 at 5:00 PM

    You're right, our blogs are quite similar. I am eager to read yours.

    Today I'm dealing with the effects of hypocalcemia - I have to start reading about that apparently now... :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownAugust 28, 2009 at 8:23 AM

    Sometimeslisa,

    So glad we found each other, fellow thyroid cancer survivor! The hypocalcemia...I had that too. They would not let me out of the hospital until I could chew or swallow some calcium pills. The ironic part...I have loved milk and milk products my whole life! Didn't matter with this...

    Do you know about the side effects to watch for if you are having trouble with hypocalcemia? Please be aware of those and how you are feeling in regards to them. Self awareness is so important with the thyroid issues. :)

    The energy levels (or lack thereof) and emotional part snuck up on me. Its a challenging journey, but you can win!

    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