Skip to main content

Calm before the storm...in more ways than one

I've been somewhat pleased with January 2010...cruising along, doing my own thing, staying on pace with life in general. Keeping things fairly in order. Haven't quite tackled all of those resolutions with the vim and vigor I had planned but have had good intentions and made headway in general.

But I feel it coming...I have several things creeping up. First on the docket, my round of thyroid cancer follow-up shots and scans the week of February 8th. I'm not freaking out about it like I used to, especially since I'm keeping with my New Year's resolution of no more thyroid cancer in 2010. But it's a process - physically, emotionally, logistically. It's a pain in my routine. But you know, if that's all I've got to contend with in regards to thyroid cancer, I'll take it.

So here's the schedule:

  • Feb. 8 - thyrogen shot (preps me for the scan)
  • Feb. 9 - thyrogen shot
  • Feb. 10 - small dose of radioactive material given (no glowing green will occur...I think!)
  • Feb. 11 - whole body scan
  • Feb.12 - blood work

What is the other "storm" that is approaching? Spring...every parent with a school-age child knows what spring normally brings: crazy schedules. Soccer, dance, field trips to Hershey Park, awards ceremonies, choosing classes for the next year (middle/hs students), school projects that should have been worked on all year that are done in a weekend, and standardized tests just to name a few.

With Mackenzie about to choose her classes for her senior year of high school and making college visits lately, I'm a little melancholy about spring. Yes, it's a storm and it's crazy and drives us parents nuts....but we wouldn't have it any other way, right? I love that my kids are active and engaged in life and in school, and that I am along for the ride.

I don't have many of these chaotic springs left with the kids thanks to them growing up. Who said they could grow up anyway? I'm going to enjoy every minute...oh, and also complain, but you can ignore that part or better yet, remind me what I said here about "enjoying every minute".

Comments

  1. I hear ya. We went to the parent meeting for incoming freshman at Seth's school last week... took Eli for his 5 year old checkup and the nurse actually suggested that I have them fill out the school forms he'll need when we register him for kindergarten this spring! Sister Mercy, time's flyin'!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey Charlcie,
    Enjoy every minute will ya! I am standing next to you chanting "no more thyroid cancer in 2010"!!! Fingers crossed all scans come back with no cancer.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you so much for leaving such an encouraging comment. As you know, support is so important! I'll be having my scan the week after you, so will be praying for you as you walk the path ahead of me.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Charlcie, ur blog is really nice and interesting, i truly like & enjoy it. I just wanna suggest that u should go for blog advertising & marketing there is a website which is offering very unique features at affordable prices. There are Expert advertising teams who will promote ur blog & affiliate ads through all over the networks. All u have to do is submit your blog plus pay affordable prices and rest leave it to Advertising Team for Promotion & Marketing then see how u enjoy a lots of quality traffic plus more readers to ur blog. Finally I have bookmarked ur blog & also shared with my friends hope u have a wonderful day & !!happy blogging!!.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hey Charlcie,
    First, I wish you luck on your scans; I just had my first follow-up in about a year yesterday, and it went well enough, just waiting for blood work, so I'm sitting in a similar waiting boat right now.

    Also, as being a formerly super active kid, I can tell you the storm of spring doesn't necessarily end w/ high school. Being 26, I don't think my parents expected they would still be going through the spring chaos on a regular basis, whether its short stints home over spring break, dealing w/ me over the phone when I stress about exams, projects or papers, graduations, or prepping for me to go globetrotting for another summer. The spring storm sticks around for a while more.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Just wanted to let you know I am thinking of you as you prep for your next scan.

    Best of luck for a clean scan!!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quite a pay raise!

Today I received a press alert via email from my alma mater, Oklahoma State. Check out the first two paragraphs below: Following only the sixth nine-win regular season in school history, Oklahoma State University today announced a contract extension for head football coach Mike Gundy, giving him a new seven-year contract worth $15.7 million. The contract was announced following action by the OSU/A&M Board of Regents at its regular meeting in Miami. With the new contract, which is effective Jan. 1, 2009 and runs through December of 2015, Gundy’s average annual compensation will be more than $2.2 million. His current six-year contract paid him $1,053,000 this year. What the heck? That's quite a raise, and he didn't even beat OU, Texas, or Tech! Now, I went to OSU when Mike Gundy was the quarterback there. He was the quarterback during Barry Sanders' Heisman year. He seems like a nice guy and a great coach, but wow... In all fairness, I have to point out that I also read

Changing the Focus

I will turn 50 this month. In honor of this milestone -- and just because I want to -- I am changing the focus of my blog. 10 years ago at the age of 40, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer -- papillary carcinoma. I started this blog after my first surgery as a means to communicate. I had lost my voice for about three weeks, and speaking was a challenge. Many well-meaning folks called in the days after my surgery to check on me. While it was fine that Chris and my mom provided updates, I missed being in contact with people. So I started writing. Along the way, I learned that I liked to write and also found other cancer patients and survivors along the way. I needed an outlet, and, unexpectedly, my blog provided some perspective for those newly diagnosed as well as those of us who must endure the various follow-up visits and the anxiety that accompanies them. My last cancer blog post was three years ago. Believe me, the anxiety is still there, but after two recurrences, I&

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