The Medical Update

Lately my new favorite music to listen to is Jack Johnson, right now with lots of crazy things happening that are out of my control; I enjoy that there is music out there that can just help me feel a little less crazy. So the news, not so great but could be worse. I heard back from the Ear Nose and Throat Specialist nurse last week about the biopsy results, and I thought I was fine but then once I started telling people or maybe just the act of saying it out loud I just shut it all down and decided to just try and process it and maybe after visiting the doctor I could talk about it then.

I saw the ENT yesterday, took it all pretty well until they started talking about cutting into my neck and that is when everything seemed a little too small and I could feel these pregnancy hormones that I know so well start to take effect they were yelling at me " You gotta get out of here before I start crying in front of everyone!!" Saying that in my head was apparently enough to make the water works NOT start up and let the numbing, out-of-it, effect take its place for the rest of the day. I think I just needed to process some more, but it made it really hard to function and be talkative, I believe at one point I couldn't even figure out how to work our microwave (that I use all the time). Just had to throw my hands up in the air and walk away and tell my husband "I don't know how to make this thing work right now, you do it please!" Needless to say the microwave and I are friends again, I think I just needed a good nights rest.

There is a Tumor growing on my right Thyroid. The biopsy said that it is abnormal and that pretty much means it isn't cancerous YET or the part they took isn't YET. But it is possible that some of it is or it will be and there is no telling how long it will take. So they need it removed, but we need to wait till I have the baby. I believe it is called a Right Thyroid Lobectomy.

Here is what it is looking like...

• End of March- My birthday/have a baby!
• 3rd week in April- Have surgery
• 4th week in April-Patrick's birthday
• 1st week in May- Josh's birthday

With bullets next to it it seems so simple but life doesn't work like bullet points. Assuming everything goes well with me and the baby after birth then I have 3-4 weeks to prepare for surgery. I can't breastfeed while taking the drugs and surgery, so I have 3-4 weeks to stock up for those days I can't nurse. (I was very excited to hear that I should be able to nurse a couple days after surgery, assuming it isn't cancer).

The surgery isn't 'Trivial' as the doctor put it. I will be asleep, they will make an incision about an inch or 2 long. There are 2 parathyroid glands that are next to the tumor, he needs to be careful of those and he needs to move over and protect the voice box nerve. Then they will completely remove the whole right thyroid. They will biopsy it, if it is not cancerous I will be closed up and sent home that day. I will be on narcotics (as he put it) for a couple days, and then should be fine just can't do any major activity or heavy lifting for 10 days. Now if they find it is cancerous, I will be staying in the hospital, for how long? It all depends, so we will worry about that hurdle IF we come to it. The doctor says my Thyroid should function fine, that the left should just take over the part of the right. So we will just wait and see.

The pregnancy is going well, my doctor says the baby sounds great but he is a little worried about me. I have been feeling faint a lot, sometimes to the point of nearly blacking out or sitting in the middle of the floor at a store just to ensure I don't pass out. I have a glucometer to check my blood sugar levels, which are low but not too bad, reading at an 80 when it is lowest. My iron is a little low, but my doctor doesn't think either are bad enough to be causing the near blackouts. So we just power through. My emotional state has been off the charts lately but I feel that because I am throwing up a lot less then other pregnancies and have only gained 20 pounds so far that I am doing great. Really I haven't been put on bed rest or anything so I think I will make it through just fine.

I am still trying to figure out exactly how I am feeling about finding a tumor and surgery, I think I am most worried about the chaos in the timing with the baby and everything. Functioning with 3 kids with all of this going on. But, you know I have an amazing husband!! Lots of family and friends around for help and support. So I think everything that is in my control I can make as smooth as possible, and the things that are not in my control, well I know that God has those taken care of for me, and he always has my best interests at heart.