I've received several inquiries about my lengthy absence, and figured I should at least offer up an explanation. The short answer is that I've spent the majority of the last two months on my couch.
In early September I totally ruptured the Achilles tendon in my left leg. It actually snapped in half leaving my left foot dangling like a dead fish. The Achilles tendon is what attaches the bottom of the calf muscle to bone, so not only was my foot flopping around, so was my calf muscle. I had surgery shortly afterwards and until 10 days ago have been in various casts. Last week I was feeling pretty good about things, and what I thought was pain from the surgery turned out to be an infection! It was taken care of quickly and today I start several months of physical therapy. The surgeon said I'll be back to normal in about six months!
Not only am I going to miss almost the entire "cool weather" exploring season in the desert, I also ALREADY have a major case of cabin fever! I've been physically able to post things and have a ton to post, but I just haven't felt like it.
I'm starting to though...
Showing posts with label medical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label medical. Show all posts
Monday, November 12, 2018
Monday, August 15, 2016
Me and Mean Mr. C
If you don't want to read this, I totally understand...
Last October I posted an article relating to the fact that both my parents died of cancer during the 64th year of their lives. Now that I was in my own 64th year, I was more than a bit concerned. If you didn't see it, and want to see it now, here is a link.
I scheduled an examination by just about every specialist I could think of. I'm very happy I did that, because I immediately found out I had aggressive prostate cancer, a pre-cancerous polyp in my colon, and ten pre-cancerous spots on my skin. The spots on my skin were frozen off, the polyp was removed, and my prostate was removed. Here is a link (if you haven't already seen it) to the post relating to the prostate procedure.
At this point I'm feeling good! Everything has been taken care of, and I'm out of the woods (relative to my 64th year). At least that is what I thought at the time.
I recently went to a one year follow-up appointment with my dermatologist. I figured he'd give me a look over and that would be that. Nope! I hit the skin cancer trifecta.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma - This was on the right side of my neck (photo below). There was nothing on the surface that would indicate anything. I asked him to look at it because the area got kind of red when I shaved, or scratched there. The biopsy he took came back positive for cancer. Squamous Cell is sometimes referred to as "head and neck" cancer. This is the one I was most worried about, because it doesn't have to travel far to get into the neck muscles and/or the lymphatic system. This surgery was also done under local anesthesia. The procedure is called Mohs Surgery. They take out chunk of tissue around the biopsy spot, and then do "on the spot" pathology. If the margins come back clear, you're done and they close the incision. If it's not clear (meaning that it has spread) they take out more tissue in the direction the cancer cells were headed. The tech then does pathology on the margins of that piece. Once again, if the margins are clear, you're done. If not, more tissue has to come out. He had to do it four times before the margins were clear. He called it "chasing the cancer." The REALLY good thing is that it had spread quite a bit, but traveled down my neck, instead of deeper INTO it. It took a bit over 2 1/2 hours from start to finish. Lot's of stitches to close it up. Nine days later we dealt with number 3.
Basal Cell Carcinoma - This was on the left side of my neck. The surgery went pretty much the same as with the Squamous Cell cancer surgery. It only took two tries to get it all though. After the margins came back positive from the first try, I asked if he would just go ahead and take out a much bigger chunk out and hope for the best. He agreed, and it came back clean. He closed it up (also with a lot of stitches) and hopefully, I'm done with cancer.
Last October I posted an article relating to the fact that both my parents died of cancer during the 64th year of their lives. Now that I was in my own 64th year, I was more than a bit concerned. If you didn't see it, and want to see it now, here is a link.
I scheduled an examination by just about every specialist I could think of. I'm very happy I did that, because I immediately found out I had aggressive prostate cancer, a pre-cancerous polyp in my colon, and ten pre-cancerous spots on my skin. The spots on my skin were frozen off, the polyp was removed, and my prostate was removed. Here is a link (if you haven't already seen it) to the post relating to the prostate procedure.
At this point I'm feeling good! Everything has been taken care of, and I'm out of the woods (relative to my 64th year). At least that is what I thought at the time.
I recently went to a one year follow-up appointment with my dermatologist. I figured he'd give me a look over and that would be that. Nope! I hit the skin cancer trifecta.
- Melanoma
- Squamous Cell Carcinoma
- Basal Cell Carcinoma
Squamous Cell Carcinoma - This was on the right side of my neck (photo below). There was nothing on the surface that would indicate anything. I asked him to look at it because the area got kind of red when I shaved, or scratched there. The biopsy he took came back positive for cancer. Squamous Cell is sometimes referred to as "head and neck" cancer. This is the one I was most worried about, because it doesn't have to travel far to get into the neck muscles and/or the lymphatic system. This surgery was also done under local anesthesia. The procedure is called Mohs Surgery. They take out chunk of tissue around the biopsy spot, and then do "on the spot" pathology. If the margins come back clear, you're done and they close the incision. If it's not clear (meaning that it has spread) they take out more tissue in the direction the cancer cells were headed. The tech then does pathology on the margins of that piece. Once again, if the margins are clear, you're done. If not, more tissue has to come out. He had to do it four times before the margins were clear. He called it "chasing the cancer." The REALLY good thing is that it had spread quite a bit, but traveled down my neck, instead of deeper INTO it. It took a bit over 2 1/2 hours from start to finish. Lot's of stitches to close it up. Nine days later we dealt with number 3.
Basal Cell Carcinoma - This was on the left side of my neck. The surgery went pretty much the same as with the Squamous Cell cancer surgery. It only took two tries to get it all though. After the margins came back positive from the first try, I asked if he would just go ahead and take out a much bigger chunk out and hope for the best. He agreed, and it came back clean. He closed it up (also with a lot of stitches) and hopefully, I'm done with cancer.
Basal Cell before. The red spot is from the biopsy. There was no other indication at all.
Basal Cell after.
The stitches come out tomorrow. Geez, when did I become an old man?
Squamous Cell after
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma
- Prostate Adeno Carcinoma
- Basal Cell Carcinoma
- Squamous Cell Carcinoma
- Malignant Melanoma
- Pre-Cancerous Polyp in colon
- 10 Pre-Cancerous spots on my skin
All in five years, and four of them in the last 10 months.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I almost forgot to mention that the first thing I did was get a complete physical exam. Everything came out perfect. Contrary to the fact that I seem to get cancer, I'm really healthy. Vitals and blood test results were all fantastic.
There is some good news. I got a bit of a "neck lift" from the two surgeries!
.
Monday, May 2, 2016
Fire Sticks Versus My Eye Balls
I'm sure most people already know about the lengthy drought we are having out here on the west coast. As a result, many people have replaced their landscaping with native drought tolerant plants. Many of those plants are succulents and various types of cactus.
One of the plants you often see around here is Euphorbia Tirucalli. Also known as fire sticks, sticks of fire, milk plant, pencil tree, etc. These three are in front of our house.
After a recent windstorm, the one in the middle was badly leaning. I straightened it up and staked it in place. I broke a few of the pencil sized branches and they oozed white sap (that I apparently got on me, and somehow into my eyes). When I was done, I washed my hands and went about my business. That only lasted about five minutes. That is when my eyes started severely burning and hurting. I Googled the plant and it said that if you get the sap in your eyes, try to rinse them out. However, if you are allergic, or they don't stop hurting, go immediately to the emergency room at your local hospital. I wasn't sure if I was allergic or not, but within a few more minutes, I was pretty sure that I was.
In this photo, they are putting rubbery round things OVER my eyeballs. They went UNDER my eye lids (top and bottom).
...attach freaking TUBES to my eyes! Each eye was hooked up to a liter of saline. They said our goal was to flush each eye with at least half a liter. The more the better. Apparently, most people either insist that they take those things out of their eyes, or rip them out themselves almost immediately.
When they took the things off my eyes, the pain returned in all it's soul cleansing glory. The doctor said it usually lasts for a couple of days. He then asked me the standard, "on a scale of one to ten, ten being highest, how much pain are you in?" I told him that I have a really high tolerance for pain, and it was more than 10. The nurse walked back into the room with a syringe. The doctor said it was dilaudid should help with the pain, and maybe even put me to sleep. I laid back on the bed and waited, but it did nothing. After a short while, I got another one, and then another. Still nothing!
He said I had reached the legal limit of what he could administer to me. That sucked. I think I had 6 milligrams in me and nothing had changed. He gave us a prescription for oxycodone or hydrocodone and a few to "tide me over" until we could get the prescription filled. Despite all the dilaudid in me, I got out of bed and walked out of there like I hadn't had any. We went home, I took one of the pills and washed it down with a full glass of wine. After all, the bottle said "Warning: Alcohol may intensify the effect." I know that was dangerous, but I seriously didn't care at that point. After about 15 minutes, I took another pill with more wine. I finally went to sleep and/or passed out. When I woke up several hours later my eyes felt a lot better.
It has now been about 3 weeks and all is good!
Watch out for fire sticks!
Monday, October 26, 2015
Part 2 - Adeno-Carcinoma of the Prostate
I walked into my initial visit with the urologist, thinking that it was only going to be a consultation. Based on my high PSA level, he advised that I should have a biopsy of my prostate done. I agreed, because I'd rather have a biopsy done and find out that everything was okay, than to not have one and find out later that it wasn't. Just to be sure, he wanted the PSA checked again. Then he told me to "drop trou" and turn around. We all know what happened next. Right? He said it felt totally normal and that he wanted to do one more thing. That "thing" was to get a sample of the bacteria in the lower areas of my large intestine, using what looked like a large, long Q-tip. He explained that they get the biopsies by going through the intestinal wall directly into the prostate, and want to make sure that I'm already on appropriate antibiotics when the procedure is performed. Oh joy of joys...
Ultrasound Assisted Needle Biopsies
I wasn't watching, but it felt like they drove a submarine up my bum and then fired torpedoes though the intestinal wall, into the prostate, and then retrieved the torpedoes. TWELVE times. Of course they were needles, not torpedoes, and each time they came back, they had a core sample of tissue. The submarine injected lidocaine first to deaden the area, but each biopsy still felt like a small bolt of lightning. Not much pain, but very uncomfortable.
Biopsy Results
Four of the twelve biopsy samples were malignant. They were all on one side, but both sides still had to go. Prostate cancer is rated (from five to ten) using a measurement called the Gleason Scale. Five is the least aggressive and ten is the most aggressive. Most of mine were in the middle, but unfortunately, two of them were aggressive.
Options
Do Nothing:
Prostate cancer is initially pretty slow growing, and if none of it is at the aggressive level (and subject to spreading), then it is fairly common to only monitor it while frequently checking your PSA.
Chemo:
Generally used if the cancer has metastasized (spread). Mine was advanced, but had not spread. Not for me.
Radiation:
The nerves and other items that control many of the body's functions either run through, or are immediately adjacent to the prostate. Radiation damages, and sometimes destroys them. Not for me.
Traditional Surgery:
Very invasive. Done either through the area from the navel to the groin, or in the "taint" area. Both surgeries are difficult, not easy to recover from, and have the potential of leaving you incontinent (both #1 and #2) and/or impotent. NOT FOR ME!
Robotic Surgery:
The Da Vinci Robot is used for several types of surgeries now. It changes prostate surgery to something that is minimally invasive and totally eliminates even the tiniest tremors in a surgeon's hands. It seems like something that is totally science fiction. Here is a link to a video about the robot. If you are interested and have the time, check it out.
One night in the hospital, was all I needed. I had a follow-up appointment with the surgeon 10 days later. He told me to come back in three months. That was nice to hear, BUT the best news was that the 14 lymph nodes, bladder sample and assorted other bits and pieces of the margins he removed, were all biopsied, and all were NEGATIVE. That means, no chemo, no radiation, no nothing! I've now dodged the big "C" bullet twice and am very thankful for it. My surgeon's name is Moses Kim. Another stroke of luck for me, because he is one of the pioneers and most respected surgeons performing surgery with the Da Vinci Robot.
There is clearly a lesson to be learned here...
My PSA level was pretty high. I've had the PSA blood test done before and also the more traditional "digital" exam several times. Many doctors (and even some countries) don't believe that the PSA test is necessary unless there is some irregularity detected by the "digital" exam and/or some other indications. Both my doctor and surgeon said that my prostate felt normal during the traditional exam. Without the PSA test, I'd still be walking around with an aggressive cancer, that would eventually kill me.
If you are a male, or in a relationship with one, MAKE SURE that you/they get a PSA test done whenever they get a physical, or have blood work done. It could save your/their life.
For those of you who already know about what has been going on with me, I thank you for all the prayers and positive thoughts. The next article you see here will be a normal one!
.
Ultrasound Assisted Needle Biopsies
I wasn't watching, but it felt like they drove a submarine up my bum and then fired torpedoes though the intestinal wall, into the prostate, and then retrieved the torpedoes. TWELVE times. Of course they were needles, not torpedoes, and each time they came back, they had a core sample of tissue. The submarine injected lidocaine first to deaden the area, but each biopsy still felt like a small bolt of lightning. Not much pain, but very uncomfortable.
Biopsy Results
Four of the twelve biopsy samples were malignant. They were all on one side, but both sides still had to go. Prostate cancer is rated (from five to ten) using a measurement called the Gleason Scale. Five is the least aggressive and ten is the most aggressive. Most of mine were in the middle, but unfortunately, two of them were aggressive.
Options
Do Nothing:
Prostate cancer is initially pretty slow growing, and if none of it is at the aggressive level (and subject to spreading), then it is fairly common to only monitor it while frequently checking your PSA.
Chemo:
Generally used if the cancer has metastasized (spread). Mine was advanced, but had not spread. Not for me.
Radiation:
The nerves and other items that control many of the body's functions either run through, or are immediately adjacent to the prostate. Radiation damages, and sometimes destroys them. Not for me.
Traditional Surgery:
Very invasive. Done either through the area from the navel to the groin, or in the "taint" area. Both surgeries are difficult, not easy to recover from, and have the potential of leaving you incontinent (both #1 and #2) and/or impotent. NOT FOR ME!
Robotic Surgery:
The Da Vinci Robot is used for several types of surgeries now. It changes prostate surgery to something that is minimally invasive and totally eliminates even the tiniest tremors in a surgeon's hands. It seems like something that is totally science fiction. Here is a link to a video about the robot. If you are interested and have the time, check it out.
This was the ONLY choice for me. Minimal, if any side affects.
There is clearly a lesson to be learned here...
My PSA level was pretty high. I've had the PSA blood test done before and also the more traditional "digital" exam several times. Many doctors (and even some countries) don't believe that the PSA test is necessary unless there is some irregularity detected by the "digital" exam and/or some other indications. Both my doctor and surgeon said that my prostate felt normal during the traditional exam. Without the PSA test, I'd still be walking around with an aggressive cancer, that would eventually kill me.
If you are a male, or in a relationship with one, MAKE SURE that you/they get a PSA test done whenever they get a physical, or have blood work done. It could save your/their life.
For those of you who already know about what has been going on with me, I thank you for all the prayers and positive thoughts. The next article you see here will be a normal one!
.
Monday, October 19, 2015
An Interesting and Very Scary Thing Happened on the way to 65 - Part 1
I'm baaaaaack...
In nutshell (a darn big one), here is the primary reason that I haven't posted anything for several months. I don't usually publish personal stuff about myself here, but because of my long and unexplained absence, I feel compelled to do so.
---------------------------------------------------
After battling lung cancer, breast cancer, and finally terminal brain cancer, my mom died in the 64th year of her life.
My father had a couple of different cancers and ultimately died of throat cancer, this also occurred during his 64th year.
I recently completed my 64th year and have to admit that I was a bit worried going into it. Being a proactive sort of person, I embarked on a grand tour of all the "specialists" I could think of. What follows is a list of them and what they found (also some conditions that I already knew about).
Rheumatologist (ongoing) - I've had a ton of injures and several broken bones in my life, so it's no surprise that I have arthritis in several places. I've yet to enter into any treatment yet.
Neurologist (ongoing and recent) - I have a herniated disc in my lower back at L5-S1. An update revealed that it has been made worse by the addition of several bone spurs in the area. Surgeries at L5/S1 are difficult, recovery is very painful, and they are usually at least partially, if not fully unsuccessful. In fact, sometimes the condition is worse afterwards. My surgeon (that did my earlier spinal surgery), is a great one, and he advises against having it. I agree. I have a pretty strong disposition and can tolerate and/or ignore a lot of pain. So far, I've pretty much learned to live with it (with no pain killers).
Orthopedist (ongoing) - I've had a ruptured ACL in my right knee for a long time. I've just lived with it, but once again, I've grown some bone spurs in the area. As you know, I hike a lot and don't really allow it to slow me down much.
Dermatologist (recent) - A top of head to tip of toe examination, resulted in him freezing 12 precancerous things off of me.
Gastroenterologist (recent) - As recommended, I get a colonoscopy every 5 years. It has only been three years since my last one, but hey, it's my 64th year and my insurance will pay for it. He has found and snipped out a couple of polyps every time he's been "in there." The polyps have always been benign. NOT this time though. I had three of them and one was precancerous.
Endocrinologist (ongoing) - As many of you know, I had thyroid cancer several years ago. Two surgeries later and my thyroid and related cancer was removed. The endocrinologist now monitors my blood and prescribes medication to keep me alive and functioning. A lab does a complete workup on my blood and this time it came up with an abnormally high PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) reading. He strongly advised that I immediately contact a urologist. If you are so inclined, here is a link to post 1 of 4 relating to my thyroid cancer.
Urologist (recent) - My first visit to this specialist made the danger of my 64th year a reality.
To be continued....
Don't worry, I'll be back to my regular posting afterwards!
.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
I am Cured!
I got the call today. Three and a half years, two surgeries.
It's gone without a trace. Cured!
Thanks to everyone for your support, prayers and positive vibes...
.
It's gone without a trace. Cured!
Thanks to everyone for your support, prayers and positive vibes...
.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
I'm in Isolation
That's right young lady!
A little sugar for Santa goes a long ways...
For those of you who have been around here for a while, you are well aware of my bout with thyroid cancer. For those of you who don't know... I had a couple of surgeries for it about three years ago and I'm hoping to get the all clear (as in cured) in about a week. - I had a thyrogen injection on Monday that cost $1,238.00
- I had a thyrogen injection on Tuesday that cost $1,238.00
- I took a single horse pill of radioactive iodine Wednesday that cost $5,000.00
- Wednesday, Thursday and part of Friday, I'm in isolation (cause I'm glowing)
The shots were easy, the pill was easy, the semi- isolation is easy. The hard part was the prep for it all.
For the last three weeks I've been on the strictest medical diet known to medicine and mankind (in my opinion anyway). It ends today. I couldn't ingest any:
- Anything from the ocean
- Seaweed (it's in a high percentage of foods)
- Soy of any type (Soy is in more things than seaweed)
- Tofu (this one and the three before it kill me. My wife is Japanese)
- Sea salt
- Regular salt
- Restaurant food
- Fast food
- Water (distilled is okay, blek!)
- Soft drinks
- Processed food of any type
- Spices
- Herbs (other than fresh from my own garden, that I don't have)
- Bread (home baked only is okay. Yeah right!)
- ANYTHING with preservatives in it
- Beef
- Pork
- Cured or corned meats
- No snack foods like chips, etc.
- Dried fruit
- Chocolate
- Crackers
- Sweets
- Canned peaches, pears and pineapple
- Unsalted nuts
- Clear soft drinks
- Matzo crackers
- Plain rice cakes
- Redish vegtables
- Small amounts of fresh chicken or turkey
- Fruit
Happy Holidays to everyone!
.
Monday, December 13, 2010
I'm Baaaack.....
It’s been 5 days since my surgery. So far it’s been kind of a mixed bag. I’m super happy to report that the surgery was a total success. I woke up in the recovery room and all the pain and numbness was gone. The doctor told me that the swelling from the surgery might delay any positive results for a week or two, but so far…nothing!
On the downside, recovery from the surgery has proven to be very painful. Maybe some of the worst pain I’ve ever had. The narcotic that works the best for me is Dilaudid. Of course it makes me VERY sick to my stomach. Anti-nausea medication seems to have little or no effect. So Wednesday and Thursday were pretty much spent pushing the narcotics button and then throwing up. In the long run, it was worth it. I came home on Thursday afternoon and the Dilaudid has been replaced by Codeine. It’s not nearly as effective of a pain killer, but at least it doesn’t make me sick. Dilaudid and Codeine are both very addictive. I’ve been down that road before, so I plan on taking the first exit I see. I plan to be off all painkillers in a couple of days.
A couple of people commented that they thought I was emailing from my hospital room. I didn’t take my laptop or phone with me. I was in no condition to do anything. I never turned the TV on even once during my stay….
Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the holes in the side of my head. To make sure everything stayed steady while he was operating, the surgeon put my head in a metal ring. It was secured with screws through my scalp and into the bone of my skull. Man, do I ever wish I had a photo of that for this post.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the holes in the side of my head. To make sure everything stayed steady while he was operating, the surgeon put my head in a metal ring. It was secured with screws through my scalp and into the bone of my skull. Man, do I ever wish I had a photo of that for this post.
It’s now Sunday evening and although I'm not totally comfortable, I finally feel up to turning on my laptop. I didn’t want to wait any longer, because I wanted everyone to know how very appreciative I am for all the supportive words, positive thoughts, good karma, and prayers sent my way. This is another example of how real the connections are, that we of the blogging community make with each other. I’ll be posting this on Monday morning after I edit for drug induced errors…
Once again, Thanks so much to all of my friends out there!
.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Foraminotomy, Laminotomy and Microdiscetomy
Foraminotomy is a surgical procedure performed to enlarge the passageway where a spinal nerve root exits the spinal canal.
Laminotomy is an open surgical procedure whereby a small opening into the spinal lamina is made and access to the spinal canal is created on the backside of the spine.
Microdiscetomy is the surgical removal of herniated disc material that presses on a nerve root or the spinal cord.
----------------------------------------------------
You might be wondering why I'm posting this information.
Several years ago I was in a pretty bad auto accident. It caused the herniation of a couple of disks in my neck. As time has passed the vertebrae has grown new bone to make up for the missing disk tissue. As a result the seventh cervical vertebrae is putting quite a bit of pressure on my T1 nerve. This nerve runs along the upper back, goes through the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and ends in the two little fingers.
Whenever I look up and turn my head to the right, the nerve pinches. In the same order as above, all of those areas of my body feel like they've been stabbed with an ice pick. Then it all goes pins and needles. Not a good thing. Codeine and Lyrica work pretty well, but I've taken entirely too much of them. Not a bad thing, if you don't mind being in a fuzzy state all the time. As you may or may not know, drugs played a major role in most of my younger days and I liked that "fuzzy state" a bit too much. So I stopped taking the medications a while back. Pain or fuzzy? At this point, I've opted to live with the pain.
Living with the pain doesn't work either. So I'm going through with the surgery mentioned above. It's happening two days from now and when I wake up in the post-op room, I fully expect that the pain will be gone. Depending on how it feels and how quickly I recover, will determine when I show my face here next. I'm hoping it will be just a couple of days.
I'm not worried about the surgery at all and I'm looking forward to the warm and toasty pre-op blanket! Talk to you soon...
.
Laminotomy is an open surgical procedure whereby a small opening into the spinal lamina is made and access to the spinal canal is created on the backside of the spine.
Microdiscetomy is the surgical removal of herniated disc material that presses on a nerve root or the spinal cord.
----------------------------------------------------
You might be wondering why I'm posting this information.
Several years ago I was in a pretty bad auto accident. It caused the herniation of a couple of disks in my neck. As time has passed the vertebrae has grown new bone to make up for the missing disk tissue. As a result the seventh cervical vertebrae is putting quite a bit of pressure on my T1 nerve. This nerve runs along the upper back, goes through the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and ends in the two little fingers.
Whenever I look up and turn my head to the right, the nerve pinches. In the same order as above, all of those areas of my body feel like they've been stabbed with an ice pick. Then it all goes pins and needles. Not a good thing. Codeine and Lyrica work pretty well, but I've taken entirely too much of them. Not a bad thing, if you don't mind being in a fuzzy state all the time. As you may or may not know, drugs played a major role in most of my younger days and I liked that "fuzzy state" a bit too much. So I stopped taking the medications a while back. Pain or fuzzy? At this point, I've opted to live with the pain.
Living with the pain doesn't work either. So I'm going through with the surgery mentioned above. It's happening two days from now and when I wake up in the post-op room, I fully expect that the pain will be gone. Depending on how it feels and how quickly I recover, will determine when I show my face here next. I'm hoping it will be just a couple of days.
I'm not worried about the surgery at all and I'm looking forward to the warm and toasty pre-op blanket! Talk to you soon...
.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma - One Year After Scan Results
If you want to catch up on this before I start, you can go here. Or if you want to start from the beginning you can go to the links below. If you don't want to do either of those things and just want me to get the hell to the point, start after the links. If you just want to skip all this crap, go to the bottom of the page...
Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma Part 1 of 4 Diagnosis
Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma Part 2 of 4 Surgery
Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma Part 3 of 4 Post Surgery
Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma Part 4 of 4 Radiation
Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma - How I feel About It
Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma - One Year Follow-up
Last Wednesday I was given the radioactive iodine pill in preparation for Friday's scan by a Gamma Ray Camera. I've had plenty of MRI's and CT Scans before. The GRC scan is a bit different. It detects pockets of radiation in your body.
As I explained before, this radiation is affixed to iodine; it can only remain in the body if there are cancerous thyroid cells to ingest it. If there are no "hot spots" detected by the GRC, then my thyroid cancer hasn't spread anywhere and is gone. Fingers crossed of course. The scan lasted 40 minutes and of course I had to stay perfectly still, and of course every part of my body itched. I'll find out the results of the scan today.
The scan was nothing, but the preparation SUCKED! As you know I've been eating nothing but apples, bananas, canned peaches, and fruit juice for the past 20 days. I kept a record of what I ate every day. I averaged about 800 calories. No weight loss diet is as strict as this one. Below is the running tally of my weight loss.
The diet lasted 20 days and I lost 20 pounds.
date-weight
May 23 225
May 24 223
May 25 221
May 26 220
May 27 218
May 28 217
May 29 216
May 30 215
May 31 213
June 01 213
June 02 212
June 03 211
June 04 210
June 05 209
June 06 209
June 07 208
June 08 208
June 09 207
June 10 207
June 11 205
Of all the things I couldn't eat, for some reason the thing I craved most was broccoli. As soon we were done with the test, we went directly to our favorite Chinese restaurant and I got my plate of broccoli. I can't remember ever eating anything that tasted quite that good.
Oh yeah, I forgot why I was here! I just got the call from my Dr. The cancer didn't spread and there are no cancer cells left in the surgical area..
Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma Part 1 of 4 Diagnosis
Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma Part 2 of 4 Surgery
Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma Part 3 of 4 Post Surgery
Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma Part 4 of 4 Radiation
Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma - How I feel About It
Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma - One Year Follow-up
Last Wednesday I was given the radioactive iodine pill in preparation for Friday's scan by a Gamma Ray Camera. I've had plenty of MRI's and CT Scans before. The GRC scan is a bit different. It detects pockets of radiation in your body.
As I explained before, this radiation is affixed to iodine; it can only remain in the body if there are cancerous thyroid cells to ingest it. If there are no "hot spots" detected by the GRC, then my thyroid cancer hasn't spread anywhere and is gone. Fingers crossed of course. The scan lasted 40 minutes and of course I had to stay perfectly still, and of course every part of my body itched. I'll find out the results of the scan today.
The scan was nothing, but the preparation SUCKED! As you know I've been eating nothing but apples, bananas, canned peaches, and fruit juice for the past 20 days. I kept a record of what I ate every day. I averaged about 800 calories. No weight loss diet is as strict as this one. Below is the running tally of my weight loss.
The diet lasted 20 days and I lost 20 pounds.
date-weight
May 23 225
May 24 223
May 25 221
May 26 220
May 27 218
May 28 217
May 29 216
May 30 215
May 31 213
June 01 213
June 02 212
June 03 211
June 04 210
June 05 209
June 06 209
June 07 208
June 08 208
June 09 207
June 10 207
June 11 205
Of all the things I couldn't eat, for some reason the thing I craved most was broccoli. As soon we were done with the test, we went directly to our favorite Chinese restaurant and I got my plate of broccoli. I can't remember ever eating anything that tasted quite that good.
Oh yeah, I forgot why I was here! I just got the call from my Dr. The cancer didn't spread and there are no cancer cells left in the surgical area..
YAHOOOO!
Thanks to all of you for the kind words and for sending your positive vibes this way! I will forever appreciate it...
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma – One Year Follow-up
It's been a little over a year since my surgery and it's time to determine if there are any "left over" malignant thyroid cells in my body. Unfortunately, a simple blood test and x-ray isn't enough. I have to submit to a Gamma Ray Scan to see if:
a. There are any surviving thyroid cells in my body
b. Any of those cells have migrated
The test is no big deal. I think I explained this before.
June 7th Thyrogen Injection (over 2,000 dollars)
June 8th Thyrogen Injection (over 2,000 dollars)
June 9th Ingest radioactive iodine capsule (over 3,000 dollars)
June 11th Gamma Ray Scan
Two injections, a pill, and a scan. I can handle that, no problem. The problem is the three week prep diet for the test. I have to totally starve my body of iodine. The only cells that can "hang onto" iodine in your body are the thyroid cells. So you starve your body of iodine, take a radioactive iodine pill, and let any iodine starved thyroid cells, if any, eagerly slurp the iodine and be visible under the gamma ray scan. The radioactive iodine is supposed to kill them at this point also.
To totally starve my body of iodine I can't eat any:
Salt
Processed foods
Restaurant food
Fast food
Meat
Pre-packaged food
Canned vegetables
Green vegetables
Vitamins
Seafood
Seaweed
Soy based products
Dairy products
Bread products
The items in red are the hardest. I'm sure many of you are thinking "what's so hard about not eating seaweed?" Well, look on the ingredient list of what you eat. If you see carrageen, agaragar, or alginate there, you are eating seaweed. The same goes for soy. You would be amazed at how many items these two things are in. It's not bad for you, in fact it's good. I just can't eat it now. As you already know, we eat a lot of Japanese food. It's pretty much based on seaweed, seafood, and soy products. I'm so screwed. This time I'm not going to load up on unsalted chips and popcorn. If you remember, I actually gained a little weight last time I did this.
I started my diet at 12:01 a.m., on May 23rd. I'm living on about a 1000 calories or less per day. I'm not trying to lose weight. I'm happy to be losing some, but sure as heck isn't the diet, I'd prefer to do it with!
May 23 225 starting weight
May 24 223
May 25 221
May 26 220
May 27 218
May 28 217
May 29 216
May 30 215
May 31 213
June 01 213
June 02 212
June 03 211
June 04 210
June 05 209 today's weight
Here is what I ate yesterday.
1 banana
1 apple
1 cob of corn
2 all fruit smoothies
This is pretty close to what I've been eating every day.
I have no energy
I'm tired
I'm hungry
Worst of all, I'm bored by all these little lists!
Hasta mañana...
a. There are any surviving thyroid cells in my body
b. Any of those cells have migrated
The test is no big deal. I think I explained this before.
June 7th Thyrogen Injection (over 2,000 dollars)
June 8th Thyrogen Injection (over 2,000 dollars)
June 9th Ingest radioactive iodine capsule (over 3,000 dollars)
June 11th Gamma Ray Scan
Two injections, a pill, and a scan. I can handle that, no problem. The problem is the three week prep diet for the test. I have to totally starve my body of iodine. The only cells that can "hang onto" iodine in your body are the thyroid cells. So you starve your body of iodine, take a radioactive iodine pill, and let any iodine starved thyroid cells, if any, eagerly slurp the iodine and be visible under the gamma ray scan. The radioactive iodine is supposed to kill them at this point also.
To totally starve my body of iodine I can't eat any:
Salt
Processed foods
Restaurant food
Fast food
Meat
Pre-packaged food
Canned vegetables
Green vegetables
Vitamins
Seafood
Seaweed
Soy based products
Dairy products
Bread products
The items in red are the hardest. I'm sure many of you are thinking "what's so hard about not eating seaweed?" Well, look on the ingredient list of what you eat. If you see carrageen, agaragar, or alginate there, you are eating seaweed. The same goes for soy. You would be amazed at how many items these two things are in. It's not bad for you, in fact it's good. I just can't eat it now. As you already know, we eat a lot of Japanese food. It's pretty much based on seaweed, seafood, and soy products. I'm so screwed. This time I'm not going to load up on unsalted chips and popcorn. If you remember, I actually gained a little weight last time I did this.
I started my diet at 12:01 a.m., on May 23rd. I'm living on about a 1000 calories or less per day. I'm not trying to lose weight. I'm happy to be losing some, but sure as heck isn't the diet, I'd prefer to do it with!
May 23 225 starting weight
May 24 223
May 25 221
May 26 220
May 27 218
May 28 217
May 29 216
May 30 215
May 31 213
June 01 213
June 02 212
June 03 211
June 04 210
June 05 209 today's weight
Here is what I ate yesterday.
1 banana
1 apple
1 cob of corn
2 all fruit smoothies
This is pretty close to what I've been eating every day.
I have no energy
I'm tired
I'm hungry
Worst of all, I'm bored by all these little lists!
Hasta mañana...
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Shut That Kid Up
Let me start by saying, don't hate me...
Several years ago, I found myself in the pre-op room at Long Beach Memorial Hospital, awaiting knee surgery. I’ve already had my "I don't care no more shot," I’m sporting my comfy heated blanket, and I’m feeling so very good. I'm sure a lot of you know exactly what I mean. It's okay, it doesn't mean you're an addict...
Somewhere in the room, a little kid starts crying and he won’t stop. I know the kid is probably scared, in pain, or both, and I feel sorry for him. But he is stepping on my pre-op buzz. Just about then, I was startled when a loud voice rang out. It said “somebody shut that fucking kid up!” Oh my god, who would do that?
It took me about two seconds to realize, that the voice belonged to somebody I knew. It belonged to me! I was mortified with embarrassment. I could see the parents of the little kid shooting daggers at me with their eyes.
A nurse walked by and I told her I was sorry. She said, "don't worry about it, patients who have been given drugs aren't responsible for what they say in either pre-op, or post-op". That made me feel much better, and I was actually able to enjoy the last few minutes in my “cocoon” of warmth and fuzziness.
I know what you’re thinking. I still can’t believe I said that...
Several years ago, I found myself in the pre-op room at Long Beach Memorial Hospital, awaiting knee surgery. I’ve already had my "I don't care no more shot," I’m sporting my comfy heated blanket, and I’m feeling so very good. I'm sure a lot of you know exactly what I mean. It's okay, it doesn't mean you're an addict...
Somewhere in the room, a little kid starts crying and he won’t stop. I know the kid is probably scared, in pain, or both, and I feel sorry for him. But he is stepping on my pre-op buzz. Just about then, I was startled when a loud voice rang out. It said “somebody shut that fucking kid up!” Oh my god, who would do that?
It took me about two seconds to realize, that the voice belonged to somebody I knew. It belonged to me! I was mortified with embarrassment. I could see the parents of the little kid shooting daggers at me with their eyes.
A nurse walked by and I told her I was sorry. She said, "don't worry about it, patients who have been given drugs aren't responsible for what they say in either pre-op, or post-op". That made me feel much better, and I was actually able to enjoy the last few minutes in my “cocoon” of warmth and fuzziness.
I know what you’re thinking. I still can’t believe I said that...
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma - How I feel about it!
Thanks to all of my friends out there for your support and kind words relative to my cancer. I truly appreciate you. Your support and care mean more to me than I can put into words.
Any sad or “why me” feelings that I might have otherwise have had about it, are by far outweighed by my happiness that it was caught early. I told you that one of my step-daughters and I had been in a pretty bad car wreck several years before. If I hadn’t trashed a couple of disks in that wreck, I still wouldn’t know about the cancer. The tumors were internal and I didn’t feel them at all.
If my orthopedic doctor (Dr. Singh) hadn’t thoroughly examined the MRI he had me get, then I still wouldn’t know about the tumors. He said he makes it a habit to look at everything that shows up in an MRI, even if it is not related to what he requested it for.
So, I’m not sad at all. I’m tickled pink, not only that I got in the wreck, but also because Dr. Singh spotted them. Remember, all the doctors told me that thyroid cancer is a good one to get, if you catch it early. They also told me that it is a bad one to get if you catch it late.
The stars are aligned, my good karma is totally in surplus, and after the crap I put up with in my earlier life, I EXPECT good things to happen to me now, and they do! This isn’t ad for “The Secret” or Norman Vincent Peale, but it could be.
So don’t be sad for me, be happy!
I’m happy!
Thanks again...
Any sad or “why me” feelings that I might have otherwise have had about it, are by far outweighed by my happiness that it was caught early. I told you that one of my step-daughters and I had been in a pretty bad car wreck several years before. If I hadn’t trashed a couple of disks in that wreck, I still wouldn’t know about the cancer. The tumors were internal and I didn’t feel them at all.
If my orthopedic doctor (Dr. Singh) hadn’t thoroughly examined the MRI he had me get, then I still wouldn’t know about the tumors. He said he makes it a habit to look at everything that shows up in an MRI, even if it is not related to what he requested it for.
So, I’m not sad at all. I’m tickled pink, not only that I got in the wreck, but also because Dr. Singh spotted them. Remember, all the doctors told me that thyroid cancer is a good one to get, if you catch it early. They also told me that it is a bad one to get if you catch it late.
The stars are aligned, my good karma is totally in surplus, and after the crap I put up with in my earlier life, I EXPECT good things to happen to me now, and they do! This isn’t ad for “The Secret” or Norman Vincent Peale, but it could be.
So don’t be sad for me, be happy!
I’m happy!
Thanks again...
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma – Part 4 of 4 - Radiation
A month after my surgery. I have an appointment with a nuclear endocrinologist. Apparently, my “regular” endocrinologist, who is himself, a specialist, believes he has left me with some money and wants me to pass it up the medical food chain. So now I’m seeing a guy, who is a notch or two higher up the “specialist” totem pole, who I’m sure, will relieve me of what money I have left.
The doctor tells me that he will introduce some radiated iodine into my system. It should destroy any thyroid cells left in my body. The radiated iodine can’t be given to me until after I’ve been subjected to a three week, total iodine free diet. It didn’t sound too bad, and he gave me a pamphlet to read at home that explains the diet. Yeah right!
No salt, no processed foods, no meat, no fish, no nuts, no fast food, no restaurant food, no pre-packaged meats, no canned vegetables, no sea salt, no seaweed, and no soy products. It still didn’t seem so bad until I went shopping. Oh my! It was almost impossible to find anything to eat. Surprisingly, the hardest things to avoid were the soy and seaweed. They are used in almost everything we eat these days. I was able to find non-iodized salt though.
For three weeks, I lived on grilled chicken and pork loin, seasoned with non-iodized salt and pepper only. I also ate dehydrated fruit, canned peaches, and plain popcorn. You would think that I might lose weight during the diet, but I was so unsatisfied with what I ate, that I ate continuously.
Finally the three weeks diet is over. I go back to the doctor. I have three appointments on consecutive days. On day one, I get an injection. It cost 2500 dollars. On day two, I get another injection. It also cost 2500 dollars. On day three, I get the radioactive iodine. I was led to a room in the back of the building to wait. After a few minutes a person entered the room in a lead suit. She was carrying a heavy lead container in one hand and a pair of long tongs in the other. She set the container on the table and after taking off the lid, removed from it, a single pill. After dropping the pill into my bare hand (with the tongs), she told me to swallow it with water and drive directly home.
I did go home, but it didn’t exactly feel like it, because I had to go into total isolation for three days, stay away from children for a week, and away from pregnant women for 14 days.
The idea is pretty simple. My thyroid gland was removed. Some thyroid cells still exist in the thyroid “bed.” If the cancer spread, there will be thyroid cells elsewhere in my body. One obscure fact about thyroid cells of which I was not aware, is that they are the only cells in your entire body that can gather and retain iodine.
• The diet starved any thyroid cells in my body of iodine.
•I take a pill made of radioactive iodine
• Any iodine starved thyroid cells remaining in my body pig out.
• The radioactivity kills them.
About a month later, I went for a “gamma-ray” camera scan of my entire body. If there were any “radioactive” thyroid cells anywhere besides in my throat, that would mean the cancer had spread. I’m very happy to say it hadn’t. At least at that point, it hadn't.
Currently, I go to the endocrinologist every three months for blood work and a consultation. Apparently, the goal now is to trick my brain into not sending out a hormone, that triggers the thyroid into activating. If that hormone is released into my bloodstream, it is akin to pouring gas on a fire. Of course, if there are zero thyroid cells left in my body, especially cancerous ones, I have nothing to worry about, but better safe than sorry.
All of the doctors involved told me the same thing, “if you have to get cancer, and if you catch it early, thyroid cancer is the one you want, because it’s very treatable.” I didn’t realize until later that there was a reason they all threw the “if you catch it early” caveat into the phrase. Apparently, if you don’t catch it early, it is one of the last ones you would want. It tends to go directly into your bones.
It’s been almost a year since the surgery and I’ve almost forgotten about the iodine free diet. I have to do it again in a few weeks. This time I’m going to request a medically induced coma during the diet period. And nobody better step on my buzz! If this test comes out okay, I get a clean bill of health!
--------------------------------
My...
• Orthopedist (who found it) is Indian
• MRI tech was Filipino
• GP is Caucasian
• Endocrinologist is Persian
• Surgeon is Chinese
• Nuclear Endocrinologist is Vietnamese
That in a nutshell, is the United States of America!
I really liked and had great confidence in all of them.
The doctor tells me that he will introduce some radiated iodine into my system. It should destroy any thyroid cells left in my body. The radiated iodine can’t be given to me until after I’ve been subjected to a three week, total iodine free diet. It didn’t sound too bad, and he gave me a pamphlet to read at home that explains the diet. Yeah right!
No salt, no processed foods, no meat, no fish, no nuts, no fast food, no restaurant food, no pre-packaged meats, no canned vegetables, no sea salt, no seaweed, and no soy products. It still didn’t seem so bad until I went shopping. Oh my! It was almost impossible to find anything to eat. Surprisingly, the hardest things to avoid were the soy and seaweed. They are used in almost everything we eat these days. I was able to find non-iodized salt though.
For three weeks, I lived on grilled chicken and pork loin, seasoned with non-iodized salt and pepper only. I also ate dehydrated fruit, canned peaches, and plain popcorn. You would think that I might lose weight during the diet, but I was so unsatisfied with what I ate, that I ate continuously.
Finally the three weeks diet is over. I go back to the doctor. I have three appointments on consecutive days. On day one, I get an injection. It cost 2500 dollars. On day two, I get another injection. It also cost 2500 dollars. On day three, I get the radioactive iodine. I was led to a room in the back of the building to wait. After a few minutes a person entered the room in a lead suit. She was carrying a heavy lead container in one hand and a pair of long tongs in the other. She set the container on the table and after taking off the lid, removed from it, a single pill. After dropping the pill into my bare hand (with the tongs), she told me to swallow it with water and drive directly home.
I did go home, but it didn’t exactly feel like it, because I had to go into total isolation for three days, stay away from children for a week, and away from pregnant women for 14 days.
The idea is pretty simple. My thyroid gland was removed. Some thyroid cells still exist in the thyroid “bed.” If the cancer spread, there will be thyroid cells elsewhere in my body. One obscure fact about thyroid cells of which I was not aware, is that they are the only cells in your entire body that can gather and retain iodine.
• The diet starved any thyroid cells in my body of iodine.
•I take a pill made of radioactive iodine
• Any iodine starved thyroid cells remaining in my body pig out.
• The radioactivity kills them.
About a month later, I went for a “gamma-ray” camera scan of my entire body. If there were any “radioactive” thyroid cells anywhere besides in my throat, that would mean the cancer had spread. I’m very happy to say it hadn’t. At least at that point, it hadn't.
Currently, I go to the endocrinologist every three months for blood work and a consultation. Apparently, the goal now is to trick my brain into not sending out a hormone, that triggers the thyroid into activating. If that hormone is released into my bloodstream, it is akin to pouring gas on a fire. Of course, if there are zero thyroid cells left in my body, especially cancerous ones, I have nothing to worry about, but better safe than sorry.
All of the doctors involved told me the same thing, “if you have to get cancer, and if you catch it early, thyroid cancer is the one you want, because it’s very treatable.” I didn’t realize until later that there was a reason they all threw the “if you catch it early” caveat into the phrase. Apparently, if you don’t catch it early, it is one of the last ones you would want. It tends to go directly into your bones.
It’s been almost a year since the surgery and I’ve almost forgotten about the iodine free diet. I have to do it again in a few weeks. This time I’m going to request a medically induced coma during the diet period. And nobody better step on my buzz! If this test comes out okay, I get a clean bill of health!
--------------------------------
My...
• Orthopedist (who found it) is Indian
• MRI tech was Filipino
• GP is Caucasian
• Endocrinologist is Persian
• Surgeon is Chinese
• Nuclear Endocrinologist is Vietnamese
That in a nutshell, is the United States of America!
I really liked and had great confidence in all of them.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma – Part 3 of 4 - Post Surgery
I’m still a bit out of it, when they wheel me in to my room. Once I’m settled, most of my family comes in. My doctor left instructions that I could be medicated (as in morphine) every two hours. Even if I didn’t need it, I asked for it every time it was available. I admit it wasn’t because I needed it that bad, but it just felt so good to be that “fuzzy.” Like that great feeling when you can't stay awake while watching TV late at night.
A little later in the day my surgeon came by and told me that the biopsy revealed that my thyroid was in fact malignant. The cancer was called “Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma.” He also added that he was trying to schedule the surgery to take the other half out. As bad luck would have it, there were no operating rooms available that day, or the next. He said I would remain in the hospital that night, as well as the next (Tuesday). My insurance wouldn’t pay for Wednesday night, so I had to check out Wednesday morning and check back in on Thursday. I would have liked to spend Wednesday night there as well, but I didn’t want to pay for it out of m own pocket.
One of the semi-fuzzy memories I had the day of the first surgery, was sending my family home, because I didn’t want to watch “dancing with the stars” on the TV in my room. I don’t know exactly why I did it. Maybe I thought it was going to step on my "buzz."
I learned at thing or two during my first stay and used it this time. Before my second surgery, the surgeon asked me if the morphine allotted to me during my first stay was sufficient. I told him that I could have used more. Much to my surprise he decreased the amount of time between doses. Who am I to question the wisdom of modern medicine?
The increased medication had an impact on me. During my first stay, if I had to go to the bathroom, I just rolled my IV apparatus into the room with me and did my business. During my second stay, I was so lazy (by lazy, I mean fuzzy) that I used the urinal at my bedside most of the time. Now don’t get yourself in an uproar. I haven’t “used” any pain killers since I was discharged (even though they were given to me). You think I’m an addict or something? I’m not! Besides, I’m saving them for later…
Part 4 tomorrow
A little later in the day my surgeon came by and told me that the biopsy revealed that my thyroid was in fact malignant. The cancer was called “Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma.” He also added that he was trying to schedule the surgery to take the other half out. As bad luck would have it, there were no operating rooms available that day, or the next. He said I would remain in the hospital that night, as well as the next (Tuesday). My insurance wouldn’t pay for Wednesday night, so I had to check out Wednesday morning and check back in on Thursday. I would have liked to spend Wednesday night there as well, but I didn’t want to pay for it out of m own pocket.
One of the semi-fuzzy memories I had the day of the first surgery, was sending my family home, because I didn’t want to watch “dancing with the stars” on the TV in my room. I don’t know exactly why I did it. Maybe I thought it was going to step on my "buzz."
I learned at thing or two during my first stay and used it this time. Before my second surgery, the surgeon asked me if the morphine allotted to me during my first stay was sufficient. I told him that I could have used more. Much to my surprise he decreased the amount of time between doses. Who am I to question the wisdom of modern medicine?
The increased medication had an impact on me. During my first stay, if I had to go to the bathroom, I just rolled my IV apparatus into the room with me and did my business. During my second stay, I was so lazy (by lazy, I mean fuzzy) that I used the urinal at my bedside most of the time. Now don’t get yourself in an uproar. I haven’t “used” any pain killers since I was discharged (even though they were given to me). You think I’m an addict or something? I’m not! Besides, I’m saving them for later…
Part 4 tomorrow
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma – Part 2 of 4 - Surgery
My endocrinologist referred me to a head and neck surgeon to set up my surgery. The differences between the office of the "regular" endocrinologist and the surgeon, lets me know right away who is making the real money. This place is far beyond posh…
My wife and I were waiting in the exam room when the doctor walked in. I swear, he looked like he just graduated from high school. He looked at my file, poked and prodded me a bit, and told me he’d like to get my thyroid out as soon as possible. I cut a deal with him to only take the half out that contained the tumors. I didn’t want to take medication for the rest of my life, if I didn't have to. You can live without your thyroid, but you can’t live without what it produces.
He agreed to take out only half, but warned me if the full biopsy revealed a malignancy, he’d have to go back in the next day and take the rest of it out. I was good with that and scheduled the surgery for a few weeks later.
-----------------------------------
We arrived at the hospital at 6:00 AM.
Would somebody please tell me why you always have to report to the hospital so darn early? Obviously, they don’t only operate in the morning. Oh well, It's not that big a deal, because pre-op is the part I love.
Most of us know the routine; clothes off, gown on, and I.V. in. The anesthesiologist stops by and then your surgeon stops by. Then comes the best moment of the entire hospital experience! It’s the “I don’t care no more” shot. Seriously, at that point, I just don’t care anymore. Then, to make things even better, if that’s possible, they put a heated blanket on you.
I remember being wheeled into the operating room and everybody saying hello. The anesthesiologist is sitting behind my head and tells me to count from 100 to 1. I remember saying “wul ashagaht", before a small furry animal nested in my brain.
The next thing I know, I’m struggling to wake up in the recovery room. That is the worst moment of the entire hospital experience. Best to worst and cut something out-of-you in between. I’m pretty much awake when they take me to my room...
I'm taking pity on you all and trying to keep these short. The next entry will pick it up from there.
My wife and I were waiting in the exam room when the doctor walked in. I swear, he looked like he just graduated from high school. He looked at my file, poked and prodded me a bit, and told me he’d like to get my thyroid out as soon as possible. I cut a deal with him to only take the half out that contained the tumors. I didn’t want to take medication for the rest of my life, if I didn't have to. You can live without your thyroid, but you can’t live without what it produces.
He agreed to take out only half, but warned me if the full biopsy revealed a malignancy, he’d have to go back in the next day and take the rest of it out. I was good with that and scheduled the surgery for a few weeks later.
-----------------------------------
We arrived at the hospital at 6:00 AM.
Would somebody please tell me why you always have to report to the hospital so darn early? Obviously, they don’t only operate in the morning. Oh well, It's not that big a deal, because pre-op is the part I love.
Most of us know the routine; clothes off, gown on, and I.V. in. The anesthesiologist stops by and then your surgeon stops by. Then comes the best moment of the entire hospital experience! It’s the “I don’t care no more” shot. Seriously, at that point, I just don’t care anymore. Then, to make things even better, if that’s possible, they put a heated blanket on you.
I remember being wheeled into the operating room and everybody saying hello. The anesthesiologist is sitting behind my head and tells me to count from 100 to 1. I remember saying “wul ashagaht", before a small furry animal nested in my brain.
The next thing I know, I’m struggling to wake up in the recovery room. That is the worst moment of the entire hospital experience. Best to worst and cut something out-of-you in between. I’m pretty much awake when they take me to my room...
I'm taking pity on you all and trying to keep these short. The next entry will pick it up from there.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Capillary Thyroid Carcinoma – Part 1 of 4 - Diagnosis
What I’m about to post now and over the next several days is known to only a few people. I kept it a secret because I recently retired and didn’t want to become the subject of one of those “poor bastard” stories, if things went south…
About 7 years ago my step daughter and I were in a car accident while I was driving her to school. As a result, I ended up with two herniated discs in my neck. I went to physical therapy for a while, and stopped when I reached maximum improvement. That was their term, not mine.
Fast forward, six years…
Early last year, my neck muscles seemed to morph into re-bar, so I started PT again. They sent me for an MRI, to see if there was further deterioration of the discs. When the results came back I was told that there were a couple of spots on, or in my thyroid gland, and referred me to my GP. They suggested that I go right away.
My GP looked at the MRI and said there was something there that wasn’t supposed to be. He sent me for some blood work and an ultrasound. The tests revealed that I had 2 tumors in my thyroid gland.
My family doctor then referred me to an endocrinologist. He tells me not to sweat it; nodules (tumors) are very common in the thyroid. He will have to biopsy them, but the odds are very small that they are malignant.
He took eight needle biopsies and sent me home. I don’t want to skip the part about how it felt. He said it wouldn’t hurt at all, only pressure. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the guy, but what he told mewas pure bullshit wasn’t exactly true.
A week later, I went back for the results. When the Doctor came into the examination room, he sat down, shook his head, and started talking.
“What I have to say isn’t exactly bad news, its gray.”
“Gray? What the heck does that mean?”
“Gray means that all eight biopsies came back inconclusive.”
“Okay, now what?”
“You need your thyroid removed.”
“I thought you said the biopsies were inconclusive?"
“They were, but we don’t want to take a chance, the tumors could be malignant.”
“So it’s not really gray news after all, is it? It’s bad news!”
“They probably aren’t, but if they are, we want to get your thyroid out right away.”
“How is this not bad news?”
“Even if it is malignant, if you have to get cancer, thyroid cancer is the one you want. The odds are very much against it being malignant. Once they take it out, a full biopsy will be performed.”
“That really makes me feel a lot better," I lied.
He must have noticed my sarcasm, because he left me with the following information.
"On the scale of complicated surgeries, if brain surgery is a 10, and removing a cyst from your butt is a 1, thyroid removal is only about a 6 or 7."
Part 2 coming soon...
About 7 years ago my step daughter and I were in a car accident while I was driving her to school. As a result, I ended up with two herniated discs in my neck. I went to physical therapy for a while, and stopped when I reached maximum improvement. That was their term, not mine.
Fast forward, six years…
Early last year, my neck muscles seemed to morph into re-bar, so I started PT again. They sent me for an MRI, to see if there was further deterioration of the discs. When the results came back I was told that there were a couple of spots on, or in my thyroid gland, and referred me to my GP. They suggested that I go right away.
My GP looked at the MRI and said there was something there that wasn’t supposed to be. He sent me for some blood work and an ultrasound. The tests revealed that I had 2 tumors in my thyroid gland.
My family doctor then referred me to an endocrinologist. He tells me not to sweat it; nodules (tumors) are very common in the thyroid. He will have to biopsy them, but the odds are very small that they are malignant.
He took eight needle biopsies and sent me home. I don’t want to skip the part about how it felt. He said it wouldn’t hurt at all, only pressure. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the guy, but what he told me
A week later, I went back for the results. When the Doctor came into the examination room, he sat down, shook his head, and started talking.
“What I have to say isn’t exactly bad news, its gray.”
“Gray? What the heck does that mean?”
“Gray means that all eight biopsies came back inconclusive.”
“Okay, now what?”
“You need your thyroid removed.”
“I thought you said the biopsies were inconclusive?"
“They were, but we don’t want to take a chance, the tumors could be malignant.”
“So it’s not really gray news after all, is it? It’s bad news!”
“They probably aren’t, but if they are, we want to get your thyroid out right away.”
“How is this not bad news?”
“Even if it is malignant, if you have to get cancer, thyroid cancer is the one you want. The odds are very much against it being malignant. Once they take it out, a full biopsy will be performed.”
“That really makes me feel a lot better," I lied.
He must have noticed my sarcasm, because he left me with the following information.
"On the scale of complicated surgeries, if brain surgery is a 10, and removing a cyst from your butt is a 1, thyroid removal is only about a 6 or 7."
Part 2 coming soon...
Monday, April 26, 2010
Wisdom Teeth But No Wisdom
I was having a couple of problems. Rather, one problem compounded by another. I had two sore wisdom teeth and not enough money to get them taken care of.
A “friend” told me about a guy he knew of, who didn’t charge much for dental work. He was a retired Navy dentist. He wasn’t sure if he still had a license, or if he ever really had one, but he was supposed to do good work. I had to see somebody soon, so I took the guy’s phone number.
I called him to make an appointment and was surprised when he answered the phone himself. He said he could see me later that same day. The address was on Linden Avenue, in downtown Long Beach. “Just walk right in when you get here,” he said. I don’t remember the street address today, but the office number was 37.
I found the address; it was a third floor walk up. The number 37 was stenciled on an otherwise unmarked door, in a lonely hallway lit by a couple of bare light bulbs.
There was no receptionist or dental assistant to greet me. The small dusty waiting room contained only a single wooden chair and another door that apparently led to a back room. I didn’t sit down.
The inside door was opened by a smiling older man. With a single elegant wave of his hand, I was invited in and directed to a dental chair. After we talked for a few moments about my pain, he said he would pull my wisdom teeth for 50 dollars cash, in advance.
The whiskey and cigarettes on his breath and faded bloodstains on his clean white lab coat didn’t exactly fill me with confidence. But my throbbing teeth told me to go through with it and quickly.
He gave me some nasty tasting liquid to drink and several injections that numbed my entire head. Then he pulled all four of my wisdom teeth, one by one. When it was over, he said he couldn’t write me a prescription and gave me a handful of pills to take for pain. “If they don’t help, alcohol will give them a boost,” he said. I took two of them and walked out the door.
Because of heavy traffic, it took me quite a while to drive the 10 miles across town to my house. I drove right past my front door and went to the local bar. With my jaws throbbing and my lips and tongue still totally numb, I ordered something that sounded fairly close to Budweiser.
I tossed a couple more pills in my mouth, picked up my bottle of beer, and split my upper lip wide open trying to take a drink…
A “friend” told me about a guy he knew of, who didn’t charge much for dental work. He was a retired Navy dentist. He wasn’t sure if he still had a license, or if he ever really had one, but he was supposed to do good work. I had to see somebody soon, so I took the guy’s phone number.
I called him to make an appointment and was surprised when he answered the phone himself. He said he could see me later that same day. The address was on Linden Avenue, in downtown Long Beach. “Just walk right in when you get here,” he said. I don’t remember the street address today, but the office number was 37.
I found the address; it was a third floor walk up. The number 37 was stenciled on an otherwise unmarked door, in a lonely hallway lit by a couple of bare light bulbs.
There was no receptionist or dental assistant to greet me. The small dusty waiting room contained only a single wooden chair and another door that apparently led to a back room. I didn’t sit down.
The inside door was opened by a smiling older man. With a single elegant wave of his hand, I was invited in and directed to a dental chair. After we talked for a few moments about my pain, he said he would pull my wisdom teeth for 50 dollars cash, in advance.
The whiskey and cigarettes on his breath and faded bloodstains on his clean white lab coat didn’t exactly fill me with confidence. But my throbbing teeth told me to go through with it and quickly.
He gave me some nasty tasting liquid to drink and several injections that numbed my entire head. Then he pulled all four of my wisdom teeth, one by one. When it was over, he said he couldn’t write me a prescription and gave me a handful of pills to take for pain. “If they don’t help, alcohol will give them a boost,” he said. I took two of them and walked out the door.
Because of heavy traffic, it took me quite a while to drive the 10 miles across town to my house. I drove right past my front door and went to the local bar. With my jaws throbbing and my lips and tongue still totally numb, I ordered something that sounded fairly close to Budweiser.
I tossed a couple more pills in my mouth, picked up my bottle of beer, and split my upper lip wide open trying to take a drink…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)