Ok, I saw the surgeon concerning my thyroid nodules. My fears are confirmed --- I have to have surgery. There really doesn't seem to be any other way to confront the issues. Because such a tiny amount of tissue was extracted from the last biopsy, there is a chance that the pathology report may be a false negative. The nodule in the right lobe is considerably larger than the last scan in November last year. The 2 nodules in the left lobe have also increased in size. While he has me in surgery, he is also going to remove the mass in the dip of my neck. It is about the size of a golf ball. He thinks it may be an enlarged lymph node.
I would be lying if I said that I am not scared. My mother went through a life altering thyroid surgery in August last year that has left her unable to talk. She can barely talk in a coarse whisper. Not only this, but I remember the complete agony she was in immediately after surgery. Her neck had been hyper-extended during surgery, but it was necessary in order to get to the 3 huge masses. (The right side mass was the size of 1 man's fist, and the 2 left size massed were the size of 2 mens fists and had grown inward and downward behind her breast bone.) It was heartbreaking to see her in so much pain. I'll never forget how bad it was for her. I have a really bad neck, so I fear the pain that I could potentially be in. But, I don't have masses of that magnitude either.
We won't know until the next day if it is cancer. The Dr. said that he would probably keep me in the hospital over night, and that way I'll already be there if the diagnosis comes back positive for cancer. If it is, he will take me back into the OR and remove the entire thyroid. Oh, Joy! He also said that he has never had a patient to lose their ability to talk, so that makes me feel a little better. He assures me that this should not affect my anticipated gastric bypass surgery. I have the utmost confidence in my surgeon, but I still want to run it by the practitioner at the WLC at my next appointment.
Now for a brighter note: I have lost 31 pounds total! I was absolutely shocked when the scales showed an 8 pound loss this week! I'm tickled pink! I can tell it in my clothes, now. I'm actually wearing a size smaller in pants, and I can really see it in my face! The staff at the WLC are going to be so proud of me! I can't wait till my next appointment! I have purposely set my surgery date for a few days after the seminar that I'm scheduled to attend in April, just so that I won't miss anything!
I'm doing so good, with not eating after supper! The Lord is truly holding my hand through this, because I was a chronic nibbler from about 4PM until I went to bed at around 2AM. I have experienced a few days where I could have eaten the baseboards! But, that has only been a couple of times, and I worked through it. One night, I just went on to bed and read. That worked. Another night, I knew that I was on the brink of a binge if I didn't do something! So, I steamed a package of broccoli, and ate the entire thing, which was only 125 calories---opposed to 5,000 or more that a binge would have led to, and I was satisfied!
One day at a time............
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