Another Gland!!

I was so happy today that I felt so good! I was even bragging to Mama G & Grammy through e-mail that I was much better and feeling good! Well, around 5:30pm I popped another lemon candy in my mouth (to keep that saliva flowing) and I had the most excruciating pain under my right ear. It happened on and off and then around 7:00pm it got so bad all I could do was hold my face and cry. I thought about going to the emergency room the pain was so bad. This went on for about 30 minutes and the side of my face swelled up pretty bad. I even took a picture for the doctor - you know how you go and everything looks fine... I wanted to prove it!! Sometimes I think I sound like a hyperchondriac!!

This pain is about 10 times worse than the other gland so I am very discouraged this evening thinking I will have to have this surgery now. I know... I will go see the OTO doc tomorrow and I will report back to ya'll.

I am adding a picture so you can see that the first 2 weeks has been the submandibular gland that was swelling and had the stones. That swelled up today but it is no where near the pain of this new one which is the parotid gland.

HERE IS SOMETHING TO EXPLAIN IT THAT I FOUND ON THE WEB:

The most likely cause for this appears to be a blockage of the flow of the saliva out of the glands caused by a narrowing of the ducts. This narrowing is the result of scarring due to inflammation caused by the radiation. Thus, as one begins to eat, the volume of saliva increases but cannot pass through the narrowed duct into the volume of saliva increases but cannot pass through the narrowed duct into the mouth. The gland then rapidly swells, which can be painful. In some people, discomfort can result simply by looking at appetizing food.

The good thing about all of this is that I am learning so much about what different parts of the body does. I am now well versed on thyroids, lymph nodes, and now saliva glands! :-)

Also, we take our bodies for granted each day when we are feeling good. Once you have a "problem" like this and you learn what an amazing masterpiece the body is and how intricate it is.... how can you not believe in the almighty Creator???

I really didn't think I would have so many updates!! Goodness! Just keeping ya'll entertained. I have been joking this week that I am God's own private joke! HAHA!!

Spirits are still up and my energy is great! Just hard to talk sometimes and that excruciating pain but still doing GREAT!! Don't feel bad for me, I really can handle the pain, I am just still so thankful I am not dizzy any more!!! :-)


Hang in there with me... this is going to be very interesting!!!

GO MOMO (I am coming after you!!)

QUICK THING

Well... the antibiotic caused my esophagus to inflame and now I cannot drink, eat, laugh, or breathe deep without severe pain. I tell ya....... HOWEVER, I am still strong and encouraged today! I am looking forward to the weekend!

I just have to be careful right now because they said it could easily rupture. So, I am coating it with yummy things like Mylanta! I know...... don't be jealous now! :-) HAHA!! The dizziness and nausea did not bother me today so I can function with pain, that is the easy part for me. So... it was a GOOD day! :-)

I am really looking forward to this wonderful weekend! The weather is amazing right now!

Oh What A Week!

My bro-in-law Mike is somewhere in that picture running the race!! What an accomplishment - I am so proud and honored that he ran it as a charity runner for the American Cancer Society! That is love!!!

SOME WORDS OF WISDOM FROM HIM:

"One step in front of the other, before too long, you will be amazed at how far you have come
the distance yet to be traveled will be filled with old and new friends"

Ok... I finally have a big update! So much has happened this week!! I started writing this blog on Monday but so much was happening that I didn't get to finish! I am going to post what I wrote and then you can get the latest at the end. :-)

I unfortunately had a little issue last Wednesday and ended up in the ER due to having certain symptoms my doctors were concerned about. Since I had shortness of breath, extreme dizziness, and that lymph node was swelling to the size of a golf ball they were concerned. So, I went and had a CT in the ER and the doctor I work for brought his own team down there to get their advice (it really does pay to work for doctors!!!). After much consulting and investigating they came to the conclusion that my saliva gland was infected which was causing the other symptoms as well. So, I was placed on antibiotics and anti-vertigo medicine (not taking that one) and sent on my merry way.

I went to my endocrinologist the next day and explained everything to her as well as how icky I have been feeling. She did say it could be because the iodine radiation does come out the saliva glands (remember the lemon candies I had to suck on after radiation and that this month is when they said it would “come out”). Well, that pesky radiation has decided to not slip out quietly.

Here are the other things that happened during my visit:

1. She stated that my T4 was still not suppressed enough and she wanted to RAISE my dose, now all the docs in the ER and the docs I work with seem to think my dose is extraordinarily high and I have been advised to seek a second opinion.

2. She stated that the last scan I had did show residual thyroid tissue, this just means that the cancer can grow back since the cancer causing tissue is still there. So, when they took the thyroid and scraped my trachea they just didn’t get it all.

3. I had an ultrasound today to check the lymph node and nodules, this should tell us a lot about what is going on – the biggest being if my lymph node needs to be treated and if the thyroid tissue is still there.

4. I will be given a very small dose of radiation in 4 to 6 months and then they will do another scan to see if there is ANY cancer. If not then I will be deemed CANCER FREE!!!

5. She told me to stop taking ALL vitamins because they are interfering with the absorption of my Synthroid medication.

Thursday afternoon I went to an ENT doctor because my Endo doctor wanted to ensure that my saliva gland was not in danger due to the radiation. Well, I did go see one and he just agreed with everyone else and said that my saliva gland was infected and to take the antibiotics. He said that if it was not better in a week then they might consider taking it out.

It is now Monday, I have taken my antibiotics and have done everything I was told to do. I actually only swelled up once this weekend and other than that I felt GREAT!!! I dare say I almost felt NORMAL!! I know… very exciting.

I think my doctor could have been right and it was probably the infection making me feel so darn bad. The extreme dizziness is better and that “overall” sick feeling is almost completely gone! I had the GREATEST weekend!

Oh… I also have started really watching my iodine intake and I think that will definitely help. Since my tongue is secreting a salty taste constantly (the iodine radiation) then I know my body does not need any more so I am tyring to be good – I ACTUALLY DID NOT GET MY FAVORITE SHRIMP ROLL YESTERDAY! Boo hoo!

NEXT STEP:
We need the ultrasound results – that should be tomorrow

NOW FOR THE LATEST:

It is now Thursday and unfortunately my feeling great ended on Tuesday, yes, you read that right! The day after I typed how great I was feeling it went down hill again. I went to an Otolaryngologist today and he told me there was just one thing he could do to try to keep me from having surgery. He kept telling me to hang in there and then he decided to do some medieval procedure that reminded me of a SAW movie! I won’t go into the details but all I can say is at one point he shoved a long wire into my gland and kept jamming it in there trying to unblock the obstruction (stones). It hurt so bad I literally went into shock and couldn't’t move when he was done. He kept telling me it was all over and I could go but I just couldn't’t move! OUCH!!!!

I am now to put lemon juice in my mouth to keep the saliva going and to “milk” my own gland! HAHA! Yes… I have to rub it to keep the saliva going.

HERE IS THE LOW DOWN:

The radiation was passing out of my body through the saliva gland and it somehow caused some sort of damage where the saliva got caught up and then an obstruction happened and then STONES formed in my gland. He was able to get 4 out but could not get 1 other one out. So, he stated to keep on my antibiotics and then if it isn’t better in 2 weeks I will have a minor surgery to get it out.

I tell ya… I sure wasn’t expecting an issue with my saliva gland from all of this. It threw me for a loop and being so sick from the infection really did get me down and frustrated. But, I was reading some e-mails that a friend wrote to me a couple of months ago about how my positive attitude through all of this has changed their life and it was a nice reminder to me to get my act together, pick my head back up and keep moving forward! There are people out there dealing with much worse, I can’t let this get to me! I had my moments in bed and on the couch sulking. I am done with that and it is time to show MADGE who is boss again!

She won this last round but the next one is ALL MINE!!!

I am going in for the KNOCK OUT once and for all!!

NEXT STEPS:

— My endo doc called today and said she was still waiting for some results to come back and she will call me when they do to give me the next step
— My ultrasound just revealed my lymph node on the right was larger – the tech didn’t get the whole neck
— I have to wait and see if the doctor was successful today and the stones are gone, if not then I might need surgery to remove what is left
— I am still going to get a 2nd opinion with an Endo doc just to make sure I am on the right track with the medication – it is something I have to be on for the rest of my life and I want to make sure it is right! I want to find my right levels soon, I just want to feel normal again!

Okay…. I will give you an update as soon as something happens. I tried to get this one out to you quickly but I was feeling so bad.

Love you all ~

Lessons Learned!!!

I really do apologize for not writing on here for so long! I wish I could say it was because I was off on some fabulous vacation or that I have just been out having so much fun and feeling so great that I forgot to do it! Well.... it has been quite the opposite lately.

I don't even know where to begin. It seem that since hurricane IKE hit I have been feeling worse and worse. First it was just every few days and now it has gotten to the point where about 60-70% of my day I am feeling very poorly. Yesterday I stayed home all day and had quite the "breakdown" and just cried and cried due to being so frustrated that I can fix certain symptoms with pain medication or eating less iodine but there are certain things I cannot control and quite frankly I have had it.

So, today I called my doctor and I explained that I felt they had me on to high of a dose of my thyroid medication. Just a couple hours later I was eating lunch and I felt this strange sensation below my jaw on the right side and then a sharp pain and you would NOT believe (I have witnesses) that a large bump popped out the size of a golf ball! Everyone panicked at the table and once again I was calling my doctor. It hurt to talk, eat, swallow, etc...... I have not been feeling like I was getting a cold or flu so I didn't know why my glad had blown up like that.

I waited and waited for the endo doctor to call me back so I called my internal medicine doctor's office (my actual doctor is on maternity leave). I explained all these symptoms that I have been having as well:

• Chest pain


• Hard to breathe sometimes (either heavy chest or sometimes it feels like something is in my throat)


• Increased migraines


• Headaches about 50% of the day


• Extreme dizziness


• Motion sickness


• I have developed severe acne on my face, scalp, etc.....


• I have a salt taste in my mouth quite often


• Feeling flush quite frequently


• Hard to focus

So, I see the internist tomorrow who thinks I have some sort of infection. Then on the way home my endocrinologist called me and asked me all sorts of questions and she thinks it could be a saliva gland stone (I explained it was not that gland that blew up but she couldn't explain it).

Here is the GREAT news...... SHE SAID THAT I WAS DUE TO COME SEE HER IN 4 WEEKS BUT SEEING ME THIS WEEK WON'T HURT ANY SO I GET A BIG UPDATE THIS WEEK!!! YEAH!!!

I feel great tonight and I contribute it all to having a sense of relief in sight! I just want to get to the doc and explain everything and have her FIX IT! I know, I know... this is not a quick fix but I do feel so much better when I know something might change soon.

Now, on to the "Lesson Learned" part. As most of you know Gene's 33 year old brother passed away last year and ever since we have called our insurance agent a couple of times saying we wanted to double our life insurance (mind you if you are buried you are looking at a minimum of $7,000 - without a service!!!). The reality just hit home and we started thinking about how much we would need to pay off the house and live comfortably with out any worries ,etc...... So, you know how it goes when you get busy with work, etc...etc.... As of a couple of weeks ago we STILL hadn't changed our insurance!!!

So, I called our agent again and he asked me if we were still healthy. You know me.... I couldn't say otherwise so I told him I had thyroid cancer. First he said his "sorries" then he said, "well, I hate to tell you this but you are UNINSURABLE". He said even though thyroid cancer is not going to kill me that just the WORD cancer is an "insurance killer" so he is going to check into adding another 5 year term policy to my current one in a few years after my "remission".

PLEASE LEARN FROM THIS THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE NOT UP ON YOUR LIFE INSURANCE!!! Do it before it is too late and you are stuck with a policy that will only get your spouse a Corvette and not the Ferrari! HAHA!!! Oh, and make sure you have your short term and long term insurance!!! I have had both since I started working 20 years ago and wouldn't you know MY COMPANY made a mistake and it dropped off... I noticed it and called my HR department and she said I just needed to fill out a form. WELL I SAT ON IT AND A MONTH LATER I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER!!!!!! I went without a paycheck for 6 weeks, if it would have been a "worse" cancer I would have been out with out pay for MONTHS!

Please learn from my laziness and take the necessary action

TODAY if you need to!!! :-)

I will give you an update after my doctor's appointments. I cannot wait to see what kind of testing I will have done soon (remember my Nov 24th appt was a BIGGIE and now I get to have it THIS WEEK!!!).

Again, my apologies for the delay.... this is one of those moments I can blame MADGE!!! She does come in handy once in a great while! HAHA!!

LOVE YOU ALL!!

GO MOMO!!!!

* My great bro-in-law also ran the marathon this past weekend in Chicago! I am hoping to have an update on that and some pictures!!