Video! Let's see if this works...
Monday, October 1, 2018
Friday, September 28, 2018
Re-boot
It's been 30 years since some of America's favorite shows went off the air and we are now seeing a surge of re-boots: MacGyver, Roseanne (soon to be The Conners), Murphy Brown, Magnum P.I. ... Well, it's only been close to 7 years since my last post, but I'm jumping on board with the re-boot and giving my old blog some new energy!
My, my, my, how things have changed since my last post. This blog was started to track my treatment & progress from a surgery & radiation. Visible signs remain, but the emotional scars are (mostly) healed. My last MRI & check-up was 2/16/15. All clear, as expected! That appointment was a bit emotional, however, because of the path I was then (and am now) walking. I no longer felt that this "modern" medicine was in my best interest. Although I was told to come back the following year (or, if I insisted, 2 years), but I knew in my heart, it would be my last visit.
I'm so grateful for the journey I started about 7 years ago. This is an ongoing journey with no planned destination. I've learned, grown & evolved in so many ways.
So, if anyone is still following this blog, welcome back! Please join me for the next chapter(s). I'll be sharing my journey that started in 2011 and plan to keep it current. There's so much swirling around in my head right now that I will stop here so that I don't throw up all over the page!! There are unlimited blank pages and I have all the time I need to fill them.
Cheers!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
The sun is shining (a.k.a. Round 2)
When I left the clinic the clouds were parting and the sun was shining through. As were my spirits.
You know it has to be a good day when there's not another soul in the waiting room and you get called back immediately and then get to see the doctor (or in this case, the P.A.) right away. (When I found out last week that Dr. Weber wasn't going to be there, I was given the option to see his P.A., Shawn, or re-schedule. Shawn! There's little/no waiting and he takes his time to get all questions answered.) He said the MRI report wasn't ready yet, but just looking at the scans, he thought everything seemed good. He showed me the scans and compared them to the last one. My thyroid test also came back normal. He said I should probably continue to get my levels checked at least annually FOREVER. Well, alrighty then. That led into a conversation on hormone therapies. Interesting topic -- I'll explore that more later.
As for the MRI, he wasn't sure what Dr. Weber would want to do in the way of follow-ups. He seemed to think I would come back again next year, but it's possible that would be it. At that point, I would only come back if I noticed a change. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that considering my history. I'll play that one by ear.
As quickly as I got in this morning, I was early to my next appointment with Dr. Skoracki. (That man cracks me up!) He also seemed pleased with the way my face looked. We discussed some areas that could use improvement. He said it was up to me as to whether or not I should have another surgery. Initially, he said that most people really wouldn't notice anything... except for this little part... and this one... oh, and we could just do a little lift right here. He agreed that we would need to make sure the left side stayed symmetrical. :) There are a couple of spots that need to be filled in. He could take fat from one part of my body and inject it into my face/neck. Now here's the BEST NEWS of the day -- he can't pull fat from my stomach because I don't have enough!! Yes, apparently, there's plenty on my thighs so don't worry! He also said that fat injections really seem to improve the skin, although no one really knows why. I asked if that would help my radiation burn area and he thinks there's a chance it might so we're going to give it a shot.
Just a couple of funny notes: I told them (Dr. S + 2 P.A.'s) that I thought I looked pretty good for 45. Their silence indicated that they agreeed. Then I pointed out the problem -- I'm only 38! Then they backtracked, so to speak. Oh no, you don't look 45! 37, maybe.
Another lady apparently told Dr. S that he looked good for 50 so he told her that she looked good for being pregnant. She said I'm not pregnant. He said, "And I'm NOT 50!!" (Guess you had to be there.)
So surgery is scheduled. I wasn't sure if I would really do this one. I don't want to wonder down the road, what if? Let's just do it now and hope for the best. This could be it unless the fat injections in my neck really work. Then we'll go back and do the rest.
You know it has to be a good day when there's not another soul in the waiting room and you get called back immediately and then get to see the doctor (or in this case, the P.A.) right away. (When I found out last week that Dr. Weber wasn't going to be there, I was given the option to see his P.A., Shawn, or re-schedule. Shawn! There's little/no waiting and he takes his time to get all questions answered.) He said the MRI report wasn't ready yet, but just looking at the scans, he thought everything seemed good. He showed me the scans and compared them to the last one. My thyroid test also came back normal. He said I should probably continue to get my levels checked at least annually FOREVER. Well, alrighty then. That led into a conversation on hormone therapies. Interesting topic -- I'll explore that more later.
As for the MRI, he wasn't sure what Dr. Weber would want to do in the way of follow-ups. He seemed to think I would come back again next year, but it's possible that would be it. At that point, I would only come back if I noticed a change. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that considering my history. I'll play that one by ear.
As quickly as I got in this morning, I was early to my next appointment with Dr. Skoracki. (That man cracks me up!) He also seemed pleased with the way my face looked. We discussed some areas that could use improvement. He said it was up to me as to whether or not I should have another surgery. Initially, he said that most people really wouldn't notice anything... except for this little part... and this one... oh, and we could just do a little lift right here. He agreed that we would need to make sure the left side stayed symmetrical. :) There are a couple of spots that need to be filled in. He could take fat from one part of my body and inject it into my face/neck. Now here's the BEST NEWS of the day -- he can't pull fat from my stomach because I don't have enough!! Yes, apparently, there's plenty on my thighs so don't worry! He also said that fat injections really seem to improve the skin, although no one really knows why. I asked if that would help my radiation burn area and he thinks there's a chance it might so we're going to give it a shot.
Just a couple of funny notes: I told them (Dr. S + 2 P.A.'s) that I thought I looked pretty good for 45. Their silence indicated that they agreeed. Then I pointed out the problem -- I'm only 38! Then they backtracked, so to speak. Oh no, you don't look 45! 37, maybe.
Another lady apparently told Dr. S that he looked good for 50 so he told her that she looked good for being pregnant. She said I'm not pregnant. He said, "And I'm NOT 50!!" (Guess you had to be there.)
So surgery is scheduled. I wasn't sure if I would really do this one. I don't want to wonder down the road, what if? Let's just do it now and hope for the best. This could be it unless the fat injections in my neck really work. Then we'll go back and do the rest.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
2 years post-op - Round 1
Seems I missed an appt. I was at MDA in July. I know I had a hearing test & follow up with Dr. Gidley. Honestly can't remember if I saw anyone else. I don't think I did. I do remember that the audiologist advised me to get hearing aids. Dr. G said no so I didn't. Today we did it all over again. Again, another slight decrease in my hearing. Wrong way!! Audiologist says I am "overdue" for hearing aids. Dr. G still wasn't too keen on the idea. After much back & forth he told me to go for it. They all ask me if it's getting better or worse, or if the loss bothers me. Of course it does. At this point I'm self-conscious about it. I don't know if I'm missing things that I should be hearing or wondering if everyone is hearing (or not hearing) the same as me. It's really hard to compare to the memory of hearing from 2 years ago. So Dr. G was trying to get me to get fitted in Austin. The doctor he recommended is with a practice that we know all too well and not in a good way. I explained that I was a "doctor snob" and would be coming back to MDA!! Now I'll wait for the phone call to get that scheduled.
On a side note, when Dr. G came in he had me run the the usual routine of making different facial expressions to check for nerve function. He seemed very pleased and almost surprised at how well I did. He asked, "aren't you happy that it's doing so well?" Seriously??? I didn't hesitate to tell him that was a really dumb question! Of course I'm happy about that! Duh.
Now I will head upstairs for my umpteenth MRI. I'll find out the results tomorrow.
To be honest I'm kind of in a funk right now. All I have to do is look around this place to see how much I have to be thankful for. But, that's kind of the problem too... my heart breaks for the people I see here. And I feel guilty that I am here WITHOUT cancer. Sigh.
More tomorrow.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Hearing aid?
I'm only a few days behind in getting this posted. On Wednesday, April 20, I had an appt with Dr. Gidley, ENT. And Saturday, April 23 was the one year anniversary of my last radiation treatment. What a difference a year makes!
Appt w/ Dr. Gidley:
Did not have a hearing test this time. He did perform a quick eval with a tuning fork and I seemed to do pretty good with that. More "debris" came out of my ear - this time just picked out with special tweezers. Gross. The problem seems to be from scar tissue in the middle ear. That was caused by a combination of mastoidectomy & radiation. As I get older it will probably get worse simply due to aging and a residual effect of radiation.
Again, he asked if my hearing loss was bothering me. I told him that I do notice it in crowds when I can't hear a specific conversation with all the background noise. And it is sometimes difficult to hear in the car. (Although, my husband says he also has a hard time in the car too. However, I'm not sure the last time he had his hearing checked!) Dr. G said that we can look into hearing aids. I'll go back in 3-6 months to have another hearing test and see where we are. I don't really want a hearing aid right now and I don't want to miss out on conversations around me. Guess that means I'll be praying for my hearing to return in the next few months. As a side note: Dr. G said I should call his scheduler to let her know when I wanted to come back. I mentioned that it should only take about 4 calls to her to get that done (from experience, she's not very good at calling back). He left the room & came back with his business card and told me to email him directly when I knew when I wanted to come back and he would see to it that is was handled. Look - you can get personal service at MDA!
I must say that hearing loss was never one of the side effects I thought of when this all started 16 months ago.
Appt w/ Dr. Gidley:
Did not have a hearing test this time. He did perform a quick eval with a tuning fork and I seemed to do pretty good with that. More "debris" came out of my ear - this time just picked out with special tweezers. Gross. The problem seems to be from scar tissue in the middle ear. That was caused by a combination of mastoidectomy & radiation. As I get older it will probably get worse simply due to aging and a residual effect of radiation.
Again, he asked if my hearing loss was bothering me. I told him that I do notice it in crowds when I can't hear a specific conversation with all the background noise. And it is sometimes difficult to hear in the car. (Although, my husband says he also has a hard time in the car too. However, I'm not sure the last time he had his hearing checked!) Dr. G said that we can look into hearing aids. I'll go back in 3-6 months to have another hearing test and see where we are. I don't really want a hearing aid right now and I don't want to miss out on conversations around me. Guess that means I'll be praying for my hearing to return in the next few months. As a side note: Dr. G said I should call his scheduler to let her know when I wanted to come back. I mentioned that it should only take about 4 calls to her to get that done (from experience, she's not very good at calling back). He left the room & came back with his business card and told me to email him directly when I knew when I wanted to come back and he would see to it that is was handled. Look - you can get personal service at MDA!
I must say that hearing loss was never one of the side effects I thought of when this all started 16 months ago.
Monday, December 20, 2010
One Year
December 17, 2009, I had my first appointment in this journey. What a year! I could complain about it, but I'd rather look at where I've been and how far I've come this year. I can say with absolute certainty that I'm in a much better place mentally & physically than I was a year ago. I'm not sure I was aware at the time what a strain this put on me mentally. And, physically, I've obviously been put through the wringer, but, overall, am stronger. There are some scars that I'll have with me forever, but they are reminders of survival!
OK, back to the little details of this journey. I've had a couple of appointments lately that haven't been mentioned yet. Post-op appointment was on November 9. Dr. Skoracki was quite pleased with his work. I guess I'd have to agree. I've had some very nice comments since then. The best one was from a friend in Sunday School. She said, "you look like you." Dr. S said there was possibly more to do and I should come back in 6 months. I said, "how 'bout 12?" He likes the way I think. As of now, we're not planning any surgeries in 2011 so I'll go back to see him in January 2012. Yea! By then I'm not sure if I'll want to take advantage of the opportunity to get another nip & tuck or if I will be quite satifsfied with what I have and leave well enough alone.
December 8, I went for another hearing test. Apparently that's not doing better. In fact, a little worse in the right ear. Dr. Gidley 'hoovered' out my right ear again. Said that will need to be done for about 2 years. My ear no longer has a 'self-cleaning' feature. He asked if I was bothered by the hearing loss. I wasn't sure how to answer so he suggested 'not enough to do anything about it?' Exactly. I didn't ask what could be done. I'm guessing another surgery or hearing aids and I'm not thrilled with either option. I'll go see him again in the summer -- will try to synchronize with Dr. Weber appts then. Speaking of, I have an MRI & appt with Dr. W in about a month.
OK, back to the little details of this journey. I've had a couple of appointments lately that haven't been mentioned yet. Post-op appointment was on November 9. Dr. Skoracki was quite pleased with his work. I guess I'd have to agree. I've had some very nice comments since then. The best one was from a friend in Sunday School. She said, "you look like you." Dr. S said there was possibly more to do and I should come back in 6 months. I said, "how 'bout 12?" He likes the way I think. As of now, we're not planning any surgeries in 2011 so I'll go back to see him in January 2012. Yea! By then I'm not sure if I'll want to take advantage of the opportunity to get another nip & tuck or if I will be quite satifsfied with what I have and leave well enough alone.
December 8, I went for another hearing test. Apparently that's not doing better. In fact, a little worse in the right ear. Dr. Gidley 'hoovered' out my right ear again. Said that will need to be done for about 2 years. My ear no longer has a 'self-cleaning' feature. He asked if I was bothered by the hearing loss. I wasn't sure how to answer so he suggested 'not enough to do anything about it?' Exactly. I didn't ask what could be done. I'm guessing another surgery or hearing aids and I'm not thrilled with either option. I'll go see him again in the summer -- will try to synchronize with Dr. Weber appts then. Speaking of, I have an MRI & appt with Dr. W in about a month.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Final surgery?
I went to my pre-op appointments on Thursday, October 28. Anesthesia was first. It was pretty uneventful. The most noteable thing at this appt was finding out that I was tentatively scheduled for 7:30 AM. Whoo Hoo! Of course, that very first appointment was running late so I was an hour late for my appointment with Dr. Skoracki.
He gives me such grief! I had a long list of questions. One was about when I could work out again. Silly me, I mentioned having a trainer and he got a big kick out of that. I also asked him about doing something about the extra chin I've had since birth! He said "I can't believe I'm letting you talk me into this!" and agreed a little lipo would do the trick. Hey -- let's make the most of this situation! I'll go back in 1 1/2 - 2 weeks for follow up. The incisions should heal nicely even with post-radiation skin. No much he can do about the chunk missing from my ear and the lingering pain is due to poor blood supply. I should give that another year or two and if it still gives me grief I can try a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Uh, I think it's feeling better already!
The skin flap will be left alone this time -- we can re-visit that in about 6 months. Another surgery?? I think I might just learn to leave well-enough alone.
Surgery day:
Arrived at the hospital at 6 AM. I went back around 6:30 and the P.A. stopped by to say they were ready so things moved rather quickly. I think I had my "margarita" by 7AM. Seems like I heard they were finished by 9. We were out of there by 11 and back at Pop's house just after 1. My chief complaint when we left was dry mouth. And I mean DRY. I couldn't swallow anything without water to wash it down. The other pain in the neck was the pain in my neck from the drain. I'm supposed to leave that in 5-7 days even it there's nothing draining. I think I can make until Tuesday. Dr. S did say he was able to get some of the skin flap and he did lipo on my face/cheek, neck & right thigh. It's all a little sore -- I can't imagine having lipo done in large quantities. Ow! Post-op instructions are to keep the wounds covered and wash & apply Bactroban 2x daily; no strenuous activities for a week.
As far as surgeries go, this one was pretty much a breeze.
He gives me such grief! I had a long list of questions. One was about when I could work out again. Silly me, I mentioned having a trainer and he got a big kick out of that. I also asked him about doing something about the extra chin I've had since birth! He said "I can't believe I'm letting you talk me into this!" and agreed a little lipo would do the trick. Hey -- let's make the most of this situation! I'll go back in 1 1/2 - 2 weeks for follow up. The incisions should heal nicely even with post-radiation skin. No much he can do about the chunk missing from my ear and the lingering pain is due to poor blood supply. I should give that another year or two and if it still gives me grief I can try a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Uh, I think it's feeling better already!
The skin flap will be left alone this time -- we can re-visit that in about 6 months. Another surgery?? I think I might just learn to leave well-enough alone.
Surgery day:
Arrived at the hospital at 6 AM. I went back around 6:30 and the P.A. stopped by to say they were ready so things moved rather quickly. I think I had my "margarita" by 7AM. Seems like I heard they were finished by 9. We were out of there by 11 and back at Pop's house just after 1. My chief complaint when we left was dry mouth. And I mean DRY. I couldn't swallow anything without water to wash it down. The other pain in the neck was the pain in my neck from the drain. I'm supposed to leave that in 5-7 days even it there's nothing draining. I think I can make until Tuesday. Dr. S did say he was able to get some of the skin flap and he did lipo on my face/cheek, neck & right thigh. It's all a little sore -- I can't imagine having lipo done in large quantities. Ow! Post-op instructions are to keep the wounds covered and wash & apply Bactroban 2x daily; no strenuous activities for a week.
As far as surgeries go, this one was pretty much a breeze.
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