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.

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.