Why was I so thrilled to leave town and hit the beach for a week (plus travel days)?
Why was I happy to be out of town for 3 weeks?
Why am I looking forward to leaving town again?
Well, for one– the obvious of they are so fun! (Beach relaxing. Blogher manic fun. Both vacations in their own rights.) But another reason? I am glad for the break in doctor’s appointments and being a human pin cushion who is probably radio active by now. Here is the low down that I have not shared. Because, well, when you know nothing you share nothing. Usually. Many times I share a lot and know nothing. But that is pretty much blogging for you.
It started with migraines. Or wait. Maybe it started with the hair loss, extreme bone numbing fatigue and weight gain that put me in a league with the Violet from Willie Wonka. (Egg or chicken at this point.) So off to the doctor we go.
First up, blood work. It appears that my thyroid hates me. We are working on making nice with it but really? When it went all bad ass and decided to go after my weight and make me fat, it was ON. I am not playing nice with that thyroid now. I told the doctor to just rip it out. He thought that was rather extreme. I owe a lot to Y of Joy Unexpected for getting me to actually get to the doctor and check things out rather than just play the “I am just tired, fat and going bald” card. Thanks, Y! I owe you.
Then came the radio active dye that I got to inject into my veins for an MRI. They wanted to see if they could find a reason for the migraines. Good news! They found no tumors, lesions or blood clots in my brain. Which is what they were worried about with my history and my Mom’s history. AND now there is proof I do in fact have a brain. w00t!
What they did find is a 6mm tumor “or suspicious growth” in my sinuses.
Say what?
Did that report I read say t-u-m-o-r?
So when my doctor called and told me to get into the ENT to check it out, I told him I would as soon as I could get there but really? Totally had plans. (That will stun a doctor into silence.)
Me: Will it grown?
Dr: No.
Me: Will it hurt me?
Dr: No.
Me: Will it kill me by the end of July?
Dr: No.
Me: Should I be running around freaking and wailing in fear and agony?
Dr: No.
Me: So it can wait until the end of July.
Dr: Uhhhh….I am guessing yes is the only right answer.
Me: You are a smart Doc. Good answer.
I mean seriously? A nose tumor? I am scared of a nose ring. But whatev. It is what it is and I am not worrying until the end of July.
But that is why I have been offline. More testing and more radioactive fun. Oh, and the pin cushion fun.
So at BlogHer…yes, I really am having fun. (Contrary to accusations that were made in a prior year.)
There you have it. No more to say until we know more. Mmmmm’kay?
Wow. I am glad that your Dr. is saying you will be ok.
I would love to help you have fun at blogHer!!! Email me if you want to meet up!!
Not knowing can be bliss or agony depending on your personality type. For me it is the latter.
Have a good holiday!
Yikes! Best of luck. Glad to hear the doctor has not declared a state of emergency.
Well, I wish you’d gotten the COMPLETE clear all, but knowing that it’s not critical mass…AND you have a brain! Yeah you!…is a good thing.
Have fun traveling, while you obsess whether or not you can feel something you didn’t know was there growing by the second. Because paranoid is how I roll.
–Anissa @ Hope4peyton
If it was truly serious that doc woulda hauled your balding arse into the specialist.
But still, enough to freak out just a little bit.
Have a ball at BlogHer. So sad that I won’t be there to give you a big hug babe.
I really had to nod my head while reading this post! There’s a turning point in this book I just wrote that talks about how I could barely drag myself out of bed for two months (and yet I had put off having bloodwork done for about… well honestly almost ONE YEAR) and when I finally dragged my sorry ass to the doctor it turned out I had unbelievably bad anemia all due to… celiac disease. Hmm. No fun.
So this deal about moms not taking care of their own health because they are so busy taking care of others…. in our focus groups for the book more than half the moms we talked to said while they almost ALWAYS took their own kids for check ups etc they ALMOST ALWAYS skipped or canceled their own doctors appointments for scheduling reasons. Moms just don’t put themselves high up on their own list of priorities.
Honestly no one likes going to the doctor because we’re all afraid of getting bad news. It takes time and it’s BORING. But we argue in our book that unless mom is healthy (both physically and mentally/ spiritually) she’s not going to be a very great mom!
I have hypothyroidism and take meds every day — apart from forgetting to take them CONSTANTLY, the meds pretty much keep me in line.
Good luck!
Katrin
co-author Mothers Need Time-Outs, Too
http://www.momstimeouts.com
Dude, seriously… that is unreal. But SO GOOD that they made you drink the radioactive koolaid so now you know about the little bastard and will PROMPTLY follow-up RIGHT after you have massive amounts of REAL fun at BlogHer, right?
Yikes Jenn. We will not talk of such things until Monday, how about that?
Wow. That could seriously put a damper on your vacation, but it sounds like you have the right perspective. Enjoy your summer and take care of you. I know it’s annoying, but it sounds like all will be well in time.
Hope that everything turns out OK for you. Maybe it is just a polyp or something they can remove. Thinking of you.
If it can wait until end of July, then you must really be just fine. Glad to hear that 🙂
Perhaps not the right post to leave this comment on, but it was FABULOUS to meet you. Oh. I’m the one you met outside – the one YOU got addicted to WoW 😉
Doctors love to freak people out. Not saying a nose tumor is the greatest but at least its not on the outside of your nose.
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Jenn, It was a pleasure to meet you at BlogHer, even if only for those few minutes in the ballroom when we were all hiding because we were overwhelmed by the sessions. I just wanted to give you this piece of advice: Don’t fuck around with the thyroid thing. I did that for many years–starting at age 11 (I was a prodigy in that one way only)–and I’m so glad I finally fried the thing with radioactive iodine. One pill a day and bloodwork every six months is soooo much better than eight pills a day and bloodwork every 1-2 weeks. Yes, I’m now hypo- (overweight and slow and depressed) instead of hyperthyroid (skinny and sweaty and shaky and blacking out), but I feel so. much. better with the thyroid thing squared away. Please be sure to take care of yours ASAP–if you’re not careful, the little bugger will kill you. 😛
Good luck with the nose tumor, too. That sucks–and yes, Suzie has it right–at least it’s not on the outside of your nose. How embarrassing would that have been at BlogHer?
I had thyroid cancer and know A LOT about thyroids. If you ever want to talk, email me.
I will think good thoughts for everything working out just fine for you!