The details are set now.
I visited the pul.monologist today and got her thoughts on things. She has ordered the tests she needs to have done to give me pre-op clearance. So I have had a chest x-ray done today, I will be having a complete pulmonary function test done on Monday and I will be having a sleep study tomorrow night. (I know it's silly, but I'm a little sad about the sleep study. It will be only the 5th night since we got married that The Hubs and I have slept in seperate beds. The other 4 were when he was away for a week for training with his job a few years ago.) I was also given a nasal spray for allergies.
I am to turn up tomorrow night by 8:30 pm at the latest (at the hospital where I work - this is after getting off work at 5 pm tomorrow). I will then be "suited up" with the electrodes and elastic belts to monitor my breathing. Then I'll try to fall asleep. I will be able to leave by 6:30 am the next day and I will have to be back at work by 9:00 am. Sounds like loads of fun, huh?
On Monday, I will have the great joy of having a complete pulmonary function test performed. While I work with this test by name daily, I really have no idea what it entails apart from breathing. I feel stupid not knowing, but there you go. We'll see what that reveals.
On Tuesday, I will be once again making the two hour drive to my RE's office in Savannah to do my pre-op work-up with him. Blood work and signing all the "it's okay if you accidentally kill me during this surgery, I won't mind and my family won't sue you because it's obviously not your fault" paperwork will have to be taken care of then ahead of the actual surgery day. The Hubs can't take off work that day, so my mom will be accompanying me. Between you and me, I'm not so sure that's a good idea, but there's really no other option. We tend to wind one another up. I don't feel she's as supportive as she could be and she thinks I don't listen to anything she has to say because she's not a doctor. Sounds to me like it will add up to a stressful day, but here's hoping I'll be proved wrong.
The surgery itself will be next Friday, June 18. I'll again be in Savannah and will hopefully only be in Outpatient surgery. Should there be any complications, I may have to stay overnight, but I'm planning on coming home on the Friday. I'll carry a small bag of clothes and toiletries just in case, but my goal is to come home the same day.
So that's the surgery details and plans. Not much going on, eh? In the midst of all this, I also have to interview applicants for the position at work that we've just had approved, re-write the policies and procedures for our department, create a step-by-step list of what is entailed in doing the job our department does, train other members of staff (not because of my surgery, just because it needs to be done for cross-training purposes) to do our department's job, host a meeting with the offices using our department's services to clarify what they should be providing to us and complete all my regular day-to-day work before I head off for my delightful day of surgery. I can hardly wait.
Thanks to all of you amazing ladies who have visited me to wish me well and help allay my fears! You all make me feel loved and I feel less worried because I know your thoughts and prayers are behind me. I will try to get by this weekend to visit with each of you and send a more personal thank you! In the meantime, I love and appreciate each and every one of you more than you can know! Hugs to you all!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
After the Biopsy
I had my endo.metrial bi.opsy yesterday. The procedure itself went fine. It was a little painful, but I had my trusty Dem.orol and Xa.nax to get me through it and it was bearable. I was a little out of it (obviously), so I spent most of the afternoon (including the two hour drive home) asleep.
This evening about 6:15 (while I was still at work doing my standard unrequired overtime), my mobile rang. I looked at it and it was the RE's phone number, so I answered it. It was actually the doctor himself calling. What he had to tell me was the results of my bi.opsy. While it wasn't terrible news (no cancer, thank goodness), it wasn't good news either. He told me I have Complex Endo.metrial Hyper.plasia without atypical cells. What this means, he explained, is that I am two steps before cancer. Based on the bi.opsy, there are no pre-cancerous cells, but he wants to be completely certain there is nothing lurking unseen. Therefore, he has decided, with my consent, that we will move forward with a D&C.
My appointment with the pulm.onologist tomorrow will also act as the pre-op clearance. He needs her okay to go ahead with anesthesia if I do have sleep ap.nea and for my asthma. He said he thought the procedure would be done outpatient, but he would need her okay that I wouldn't need to stay overnight and he also wants to make sure she will be in town so as to be on-call in case of an emergency.
His plan for after the D&C was for me to take Pro.vera to bring AF on, then at the end of that cycle he'll do another D&C, then I'll start what he called a "Pro.vera Regimen" where I take the meds for 3 or 4 months straight to start AF. We'll then probably do another bi.opsy to see where we are.
This wasn't the news I was hoping for. I was hoping everything would come back okay and we could move forward with TTC. However, it is important to me be sure we nip this in the bud before it turns into something much worse. The way he described it, there are 6 stages from a healthy endo.metrium to cancer. The first is a clear endo.metrium without any thickening; the second is slight thickening; the third is Simple Endo.metrial Hyperplasia; the fourth is Complex Endo.metrial Hyper.plasia without atypical cells; the fifth is Complex Endo.metrial Hyper.plasia with atypical cells; and, finally, Endo.metrial cancer. As you can tell, I'm at the fourth stage. The scary thing is that 21 months ago when my OB/GYN did this procedure, I was only in the second stage. Basically, the endo.metrium is thickening at an alarming pace. This is also the reason behind his urgency to go ahead with the D&C.
I have to admit - I'm a little scared. This news is devestating to me. Granted, it's not anywhere near as bad as it could have been, but it certainly was a shock and a punch in the gut. I hate the thought of the surgeries (albeit minor procedures) to come and I'm scared what they may find. I know these fears are irrational, but that's where I'm at right now.
I need your prayers and/or thoughts. I'll be speaking to his PA tomorrow to make the arrangements and I'll stop by to let you know what's happening as soon as I have some definites. Thanks for your support!
This evening about 6:15 (while I was still at work doing my standard unrequired overtime), my mobile rang. I looked at it and it was the RE's phone number, so I answered it. It was actually the doctor himself calling. What he had to tell me was the results of my bi.opsy. While it wasn't terrible news (no cancer, thank goodness), it wasn't good news either. He told me I have Complex Endo.metrial Hyper.plasia without atypical cells. What this means, he explained, is that I am two steps before cancer. Based on the bi.opsy, there are no pre-cancerous cells, but he wants to be completely certain there is nothing lurking unseen. Therefore, he has decided, with my consent, that we will move forward with a D&C.
My appointment with the pulm.onologist tomorrow will also act as the pre-op clearance. He needs her okay to go ahead with anesthesia if I do have sleep ap.nea and for my asthma. He said he thought the procedure would be done outpatient, but he would need her okay that I wouldn't need to stay overnight and he also wants to make sure she will be in town so as to be on-call in case of an emergency.
His plan for after the D&C was for me to take Pro.vera to bring AF on, then at the end of that cycle he'll do another D&C, then I'll start what he called a "Pro.vera Regimen" where I take the meds for 3 or 4 months straight to start AF. We'll then probably do another bi.opsy to see where we are.
This wasn't the news I was hoping for. I was hoping everything would come back okay and we could move forward with TTC. However, it is important to me be sure we nip this in the bud before it turns into something much worse. The way he described it, there are 6 stages from a healthy endo.metrium to cancer. The first is a clear endo.metrium without any thickening; the second is slight thickening; the third is Simple Endo.metrial Hyperplasia; the fourth is Complex Endo.metrial Hyper.plasia without atypical cells; the fifth is Complex Endo.metrial Hyper.plasia with atypical cells; and, finally, Endo.metrial cancer. As you can tell, I'm at the fourth stage. The scary thing is that 21 months ago when my OB/GYN did this procedure, I was only in the second stage. Basically, the endo.metrium is thickening at an alarming pace. This is also the reason behind his urgency to go ahead with the D&C.
I have to admit - I'm a little scared. This news is devestating to me. Granted, it's not anywhere near as bad as it could have been, but it certainly was a shock and a punch in the gut. I hate the thought of the surgeries (albeit minor procedures) to come and I'm scared what they may find. I know these fears are irrational, but that's where I'm at right now.
I need your prayers and/or thoughts. I'll be speaking to his PA tomorrow to make the arrangements and I'll stop by to let you know what's happening as soon as I have some definites. Thanks for your support!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
And She Emerges....
...with a sheepish grin. Hi. I'm Lynn. You might remember me from such blogs as this one.
Okay, sorry I've been MIA lately. I honestly have been so busy I haven't known if I was coming or going, but I did want to stop by and let you all know I was okay and what I have learned this month.
First off, not all of my absenteeism has been IF related. Work has been super crazy! I am trying to get a new staff member in our area because we really need it! The small amount of time I took off for my doctor's visits and time taken off by my colleague to care for sick children has put our department behind and we are fighting to get caught back up, but the work is coming in at a rate we can't keep up with! Please say a prayer that we can get the new member of staff we so desperately need.
Moving on....the stuff you've been waiting for.....IF progress and bloodwork findings. I have been off Met.formin now for about 3 weeks. So far, so good. My sugar has been slightly elevated, but nothing too terrible. It has been manageable. On the weight loss front, I'm doing okay. I've lost maybe a couple of pounds and, while I haven't completely cut carbs from my diet, I have cut them back considerably. The magnesium supplements don't really seem to have done much for my headaches. I still have pretty bad ones. I'll discuss that with my RE when I see him next. My appointment with the pulmonologist is scheduled for June 9. It will be a consultation for a sleep study and I'll probably get an order to have a pulmonary function test done as well.
Onto bloodwork. All of my bloodwork has now come back (still some to do for The Hubs, but that will come in July). My sugar levels were okay (of course, I'd been on Met.formin for some time when the blood was drawn, so that may have contributed to that), but my triglycerides were very high. My uric acid levels were slightly elevated and I have had gout before, so that is consistent. My TSH levels were fine, as they always are, so would seem to be no suspect for thy.roid problems except.....my TPO (thy.roid perox.idase) levels which are supposed to be under 35 were actually 871!!! For anyone who doesn't know much about this test, this means that the number of antibodies fighting against my thy.roid should be under 35 but there are actually 871, so that means there are some serious thy.roid issues! I haven't started thy.roid medication yet, but it's coming soon. My RE seemed a bit concerned about this and said there was an auto.immune disease present (probably Hash.imoto's or Ord's Disease). The blood test for MTHFR came back positive for heterozygous MTHFR, so we can chaulk up one more problem to add into my already overflowing barrell. And, last but not least, two pro.gesterone draws have indicated levels below 0.7, so this means I will be having another en.dome.trial biopsy done on Monday, June 7. Woo-hoo for me! (I'm sorry, did that sound sarcastic?)
All in all, not the greatest results, but at least we now have more of an idea what we're up against. I'll be able to tell you more (hopefully) after the biopsy on Monday. My RE wants to do one more pro.gesterone test on Monday morning, then Monday afternoon he'll do the biopsy. Fun. At least I've already carried the prescription for my little medication cocktail to the pharmacy to be filled in preparation for the procedure.
Now, moving onto other important things, in lieu of all that has been going on this month (and the fact I haven't yet gotten the June list for Secret Pals up), I'm thinking that this month I won't open the list, but will start it again for July. Those of you who participated in May can carry on celebrating the Pal you had for May throughout June and those wanting to participate can sign up when I open the July list in a couple of weeks. Anyone have any objections to this arrangement? If so, please let me know and I'll reconsider what to do.
In concluding this post, I'll tell you a bit about our Memorial Day and leave you with a photo first. The Hubs and I decided to go to the beach for the day. We didn't wear swimsuits or carry them, because we had no real intention of going in the water. Why then, you may ask, did we go to the beach? Well, despite living most of my life on the coast (well, a couple of hours away), I have never been to the beach. I can't swim and, so, it's never really been a big thing for me. But, The Hubs, being the great guy he is, wanted me to experience it. So, we headed off for Savannah, had a fantastically delicious meal at the Indian restaurant (Pakwan) at the mall (not only was the food great, but it was very inexpensive! we had a lunch buffett each and the total cost - with tip - came to only $25!), and then we headed for the beach! While The Hubs did not go into the water, I did wade a bit. It was my first venture into the ocean. So, on that note, I leave you with a photo most have made when they are small children, but for me came at the grand old age of 31.
Okay, sorry I've been MIA lately. I honestly have been so busy I haven't known if I was coming or going, but I did want to stop by and let you all know I was okay and what I have learned this month.
First off, not all of my absenteeism has been IF related. Work has been super crazy! I am trying to get a new staff member in our area because we really need it! The small amount of time I took off for my doctor's visits and time taken off by my colleague to care for sick children has put our department behind and we are fighting to get caught back up, but the work is coming in at a rate we can't keep up with! Please say a prayer that we can get the new member of staff we so desperately need.
Moving on....the stuff you've been waiting for.....IF progress and bloodwork findings. I have been off Met.formin now for about 3 weeks. So far, so good. My sugar has been slightly elevated, but nothing too terrible. It has been manageable. On the weight loss front, I'm doing okay. I've lost maybe a couple of pounds and, while I haven't completely cut carbs from my diet, I have cut them back considerably. The magnesium supplements don't really seem to have done much for my headaches. I still have pretty bad ones. I'll discuss that with my RE when I see him next. My appointment with the pulmonologist is scheduled for June 9. It will be a consultation for a sleep study and I'll probably get an order to have a pulmonary function test done as well.
Onto bloodwork. All of my bloodwork has now come back (still some to do for The Hubs, but that will come in July). My sugar levels were okay (of course, I'd been on Met.formin for some time when the blood was drawn, so that may have contributed to that), but my triglycerides were very high. My uric acid levels were slightly elevated and I have had gout before, so that is consistent. My TSH levels were fine, as they always are, so would seem to be no suspect for thy.roid problems except.....my TPO (thy.roid perox.idase) levels which are supposed to be under 35 were actually 871!!! For anyone who doesn't know much about this test, this means that the number of antibodies fighting against my thy.roid should be under 35 but there are actually 871, so that means there are some serious thy.roid issues! I haven't started thy.roid medication yet, but it's coming soon. My RE seemed a bit concerned about this and said there was an auto.immune disease present (probably Hash.imoto's or Ord's Disease). The blood test for MTHFR came back positive for heterozygous MTHFR, so we can chaulk up one more problem to add into my already overflowing barrell. And, last but not least, two pro.gesterone draws have indicated levels below 0.7, so this means I will be having another en.dome.trial biopsy done on Monday, June 7. Woo-hoo for me! (I'm sorry, did that sound sarcastic?)
All in all, not the greatest results, but at least we now have more of an idea what we're up against. I'll be able to tell you more (hopefully) after the biopsy on Monday. My RE wants to do one more pro.gesterone test on Monday morning, then Monday afternoon he'll do the biopsy. Fun. At least I've already carried the prescription for my little medication cocktail to the pharmacy to be filled in preparation for the procedure.
Now, moving onto other important things, in lieu of all that has been going on this month (and the fact I haven't yet gotten the June list for Secret Pals up), I'm thinking that this month I won't open the list, but will start it again for July. Those of you who participated in May can carry on celebrating the Pal you had for May throughout June and those wanting to participate can sign up when I open the July list in a couple of weeks. Anyone have any objections to this arrangement? If so, please let me know and I'll reconsider what to do.
In concluding this post, I'll tell you a bit about our Memorial Day and leave you with a photo first. The Hubs and I decided to go to the beach for the day. We didn't wear swimsuits or carry them, because we had no real intention of going in the water. Why then, you may ask, did we go to the beach? Well, despite living most of my life on the coast (well, a couple of hours away), I have never been to the beach. I can't swim and, so, it's never really been a big thing for me. But, The Hubs, being the great guy he is, wanted me to experience it. So, we headed off for Savannah, had a fantastically delicious meal at the Indian restaurant (Pakwan) at the mall (not only was the food great, but it was very inexpensive! we had a lunch buffett each and the total cost - with tip - came to only $25!), and then we headed for the beach! While The Hubs did not go into the water, I did wade a bit. It was my first venture into the ocean. So, on that note, I leave you with a photo most have made when they are small children, but for me came at the grand old age of 31.
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