The results are in ... sort of

I was called by the Doctor who did the procedure. One nodule is benign. The other 2 probably are but guess what? There was blood in the samples so they want to do the biopsies again. I haven't called to schedule it. I can't deal with the thought of going through that pain again. I am not good with confrontation and I am putting it off because I will be telling them She WON'T be doing it. Either they can find another Dr. or I will. I refuse to let that cold, angry little person touch me again.


I am so frustrated right now. I knew this was going to happen. She broke so many blood vessels it would have been impossible not to get some blood in the specimens.


I'm really angry too. I don't want to go through this again. I have to think about if I will or not.


On a very nice note though, as of yesterday I've lost 71 pounds since surgery and a grand total of 154 pounds since I started my new life.


So that still trumps all the nastiness I had to go through with this Thyroid garbage.


I refuse to let that ruin my good feelings.

I finally took the plunge!

Well I have finally done it!

I haven't had a haircut in nearly 20 years. My hair has been down to my butt since my early 20's. After my BIG hair days of the 80's I just let it keep growing.

So with all the changes going on in my life and my body my hair has been suffering. It was looking pretty bad and I have lost some due to my surgery. So I decided it was time for my hair to get healthy too.

People that know me will remember how long my hair was.

So Friday I took the plunge. It was time for another drastic change in my life.

Here I am 29 inches later .... Whaddya think? =0)

I love it. I never thought I could ever have a cute short hair doo! =o)





Here is the back. Sorry for the blurry .. hard to take myself lol





And here is the tail I had cut off for Locks of Love

that brought it to right above my shoulders. Six more inches were cut off as I got my new style.





So far everyone in my family looks at me with the OMG look .. then take a deep breath and tell me how cute it is :o)

And here is one I got a bit artsy with ... just a hint of color

It's Over ...

I'm back among the living. What a nightmare that was

I came home and just went to bed. I was so stressed out.

One thing I can say is if for whatever reason I have to have this done again .. that Doctor will never touch me again. She was rude, arrogant and worst of all cold and very rough.

She hurt me so badly I was tearing up ... I was trying so hard to keep it together and she says to me .. "Shall we cancel this procedure" I was just stunned ... you have no idea how badly I wanted to say yes lets! At that point I was only 1/3 of the way through the procedure.

She stuck me 18 times - six needles per nodule (I was told it was only going to be 3 aspirations per nodule) and once she was in there she jack hammered the needle until she found the right spot.

I've had this done before when the left side of my Thyroid was removed and it never hurt like this. My neck is so swollen and I can't turn my head. The only time she her tone was friendly with me was when another doctor came in to was some of the procedure.

As soon as I was done she said now you realize this may have to be done again if we don't get definite results. I said to myself ... I think not - at least not by you.

She even told me to stop breathing the way I was breathing and breathe right and to stop tearing up it was causing mucus in my throat.

Just how is one supposed to breath with needles being jack hammered into the base of ones throat and a scan wand being jammed into the side to show the nodules.

If anyone knows the answer let me know so I can be a "better" pin cushion next time

When I came out my sister came right over to me and said Jesus, what did they do to you.... and then I burst into tears.

It looks like there is a golf ball trapped under my skin and I am all bruised. I never had that happen before.

After I calmed down I guess it was my time to get someone like this. Up until now all of the Doctors I have seen have been excellent. Very kind and compassionate.

I'm really not a baby and I'm not looking for anyone to fall all over me. Do what you have to do and lets get it over .. but geez at least have a little empathy for your patient. She had to have known she was hurting me.

I was pretty much a wreck the rest of the afternoon. But, after a good nap I don't feel too bad .. just swollen and sore.

I managed to eat a little and I get some water in me so that's always a good sign

I should know sometime next week what the results are.

I have really felt blessed because everyone I have had to deal with for the last 6 months has been so professional and so nice so I guess odds were that I get a sour one eventually.

I will make it known I don't ever want her again and why. I really wasn't looking for coddling but if she had just said something kind and given me a minute to gather myself it would have been an entirely different experience ... instead she chose to treat me like a two year old and threaten to end the procedure if I couldn't control my emotions.

I guess I just need to figure out how to enjoy having my throat stabbed 18 times and show no emotion or feeling.


Here are a couple shots I took quick to show you the damage


at a distance:







Up close: You can see each needle stick and the horizontal bruising from her jack hammering the needle once in there.








You can see the swelling ... last night it was sticking out just as if a golf ball was in there.

I am just so glad it's over ... for now anyway

Getting Nervous

Tuesday I have the biopsies on my Thyroid done at 8am. I'm so nervous, but trying not to obsess.

9 needle sticks


I am so not looking forward to this :(

My Version Of Pizza

I have been craving Pizza a bit lately but have denied myself because of all that doughy starch

I decided to see if I could figure out a healthier recipe.

This is what I came up with. (preheat oven to 400)

1 Tbs Olive Oil wiped over cookie sheet
1 can of whole wheat pizza dough - pressed out into a 13 x 9 rectangle
2 Tbs of Parmesan Cheese - sprinkled over crust
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce - spread over pizza leaving a 1 inch border
1/2 cup low fat Ricotta cheese - dollop evenly around pizza
10 green olives - placed evenly around crust
1 tsp basil - sprinkled evenly
1 cup fresh Spinach - piled evenly over crust
1/2 medium white onion - sliced and spread over crust
4oz of low fat Mozzarella - sprinkled over crust

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. 12 for a softer crust / 15 for a crispier crust

I like a thin crispy crust. It's much easier for me to digest

Here is the finished product:



I cut the pizza into 6 portions. They were approximately 4 x 4 inches. I added up all the ingredients and nutritional values and it breaks down per slice to this:

Calories: 214.5 per slice
Fat: 9.19g
Cholesterol: 12mg
Sodium: 295mg
Carbs: 22g
Sugar: 3.1g
Fiber: 2.6g
Protein: 11.6g

Compared to a plain cheese slice from Pizza Hut:

Calories: 440
Fat: 14g
Cholesterol: 35mg
Sodium: 1,010mg
Carbs: 60g
Sugar: 7g
Fiber 4g
Protein: 19g

My version is nearly 1/2 the amount of the bad stuff - not too bad for my first attempt I think.

I'm sure I could have saved even more calories if I used cooking spray to prevent sticking .. but I was all out. I could always have left off the Olives and Parmesan cheese as well, but I was going for a nice punch of flavor.

I accomplished that ... it was completely delicious.

Blood Results

I received my blood work results ... everything is good except my Vitamin D

I have started a prescription mega dose of 50,000 units weekly for 8 weeks.

After I finish with my script I have to be re-tested.

Hopefully this will bring me back up to a semi normal rate.

Otherwise I fear I will be taking enormous amounts of Vitamin D the rest of my life. Not the worst thing in the world ... but a pain in the neck ..... literally lmao

Adventures In Tofu!

Well I did it!

I keep forgetting to mention it there has been so much going on... But I am an official tofu eater now

I tried my first tofu last week and it turned out pretty darn good.

I sauteed Mushrooms, Onions and Zucchini with diced firm Tofu added some salt, pepper, garlic and a swig of balsamic vinegar and my beloved Wortershetershirester sauce

It tasted fantastic! Here is a pic!



I have also since tried the soft tofu and made a shake with my protein powder and Nesquik, a splash of milk, 5 ice cubes and a tbs of honey.

It was pretty tasty as well with the consistency of a milkshake

I still haven't found Edamame yet though lol ... I think I'm going to order it online so I can try it

My Three Month Check Up

Thursday I saw Mike, my Surgeons PA. He checked me out head to toe and told me things look good. I haven't heard anything back on my blood tests. He said if I didn't hear anything back that my levels were doing ok and I don't have to see him again for 3 months! Woo hoo!! {=^;^=}

He said my color is good and my hair looked great. I've not had any loss at all from what anyone of us can tell. I have lots of hair and have always had a tendency to shed but, I'm not finding clumps or hair anywhere or losing handfuls when I shower. I just have the normal strand here and there that I always have.

I attribute part of that to the kick as Bariatric Fusion Vitamins I take and trying to work protein into everything I eat.

I addressed the swelling I am having in my right leg. It's not nearly as bad as it has been over the years .. but enough that I am noticing it. So I am trying some lasix every other day for about a month to see if that helps .. I've been on it for 3 days now and it seems to be helping .. my leg is "loosening" up.

I also saw my Endocrinologist on Thursday as well. That appt. went so so. I went to get the results of my scan I had done before my surgery.

As expected I have growths on what's left of my Thyroid. After a momentary panic and mini meltdown I calmed down. My Mom died of Thyroid cancer at 61 years old. I've already had the left side removed from 2 golf ball sized growths 10 years ago. My Mom's side of the family has had many issues with Thyroid disease in general. My Grandmother, her other daughter and my cousin, her other Granddaughter suffer from issues. So with our family history they aren't messing about.

I have to go in for 9 needle biopsies (3 in each growth) at the beginning of July. If they come back negative then I will have a check up again in 3 months. If they come back inconclusive (as they did the first time I had to have Thyroid surgery) or positive the other half of the Thyroid will have to come out.

So worst case scenario is another throat surgery and I live on a tiny pill the rest of my life. The alternative is not a very pleasant thought, so I guess a pill isn't so bad.

Over all I feel great though! I have more energy than I have had in a very long time. My BMI has come down over 20 points ... and I walked all the way from the parking garage, into the hospital and up to my Doctors office with out sitting down half way. I've never been able to do that.

I can also wear my seat belt comfortably now and I bought a new outfit that is so cute and summery. It's 4 sizes smaller than what I have ever been able to buy before. I was sure it wasn't going to fit, but it did ... with room to spare!

Little daily victories ... every day brings something new and exciting .. and this is still really only the beginning.

Even something as simple as being able to stand and clean the stove tonight just made my day. Every day that I can do something I hadn't been able to do for a while brings me one step closer to being able to make that walk around the block I am just dying to do.

Nutrition By Natalie - 10 Worst Drinks

I found Natalie on You Tube and I really like how she gives you information on different nutritional aspects of food.

Here is one video that really impresses me. I really don't think we take into account that what we drink effects us.

I haven't drank any soda or carbonated beverages since I started my new lifestyle. Every now and again I am guilty of having a diet Arizona iced tea or a cup of tea or coffee with Splenda. I haven't been able to get used to having them unsweetened. I don't drink them every day however.

95% of my liquid intake is water. I really started craving ice water after my surgery and it's stuck with me. I don't really miss other forms of liquid.

So watch this video. It gives you some really good info on how these types of drinks can deplete your vitamin B and dehydrate you among many other long term harmful effects.

Finally!!

I haven't been able to get weighed in the last 4 weeks because I haven't seen my Doctor and we didn't have scales here.

I was pretty sure I was stalled I wasn't feeling any different.

I ordered a nice pair of scales last week and they arrived today. I am down 35 more pounds!!

I know there will still be a bit of adjustment when I go to the docs ... house scales and clinical scales are NEVER the same lol ... but I know they are never 35 pounds off

So I feel pretty good right now.

I lost 83 lbs previous to surgery and now I have lost 60 lbs since surgery. I felt over the moon today.

Oh and it's a talking scale ... my sister refused to get on it.

She asked me what it says and before she could back an eye .. I made a coughing sound and said omg get off me .. yer killin' me!

She nearly spit out her coffee ROFL!