I am, again, really sorry to not have updated this in a while. A lot has been happening since the last time I posted anything.
MEDICAL UPDATES
The foot: As previously stated, I did start physical therapy and went through about 3 weeks of this. Many setbacks happened during this time. The ankle kept popping during therapy sessions, and when that happened, I got excruciating pain and was unable to do any more during those particular sessions. Counterproductive, huh? Plus, during therapy, some ranges of motion caused my toes to go numb. Well, my orthopedic doctor gave up and referred me to a different orthopedic doctor (who specializes in podiatry.) Just before being transferred, I was graduated to not having to wear the boot, and went back to my store-bought brace. The new doctor then discontinued physical therapy (since it was making me worse) and placed me in a brace which was a bit sturdier than my store-bought one. I was ordered to rest it from therapy a few weeks and come back. Of course, I was still in pain. So the doctor ordered me back in the boot (ugh!) and sent me for an EMG to test the nerves. Would you believe one of the nerves was damaged? Yeah…unfortunately NOT in the side of the foot that hurts, but it does explain the numbness in my toes. At this point, however, the doctor says it will be pointless to do surgery, because it will only put me in more pain post-op, and STILL will not fix the pain I am already having. I am in the process of being referred for long-term pain management with the understanding that this will probably not improve anytime soon.
The Ovarian Cancer: Still in remission. *crosses fingers* I am going for my 3 month check-up with my gyn oncologist, so I’m praying my numbers stay low.
The adbominal pain: That is still there, in the hernia region. I am taking pain killers (which *LOL* multi-task for the foot thing.)
The adrenal mass (currently classified as an “adrenal adenoma”): The surgery, as mentioned before, has been tentatively put on hold until spring because of the damage to my system from too many surgeries in such a short time. As also mentioned before, most likely pending will be radiation to shrink it down before attempting surgery. In addition to seeing the surgeon who is to ultimately remove this thing, my oncologist wanted me to consult with an endocrinologist to monitor the mass until the surgery goes down. I met with this new doctor a few days ago, and I’m not as confident as I once was. He does not seem as optimistic as the surgeon. You have to understand that the surgeon is a general cancer surgeon who is not necessarily specializing in any one area. This endocrinologist deals mostly with adrenal function and diabetes. He was shocked at the size of the mass and disturbed that it was not removed a LONG time ago. He said it needs to come out ASAP, and proceeded to explain why. Adrenal masses are judged by a few factors. One of these is size. Typically, anything over 4 cm is removed regardless of whether it is thought to be benign or malignant. My mass is around 12 cm at it’s largest area. The larger the mass, the higher probability of malignancy. The other factor involved is density, which is measured in hounsfield units (HU). The threshold for suspicion is 20 HU. Basically, anything higher than that has a much higher probability of being malignant as it is too dense to just be a water cyst. My mass (which this doctor preferred to label as a tumor instead of a mass) is 26 HU. Now although his opinion stands that it needs to come out ASAP, he also had to concede that my surgeon is correct in waiting, as my system cannot handle another surgery at this time. In the meantime, I was sent for a lot of blood testing and other testing. They took 8 vials of blood out of me Friday, had me to a cortisol saliva swab test late last night (which had to be dropped off first thing this morning), and another test I will not even get into.
Other Misc Medical Complications: You know how when you go to the doctor for one thing, something else is discovered? *LOL* Well, when I went to the endocrinologist regarding my adrenal mass, it turns out my bloodwork showed something wrong with my thyroid! So mixed in with all the bloodwork on Friday were some thyroid tests. Hopefully I will find out what is going on next week.
OTHER LIFE UPDATES
Fred’s & Kristyn’s Wedding: After a great time with the other bridemaid’s at the bachelorette party the weekend before the wedding in August, we had a wonderful wedding out in the backyard of my parents’ house. Kristyn was transported to the ceremony in the antique Ford Model T by my dad.
Vow Renewal: Following the wedding, everyone went to stay in cabins in Tennessee. Brian and I decided to renew our vows while down there. 🙂
Back-to-School: All the kids are back to school. Sierra started high school this year, so at least I do not have 3 kids going to 3 different schools. Sierra also decided to get involved with the drama club, so both her and Buddy have some common interests and hopefully will end up with some common friends.
Kenzie: She will be having her eye surgery at the end of this month.