Surgery Time....

Remember earlier in the year, when I talked about my big ol' thyroid and the biopsy I had? Well, everything came back fine on that, but it has continuously given me problems. It was even the cause of my heart problems I had back then too. But that stinkin' thyroid has continued to stay 3 times its normal size, and the cyst is still there. The combination of the two of them are putting pressure on my throat, making it difficult to swallow at times. And I still have had a few episodes where my heart feels like it's about to beat out of my chest.

Over my past couple of visits with my endocrinologist, we've discussed having surgery to just take them both out.  This would hopefully accomplish a few things:

• Relieve the pressure on my throat. Sometimes it's worse than others, but I can definitely feel it.
• Hopefully regulate my thyroid hormone levels easier, without the 'episodes' where my body gets out of wack.  Maybe even be able to decrease my meds a little (since it wouldn't have to counteract the antibodies constantly attacking my thyroid anymore). The increased meds have even made me a little more anxious and restless, often making it difficult to sleep at night.
• Be able to remove the complex cyst and send the whole thing out for biopsy. While they were able to biopsy the liquid part before, there is still a portion that is a solid mass. My doc tells me that it's not uncommon for there to be some malignant cells in it. Needless to say, this part has me the most freaked out about 'what if', which would result in some radiation treatment if the results came back with that conclusion.

Anyways, long story short, after debating long and hard, I've decided to go ahead and have the surgery done. I met with the surgeon last week, and he performs about 150 of these a year, so I feel pretty confident that he knows what he's doing. While I'm not excited about having to be put under general anesthesia for a two hour surgery, having a breathing tube put down my throat, and having my neck cut open, we feel like it's the best decision. And then there's the fear of how I have reacted to anesthesia in the past with my c-sections.  Visions of non-stop vomiting for hours do not sound like a good idea after this kind of surgery, so that could definitely complicate things a little.  Yeah, I'm scared as hell about all of this. And the results that could come back. But I'd rather get it all out and know a final answer so that I can get any further treatment needed and just move on.  

The surgery is set for the morning of the 14th, and I'll most likely just stay one night in the hospital before I'm sent home into the capable hands of my hubby to take care of me.  My post-op appointment isn't until the 27th, so I'll be out of work for nearly two weeks. Luckily, Jordan was able to secure a little over a week off to be with me too, since I'm supposed to take it easy and not lift no more than 10 lbs. (so that means no munchkins!). My boss has been very understanding, and I have a great team at work who's going to pick up the slack while I'm gone.  

So, that's my update.  Say a little prayer for me if you get a chance. :)