Two weeks ago, I underwent my thyroid biopsy. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you already know that I got positive results, which is comforting. But I thought I'd take some time to recount my experience of that day and since then.
I took the day off work, which was smart. In hindsight, if I have to do it again, I'll take a second day to recover, or at least make sure the procedure itself gets scheduled for the morning. I THOUGHT that was the plan, but turns out my morning appointment was just the consult with the endocrinologist. Fortunately, his son was who did my procedure, so I could get in for the biopsy the same day. After the consult, it was pretty certain I'd be put on synthroid based on my blood work results, but the final verdict would come post-biopsy.
I am quite thankful that I have a friend who went through this same procedure about a year ago. She did not hold back and told me how painful it would be. She. Was. Right. All the web sites that said it wasn't "any worse than having blood drawn" lied, or those writers have superhuman tolerances for pain.
When I arrived for the procedure, I had to lie down with a bolster pillow under my shoulder blades and lean my head back. I was basically upside down so that they could easily do the aspiration on my thyroid. I was not given any anesthesia ... doc's reasoning was that it would only numb the skin, and wouldn't prevent any other pain ... plus, that's more needles. No thanks.
They took three samples. It hurt like hell. My mom, who came with me, said they were pretty big needles. When it was over, doc asked how I felt. My response: "All I could think was I wondered if this is how it would feel to be stabbed."
I'll admit, I'm not a fan of pain, but I'm not a baby either. However ... I was glad I didn't have to drive myself home right away. And when I did, I slept about half the evening. And I was sore, BOY I was sore for that whole next day. And my voice was hoarse. But by Friday, I was feeling pretty normal again, physically.
That's when the "what if" thoughts started kicking in. See, I was supposed to get the results Friday or Monday at the latest. I kind of expected it to be Monday, since I had the procedure done late in the day, and they needed time to send it to one of the best pathologists in town to review. (Or so I was told.) As small a chance (about 5%) as I had of it being cancerous, I still worried some about it. I know that if it had gone the other way, I'm very lucky to live in Houston and have MD Anderson in my backyard. But I still was not excited about the prospect. As positive as I worked to be, it was just nagging in the background.
You can imagine my relief when I finally learned Monday afternoon it was benign. I was disappointed, however, that the procedure doc sent the information to his dad's office Friday afternoon, and they opted to mail me the report instead of calling me. MAIL biopsy results?? I know it's probably routine to their office, but this is my thyroid and my quality of life we are talking about here. I suppose if it were serious they would have called ... but if they'd called, they'd have saved me a weekend of worry. But by that point, I was just relieved to get the positive results.
So after reminding the nurse the doc wanted to start me on synthroid, I began my prescription a week ago. The first day was tough. I woke up, took my pill, and the prescribed hour later when I could eat, I was nauseous and exhausted. I called in sick for half a day and worked from home the other half.
Then I was doing great until today. I came back from a lunch meeting feeling very spacey and again, a little queasy. After working through it for an hour without subsiding, I came home early and slept again for 3.5 hours. Thank goodness for sick hours, and that until now, I've not had a big need to use them.
I realize it will take a good 3-6 weeks of being on this dose of the meds for my body to adjust and regulate itself. I can be patient. I'm just not used to being a visitor in my own body. Everyone knows I'm a bit of an Energizer bunny ... I can go go go, and that's what gets me through busy seasons like the one I'm smack in the middle of running. But I'm not used to my body quitting on me. I guess one bad day per week out of seven is pretty good, but it's still odd to me.
I am determined to get through this. This is MUCH better than any of the alternatives, and such a minor health issue compared to what others I know deal with every day. Everyone tells me when I get to the other side when my body has adjusted, I'm going to feel great. It's not that I feel badly right now, I just clearly have my days or moments where I feel differently. And that's okay. After all, as much as people joke that I may be superhuman, I am after all, just a regular human like everyone else.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
I'm not perfect
I'm coming off my worst week this year, health and fitness-wise. I only worked out 2 days for a total of 79 minutes. I didn't track what I ate (or drank). I'm up a few pounds right now, but I know I'm retaining water for not drinking enough of it, and only getting 4.5-6 hours a sleep a night until last night.
I'm in one of those "two week patches of crazy" where my work and volunteer commitments all converge. I'm pretty much getting it all done somehow, except for the diet and exercise. Funny how we always let ourselves go first, huh?
To top it off, I got the results of the ultrasound on my thyroid. It confirmed the goiter that the resident and physician were sure they'd discovered in my physical two weeks ago. It's multi-nodular, so the good news is that it's most likely non cancerous. But to be safe, plus to treat it, I now must go for a fine needle aspiration. From what I have found from research online, it's not much worse than getting blood drawn (except I can't workout for 24 hours afterwards). Not only will they test the fluid for cancer (usually only 5% of goiters are found to be positive from what I read), but this will also determine how stubborn the little bugger is. If it keeps coming back, I may have to try more aggressive treatments of radiation and/or surgery.
I will admit, I'm a little nervous. It seems like a fairly standard procedure, but this is one of my first brushes with a health concern. Now, hypothyroid runs in my family. So I'm not totally surprised, and this might help explain that while I work out pretty hard and watch what I eat most of the time, it's hard to see a change in the scale. So I'm a little excited to see if there's a difference in my metabolism (and to see the results of my blood work coming in the mail to see if I need meds in this area too). I go in about 2.5 weeks and I'm not sure how long after that I get the results. So more hurry up and wait.
Couple this with an elevated BP at the doc's office, which led to her asking me to measure daily and come back in November (hypertension runs on the other side of my family), and it really hit a point home for me.
We aren't perfect. We can't control heredity. And if someone looks "healthy" doesn't mean they don't have their own battles they are fighting.
I appreciate that so many friends and colleagues are always commenting on how I set a good example, that my posts and blogs help encourage them to take ownership in their own health and well-being. But as hard as we try, we will always have times we don't hit the mark, like I'm having right now. It's important to remember that each day is a new day. Bear Bryant said it's up to us to decide whether to use it for good or evil. Our health may not be that dramatic, but we make our own choices every day what to eat and how active we will be. It's my vow that I will do a better job this coming week of at least getting some quick walks in to deal with the stress, chaos, and meals I don't have control of what's on the menu.
But I also want you, dear reader, to walk away with this: be proactive in your healthcare. Get a yearly physical. Ask lots of questions. Go for whatever tests the doctors send you for, even if they are scary. Knowledge is power. I had no idea a few weeks ago these concerns were lurking in my body. At least now, I can work to manage and minimize them to the best of my (and modern medicine's) ability.
What you don't know, could hurt you.
I'm in one of those "two week patches of crazy" where my work and volunteer commitments all converge. I'm pretty much getting it all done somehow, except for the diet and exercise. Funny how we always let ourselves go first, huh?
To top it off, I got the results of the ultrasound on my thyroid. It confirmed the goiter that the resident and physician were sure they'd discovered in my physical two weeks ago. It's multi-nodular, so the good news is that it's most likely non cancerous. But to be safe, plus to treat it, I now must go for a fine needle aspiration. From what I have found from research online, it's not much worse than getting blood drawn (except I can't workout for 24 hours afterwards). Not only will they test the fluid for cancer (usually only 5% of goiters are found to be positive from what I read), but this will also determine how stubborn the little bugger is. If it keeps coming back, I may have to try more aggressive treatments of radiation and/or surgery.
I will admit, I'm a little nervous. It seems like a fairly standard procedure, but this is one of my first brushes with a health concern. Now, hypothyroid runs in my family. So I'm not totally surprised, and this might help explain that while I work out pretty hard and watch what I eat most of the time, it's hard to see a change in the scale. So I'm a little excited to see if there's a difference in my metabolism (and to see the results of my blood work coming in the mail to see if I need meds in this area too). I go in about 2.5 weeks and I'm not sure how long after that I get the results. So more hurry up and wait.
Couple this with an elevated BP at the doc's office, which led to her asking me to measure daily and come back in November (hypertension runs on the other side of my family), and it really hit a point home for me.
We aren't perfect. We can't control heredity. And if someone looks "healthy" doesn't mean they don't have their own battles they are fighting.
I appreciate that so many friends and colleagues are always commenting on how I set a good example, that my posts and blogs help encourage them to take ownership in their own health and well-being. But as hard as we try, we will always have times we don't hit the mark, like I'm having right now. It's important to remember that each day is a new day. Bear Bryant said it's up to us to decide whether to use it for good or evil. Our health may not be that dramatic, but we make our own choices every day what to eat and how active we will be. It's my vow that I will do a better job this coming week of at least getting some quick walks in to deal with the stress, chaos, and meals I don't have control of what's on the menu.
But I also want you, dear reader, to walk away with this: be proactive in your healthcare. Get a yearly physical. Ask lots of questions. Go for whatever tests the doctors send you for, even if they are scary. Knowledge is power. I had no idea a few weeks ago these concerns were lurking in my body. At least now, I can work to manage and minimize them to the best of my (and modern medicine's) ability.
What you don't know, could hurt you.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Return to Zumba
(Or "Why Childhood Dance Lessons Are Important")
On a whim, I took a Zumba class at the gym today. It was literally the realization at 11:15 a.m. that there was a class at noon, and I didn't have any plans standing in the way. So I decided to get my butt off the couch and go for it. I'd taken Zumba twice before, and found it a fun workout.
It was still fun! If you like to jam out to hoppin' music, and don't mind working up a serious sweat, you should give it a try. I like to think of it as a combination between jazz, hip hop, Latin and even a little bellydance.
It's an hour class but really about 54 minutes of activity. By 20 minutes in, I was completely drenched. There were a lot of moves that reminded me of my dance classes from childhood or routines from the drill team days. I was grateful I've had this training so I don't look like a flailing fool in these classes :)
But the most important part? I felt like I was playing. And that's what should keep us going.
So parents, make sure the kiddos get at least a dance lesson or two in while growing up. It might help them stay healty as an adult.
On a whim, I took a Zumba class at the gym today. It was literally the realization at 11:15 a.m. that there was a class at noon, and I didn't have any plans standing in the way. So I decided to get my butt off the couch and go for it. I'd taken Zumba twice before, and found it a fun workout.
It was still fun! If you like to jam out to hoppin' music, and don't mind working up a serious sweat, you should give it a try. I like to think of it as a combination between jazz, hip hop, Latin and even a little bellydance.
It's an hour class but really about 54 minutes of activity. By 20 minutes in, I was completely drenched. There were a lot of moves that reminded me of my dance classes from childhood or routines from the drill team days. I was grateful I've had this training so I don't look like a flailing fool in these classes :)
But the most important part? I felt like I was playing. And that's what should keep us going.
So parents, make sure the kiddos get at least a dance lesson or two in while growing up. It might help them stay healty as an adult.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Building a better community ... literally!
A mere 6 miles from my house, the nucleus of a volunteer effort to give a family that gives much to our community a new home is underway. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has come to Houston, and The Junior League of Houston, Inc. was asked to provide dozens of volunteers each day to help keep things moving smoothly on site.
I couldn't pass up the opportunity to be a part of such a unique opportunity. Our League was asked to help with the Katrina rebuild in New Orleans in 2006, and I had to miss that due to work obligations. With shifts morning, noon and night, I made sure to snag something that would fit into my schedule and do what I could to help. 7:30-11:30 p.m. might seem crazy late, but you know I'm a night owl!!
The main volunteer check-in is a tent in the Rodeo's stockyards off 288 and Airport. This is where we spent a lot of our time at the beginning of the shift. We checked in general volunteers that signed up on the HHN Homes site, as well as tradesmen showing up to do their thing.
My first hour or so was spent with our team running the check-in (thanks Perry Ann for asking me to lead!), which mainly consisted of me sending any troubleshooting or tough questions via walkie to Stathis, the man with the plan. He seemed to have an answer for everything, was super calm, and thanked everyone a million times for helping. A perfect volunteer coordinator!!
Once the rush of help was sent to the site, we were able to send some of our JLHers over. I went in the second wave about 9ish. When we arrived, framing was in full swing. Once the crane and such cleared some of their tasks, we followed behind the skilled workers disposing of scrap wood and then even moving some not needed wood planks to the side for later use. My favorite part was when Phoebe and I impressed the safety guys after we carried a pile over. They gave us big high fives, and I seem to recall making a quip about Junior Leaguers can do more than have lunch, or something like that. They loved our can-do attitude and how we were willing to jump in and get our hands (and jeans!) dirty. I love dispelling myths! (And bonus...free workout!)
About 10:30, the last of our League group headed back to the tent to straighten up and ready it for the next volunteer wave coming at midnight. The transition of how to run the tent was key, so super thanks to Nancy Jane and Cassandra for staying late to make sure that happened. Stathis was so impressed by how organized and thorough our crew was, plus how genuinely nice we all were. Thanks to all the ladies who came out and made such a great impression!
So I may be a bit zonked if you see me Wednesday. But it was totally worth it knowing the little things I did, even if mostly "behind the scenes," will help make a better life for a family in our community.
My name is Lisa, and I'm a volunteer junkie. And I like it that way.
My Photos from the Adventure
I couldn't pass up the opportunity to be a part of such a unique opportunity. Our League was asked to help with the Katrina rebuild in New Orleans in 2006, and I had to miss that due to work obligations. With shifts morning, noon and night, I made sure to snag something that would fit into my schedule and do what I could to help. 7:30-11:30 p.m. might seem crazy late, but you know I'm a night owl!!
The main volunteer check-in is a tent in the Rodeo's stockyards off 288 and Airport. This is where we spent a lot of our time at the beginning of the shift. We checked in general volunteers that signed up on the HHN Homes site, as well as tradesmen showing up to do their thing.
My first hour or so was spent with our team running the check-in (thanks Perry Ann for asking me to lead!), which mainly consisted of me sending any troubleshooting or tough questions via walkie to Stathis, the man with the plan. He seemed to have an answer for everything, was super calm, and thanked everyone a million times for helping. A perfect volunteer coordinator!!
Once the rush of help was sent to the site, we were able to send some of our JLHers over. I went in the second wave about 9ish. When we arrived, framing was in full swing. Once the crane and such cleared some of their tasks, we followed behind the skilled workers disposing of scrap wood and then even moving some not needed wood planks to the side for later use. My favorite part was when Phoebe and I impressed the safety guys after we carried a pile over. They gave us big high fives, and I seem to recall making a quip about Junior Leaguers can do more than have lunch, or something like that. They loved our can-do attitude and how we were willing to jump in and get our hands (and jeans!) dirty. I love dispelling myths! (And bonus...free workout!)
About 10:30, the last of our League group headed back to the tent to straighten up and ready it for the next volunteer wave coming at midnight. The transition of how to run the tent was key, so super thanks to Nancy Jane and Cassandra for staying late to make sure that happened. Stathis was so impressed by how organized and thorough our crew was, plus how genuinely nice we all were. Thanks to all the ladies who came out and made such a great impression!
So I may be a bit zonked if you see me Wednesday. But it was totally worth it knowing the little things I did, even if mostly "behind the scenes," will help make a better life for a family in our community.
My name is Lisa, and I'm a volunteer junkie. And I like it that way.
My Photos from the Adventure
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
You deserve a break...
It seems after several great weeks, my body is rebelling against my fitness routine. For the past 4 weeks, I've hit or surpassed that 200 minute mark twice (including an impressive 244 last week), and got in the 160-170s range the other two. I have steadily lost at least a pound a week, and even saw another disappear yesterday (which I hope stays gone for the weekend weigh in).
But since Friday, it has been a challenge. Started that morning with my ankles feeling wonky on my run, so cut it short. Saturday was so packed that it was day 37 off (only 2nd in July). Sunday I could only stand cardiovascular and skipped weights. Monday's short tae bo and Tuesday's short run brought much soreness the following days.
So what gives? Why such drag and pain? I can only guess it is my body craving recovery. Just like we have to give ourselves breaks from being on the right side of nutrition or we will blow it, it is not a bad thing to cool the exercise jets now and then too.
So I still walked tonight, but just briefly. I will do something tomorrow, possibly just a walk or light yoga or pilates. I probably won't even make 150 mins this week but that is ok. I will hit it strong again this weekend.
Now, it's time for another sliver of fudge, right? ;)
But since Friday, it has been a challenge. Started that morning with my ankles feeling wonky on my run, so cut it short. Saturday was so packed that it was day 37 off (only 2nd in July). Sunday I could only stand cardiovascular and skipped weights. Monday's short tae bo and Tuesday's short run brought much soreness the following days.
So what gives? Why such drag and pain? I can only guess it is my body craving recovery. Just like we have to give ourselves breaks from being on the right side of nutrition or we will blow it, it is not a bad thing to cool the exercise jets now and then too.
So I still walked tonight, but just briefly. I will do something tomorrow, possibly just a walk or light yoga or pilates. I probably won't even make 150 mins this week but that is ok. I will hit it strong again this weekend.
Now, it's time for another sliver of fudge, right? ;)
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Forever Young
I didn't mean for 10 days to go by before posting this entry, but I'm in the vortex of a chaotic time of year. End of the semester at work is always hopping with activities, plus the end of a school year in general sends everyone into "get a bunch of meetings booked before people go on vacations" mode. It's also the end of another Junior League year, which means I'm balancing at least 2 leadership jobs. Needless to say, I haven't had much time to spare but I expected it.
And in the middle of this bustle of activity, I spent 24 hours (literally almost to the minute) traveling to Dallas for a reunion. And not just any reunion...my 8th grade reunion. Yes friends, it's been 20 years since I was a geeky Catholic schoolgirl and no, I don't still have the plaid skirt or cardigan sweater hanging around.
Six months ago, I wouldn't have dreamed I'd be hanging out with people I hadn't seen since the pre-teen years. But now, I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
There's something very healing to both the mind and heart to pick back up with people who knew you way back when. For the 50 in our class, we had a special bond. We traveled to retreats and on class trips together. We were reprimanded by the priest after church for some reason we don't really remember why. We played sports together, choreographed dance routines for PE class and got all decked out for our graduation. We had crushes on our classmates, and they had crushes on us...and some of us didn't discover who crushed on who until decades later.
Some of us were at the school all 9 years...some only middle school and others like me, just 8th grade. But on reunion night, we were all the same. We shared the memories that had come flooding back over months of emails and Facebook posts preparing for the gathering. We made new memories getting to know the adult versions of each other. No matter if someone was your best friend or you barely spoke to them back then, now we welcomed each other with open arms.
While many people I know were surprised I'd go to all this trouble for an 8th grade reunion, several of my classmates remarked that for them, these were the people they'd developed the real bonds with, even if they hadn't kept in touch since. Think about it: we all split and went to different high schools. We split even further for college. We now live all over the country. Even if we'd developed close friends in HS, those nasty hormones that hadn't taken full effect yet in our early teens tended to get in the way in the later years. Colleges may have reunions, but you rarely get the chance to get the friends you spent time with together again. This is the one cohort that is small enough for us to pull a gathering like this off and for it to have meaning.
So for one night, we relived "The Promise" we made 20 years ago: "When you need a friend...I'll always be there." And we got to feel "Forever Young" again ... and I've been jamming out to the 80s new wave almost non-stop since, just to hang on to that feeling a little longer.
Maybe that's how I've made it through the 10 days since. It's like I found a small fountain of youth to re-energize me, and I can't wait to visit it again in 5 years. Go Mustangs!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Sharpening focus
Now that we are into Month 4 of the year, I thought it was a good time to review my fitness progress. While I'd logged 2400+ minutes of activity by 3/31, I was surprised to see that January was my best month yet (1046 and only 4 days off) with an average of almost 34 mins/day. February and March showed steady decline... averages of 24 and 23 min/day, respectively. This was the AHA! moment for me.
AHA! So that's why I haven't lost much weight yet.
Not to mention, AHA! If I'm going to lose more, I have to step it back up. I've mentioned before I eat out a lot due to my busy schedule of work and volunteer meetings. Even if I follow my Food Revolution to the letter, restaurant food will always have more calories/fats/sodium than home cooked foods. So I have to work out. And dang it, Jillian Michaels ended up being right. While walking is better than zero activity, that alone is not enough for my fitness level.
Since I'm not back to running, this means more trips to the gym to use the elliptical, cycles, rowers, whatever will not stress my foot. I have mentioned a bit on Facebook about trying morning workouts again. I have been adding a day a week so this week, I am up to 4 mornings. I got my butt out of bed yesterday to the gym, and I plan to do so the remaining weekdays.
Already, I'm feeling a difference. I had a lot more spring in my neighborhood walk tonight and was faster than I'd been in months. Is it the exercise, the food changes, or both? Not sure, but I'm hopeful that I'm moving in a good direction.
I've thought more about the beverages part of my revolution too (as I drink my first Sprite Zero in about 10 days, yeah!!). There are a lot of days I like a second dose of coffee after lunch. And I like wine with dinner. But maybe, I should limit myself to one or the other. So far, I've kept to that since Sunday. They do say the little changes add up...and that could be a good 500 calories if I was indulging every weekday.
I realize the number on the scale is not the only measurement, but it would be nice to see a drop this weekend rather than a gain. I do take my monthly tape measure later this week, which I'm looking forward to since I've upped my weightlifting intensity also.
The adventure continues!
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