Cancer Free.....Well, at least this post

Cancer Shmancer!

I am tired of the "C" word, so I thought I would share some fun stuff that has been going on!

I heard giggling from the kitchen, and got out of bed to see this....

Grandma Jane giving Brooke a bath in the sink! It was hilarious.

The next morning I woke up to see Jack and Daddy making me breakfast, Ohhh.
Don't you love that he hauled his potty to the kitchen.

Brookelle has mastered the Sippy!

Jack spent some quality time with Grandpa Wheatley

Jack's cousin Josh spent a few days with us, Jack never quit smiling!

And now we are all finally back under the same roof (or in the same basket)!

Hopefully we can have some fun before the "C" word takes over again.

What I've Learned

This whole experience has made me realize a few things. I would like to share them with you.

♥ Hospitals are not run like Grey's Anatomy.

I was in the hospital for a week, I never saw McDreamy, McSteamy, none of the nurses were "Supermodel" material, and from my observations, none of them were sleeping with each other. Hmmm, I was very disappointed.

♥ When the 18 year old nurse from the lab says "Little Poke", she is lying!

There was one nurse in particular who I believe needs a little more schooling before she is allowed to poke anymore people. I had my blood taken every 6 hours for 6 days, nobody else hurt me like she did. Every time I saw her come in (probably 4 times) I felt like I was in some horror movie.

♥ Neck surgery affects every part of your body.

I have highlighted the parts of my body that are now numb. The skin may be numb, but everything underneath the highlighted areas throbs with intense pain. Who would have thought I would be going to Physical Therapy for my shoulder after all this? I thought I was having neck surgery!

♥ Weight Gain.

Even when you are overly medicated for your thyroid condition (not having one), one will still gain weight if all you are eating are Snickers Apples from Heidi's Fudge. Thanks Chris and Cindy!

♥ My Husband is my Hero

Slept in a chair for 4 nights, and still managed to get up at 5am to go to work. Helped me to the bathroom every 2 hours all 4 nights. Washed my hair, bathed me, fluffed my pillows, held my throw up bucket, got me drinks, ran my online store, held my hand and listened to me cry. He told me numerous times he would switch places with me if he could. My Hero. I love you Babe!

♥ Life is hard with them, but unbearable without them!

Not being able to take care of my little stinker's has been the worst part of this ordeal. I can't even hug them. I know I may have complained a lot in the past about how hard it is to be a mother, but I will complain no more. It is much harder to not be a mother!

Mom, Please bring our little Brookelle home!

SAD

Today I am missing a few things....

Being able to go outside and enjoy these last few weeks of summer.

Being able to do my hair. It is amazing how difficult it is to do your hair with one arm, and not being able to turn your head.

The Gym. Oh, how I miss the Gym.

And this sweet face!

Can you believe my mother kidnapped her all the way to Utah. Our family just isn't the same.

And most of all, I miss being able to take care of my family. It is so hard for me to let someone else do it. Hopefully I will recover soon, and I can have my little ones back!

Note to Mom: Don't get too attached

Before & After

No, this was not done by a Ruggedly Handsome Vampire.

I WISH!

Today I had a Dr. appointment, so I had to get dressed. We decided this picture was not quite as hideous as the pictures my mother took of me dying in the hospital. So due to popular demand......Here it is!

I only suggest zooming in to those of you who have strong stomachs!

The stitches go up behind my ear, and the little hole at the bottom of my throat is where the tube was. As you can see....my skin is also turning a beautiful shade of yellow. So Glamorous!

"Hostabil"

Well, after a near 7 hour surgery, 5 days in the "Hostabil" (according to Jack), a few complications, and one wicked scar.....

I am finally home!

Here is a little review of what went down this week:
At Vince's request, I have not included any pictures


Tuesday:

Surgery at noon, I was terrified! Woke up at 7:30pm in the ICU with a billion tubes and wires hooked up to me. Including a tube coming out of the center of my neck (I did not handle this well). The cancer had spread clear up my neck to my ear, so my Dr. spent a lot of time clearing out the cancer. I am basically missing half my neck. The left half of my face, neck and shoulder and upper arm are completely numb and the Dr. says that some of the feeling might come back eventually, but there are parts that will be numb forever.


Wednesday:

I was moved out of the ICU and had to ride in a wheelchair. It completely wore me out and I could hardly move the rest of the day. I am having a very difficult time holding up my head, so a 45 second ride in a chair was sooooo hard! I am a complete bobble head.


Thursday:

I was having chest pains, so an EKG was ordered. My calcium levels continued to drop. When they removed my thyroid my parathyroid glands were also removed. Those glands regulate calcium levels in your body. Apparently low calcium causes Charley Horses in major organs and can kill you. So, they took my blood every 6 hours to test levels, not fun! They also removed my neck tube that night, hurray!

Friday:

My best day! I actually got out of bed and walked to the Nurse's Station and back and ate something.

Saturday:

I am doing soooo much better at home, and I actually got some sleep last night. I still have to go and have my blood levels checked a couple times this week, but everything seems to be going well. I am hoping the hard part is over.

Thanks everyone for all the love, it really helped me to get through all this. I have the best Mother and Mother-in-law in the world! And the most amazing Husband. Vince stayed in the hospital every night and even washed my hair last night. Now that's love baby!

Game Plan

So, I thought I was handling this whole "cancer" thing pretty well, until Wednesday.

I don' know what happened, I went to the Doctor, and fell apart! I guess the severity of it all really hit me.

He sent me for a CT Scan to check on some Lymph Nodes that are acting unusual, and sure enough, he thinks they've Caught The Cancer. So now instead of a simple Thyroidectomy, we are looking into possible Radical Neck Dissection, aka, let's remove most of Angie's neck!

I think I will spare you all the pictures I found of that on the Internet!

Surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, but there is a slight chance that it will get pushed back if an emergency arises. With my luck, it will be pushed back.

Surgery Plan:

1- Get the extremely scared and anxious woman into the OR (me)

2- Take out the scary Lymph Node and give it immediately to the Pathologist who will freeze it and test it for cancer (Frozen Section).

3- Take out the Thyroid

4-If the Lymph Node tests "Positive" remove any surrounding tissues and lymph nodes (Neck Dissection). If the Node tests "Negative", stitch me up!

They will still have to run a test on the Lymph Node and it is possible that it could eventually come back as cancer, requiring another surgery, Oh Yeah!

I am completely nervous about not knowing what to expect. I could wake up with just a couple of stitches around my throat, or I could wake up with half my neck missing. I guess as long as the cancer is gone, all is well!

So until Tuesday, I am enjoying my "Last Suppers", before the big DIET!

Just a few of my favorites that I will miss dearly!

Pain in the Neck

So.... I got some bad news yesterday. I have to admit though, I knew it was coming, and I have known for a long time.

About a year ago, I found a lump on my throat. At first I though it was just part of my neck, but it seems to have gotten bigger over the past year, so I finally went in to have it checked, and sure enough, it isn't supposed to be there.

Okay, this picture is kind of sick, but it totally illustrates what's going on. I have Papillary Thyroid Cancer. I meet with my doctor again next Wednesday to discuss surgery and what to expect. Here is a little preview of the potential game plan:

♥ Surgery to remove my entire Thyroid, and possible Lymph Nodes.

♥ Followed by 6 weeks of an Iodine Free Diet, basically nothing containing salt (Ohh Yumm)!

♥ Then a test to determine any remaining cancer.

♥ Followed by Radiation Treatment (about 10 days of isolation because I will be Radioactive)


We really are in good spirits! Apparently if you are going to get cancer, this is the one you want!

No Chemo
No Hair Loss
No Sickness

I feel completely Blessed!

I am not so excited about surgery, the amazing scar across my neck, the diet, the weight gain, and not seeing my kids for a week or two, but as long as the cancer disappears, I AM READY!

Vince is awesome, I mean AWESOME! He is just as ready as I am to kiss this cancer goodbye. We joke a lot about it (hence the comic) and it helps to keep our spirits high.

I don't want to turn the blog into my Cancer Log, but I'll try to let you all know what's up. Thanks everyone for all the love you've sent our way, I really have never felt so loved!

Thank You ♥