Sigh of Relief

So it would appear I have no need to get my affairs in order and take the kids on that trip to England I always promised myself I would take if I found out I had mere months to live.

I really don't want this post to be all about this overgrown, under-active thing in my neck, but let's just get this all out of the way, shall we?

My doctor's visit was encouraging on several levels. I liked him: he asked many questions, many of them very specific, he looked intently into my eyes while I answered (I felt a wee bit uneasy, as if he were using Legilimency on me), wrote everything down and took all my reported symptoms seriously. He drew blood, checked my blood sugar levels (normal at the time) right then and there, went over my ultrasound films and lab report with me and scheduled my biopsy.

He was straightforward, gentle and undramatic. And, most of all, he assured me I have no reason to be worried, let alone panic. He actually said I should feel free to reduce the amount of anxiety and tension I have been experiencing over this. SIGH. Of course, I won't relax completely until the biopsy results come back, but I have felt much, much better since Thursday last.

I have a good-sized nodule in the right lobe of my thyroid. Now that he showed me where it is, I can feel it with my fingers. I also have three little nodules on the left lobe, but he dismissed those as unimpressive. And my entire thyroid, right lobe, left lobe and isthmus, is enlarged.

The biopsy results will determine our course of action. If the mass is benign, I will take medication to reduce its size. If it is malignant, I will NOT PANIC (doctor's orders), have the thyroid removed in same-day surgery (can you believe that, same day?), take a shot of radioactive iodine in pill form and take thyroid medication the rest of my life.

Doctor says we also need to take care of my symptoms, which we will tackle once all the results of all the tests are in. Something is making me feel like this, we just don't know yet what it is.

Okay, that's over and done with for now. Our only other news is Redheaded Snippet is away at camp this week and the house is, once again, way too quiet without her. She's in the big-girl section of camp for the first time this year, which was quite sobering as I remember looking at those big girls the first year we dropped her off and thinking it would be eons before my little Snippet was that grown up. ACK! Man-Cub is a bit mopey as he feels she gets to do all the fun things and he never gets to go anything so I'm faced with the challenge of filling his sister-free days with new, exciting and fun things that are also cheap. Hmmm...maybe we'll rent all the Star Wars movies and make caramel corn and hot chocolate and have a marathon. Maybe I can get The Viking to pitch the tent in the back yard and have a camp-out night with him. We'll see.

Right. I must be off. I have to do some shopping as we are out of bread, milk, eggs, peanut butter, cereal, granola bars, not to mention things to cook dinner with. Man-Cub and I had frozen waffles for breakfast and lunch today because it has taken me this long to get myself mobilized and out of the house. What? I had to strip the beds and get the duvet covers and mattress pads washed and on the clothesline before I left! And I can't go to the store without a list! And I can't make a list without going through the circulars and my coupon file! Everything in my life is a production and you should know that by now.

Ooh! And I must make sure I have all the necessary ingredients to make cookies to send to Redheaded Snippet tomorrow. She specifically asked for a care package and guilt-tripped me by telling me she is the only camper who has never gotten a package from home in the entire 6 summers she's been there. So I must have several dozen cookies in the mail by tomorrow or it won't arrive before we pick her up Saturday. I'm thinking sugar cookies. Chocolate will melt and I don't think she likes peanut butter so sugar it will be.

Off to brave the traffic and after-work shoppers...