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6 October 2008 - One month and doing well
It's been one month and one day since my surgery. So I decided to celebrate by going to jury duty today. It was a lot of sitting around (on the floor so as to get near an outlet) separated by a nice long lunch break where I took a walk to the Embarcadero before returning to my corner of carpet. They set us free in the early afternoon and I enjoyed our public transit system to get me home. Yesterday was Clarke's triathlon and he did GREAT!!! There was quite a group of supporters there...his mom, my three parents, a couple of friends, and myself. He's blogged about it already, including maps and pictures (courtesy of our new Panasonic TZ5...love love love!). Two weeks ago, my endo decided to attack me and steal my blood (you should see the bruise the lab tech left on my arm, it's still there!) and to add further insult to injury put me on Synthroid (or the generic version thereof). It's a low dose, nowhere near Clarke's crazy amounts, but maybe it will help me be less tired. I am still having thyroid moments...general fatigue and occasional dizzyness. The day after our two-day jaunt to Mexico, I only made it through 20 minutes of hula before crashing (almost literally). It was a bit of a kick in the pants to remind me that I'm still recovering. 2 October 2008 - Roasted vegetables We went down to the Mexico net pens again this week for a big two-day visit. The goal was to get all the weight samples done, hopefully in one day, but we all knew that one day was way too optomistic. We managed to get them all done in two very long days on thew water. The weather was beautiful and the beginnings of the Santa Anas meant that there was zero wind and therefore zero swell, great for taking weight samples (and keeping the stomach settled), but pretty miserable considering how warm it was. All of my work trips to Mexico so far (this is three) consist of long days of "hurry up and wait". Well, this excursion was no exception and in fact it was probably the worst case of hu&w that I've had down there. The second day, we sat for five hours on the boats before doing anything, four on the barge where at least we were in the shade, then another hour on the small boat laying about in the windless insect-filled sun. We were like extra vegetables left on the vine to roast in the Mexican sun. We did get everything done in the end, but it was two looong days. 19 September 2008 - On the road to recovery I am two weeks post-surgery and doing well. I've been back at work and hula all week and am not much worse for wear. The surgery went well and now that it's over I can truthfully say that I psyched myself out more than was necessary. I was probably only awake in the operating room for two minutes and the next thing I remember is waking up in the big recovery room. From there I was taken to a private room, mainly because the lady in the bed next to me was moaning and groaning and complaining at top volume and I think the nurses took pity on me. After a few hours of dozing on and off, while Clarke and Mom sat at my bedside, they released me into the capable hands of my husband. All in all, I was away from home for less than twelve hours. The next week was spent on our couch which folds into a great recovery bed allowing me to stay propped up comfortably. Clarke did an amazing job pampering me, and I did an amazing job of being a good patient (well, maybe, let's just say that I was). My throat and neck were very sore, but after a couple days (and a couple of pain pills), I was able to eat solid foods (although I kept eating jello and ice cream too). I slept a lot and generally lay there. I watched the entire Star Wars series. Clarke took me out every afternoon for a walk and managed to get some of his triathlon training done when he could get a babysitter for me. By the end of the week, I was able to get up and move around on my own, albeit slowly. We made an appearance at a hula party Saturday afternoon, and I begged Clarke to let me do one dance (a short one). Sunday was Surfrider's annual Paddle for Clean Water in which I was an enthusiastic observer while Clarke and several of our friends paddled around the Ocean Beach Pier. My scar is healing nicely and the range of motion in my neck is almost back to normal. I am using plenty vitamin E, sunscreen and bandages when I'm outdoors. Monday I go back to my endocrinologist to see if I need to be put on thyroid pills. Because I still have half a thyroid (the left half, in case you're keeping track), my natural TSH levels should be ok (thyroid stimulating hormone). But it's likely that they will put me on synthetic thyroid to suppress the remaining thyroid and prevent it from going haywire like it's evil twin, and then to give me a proper dose of TSH. The pathology report from the removed 40 gram thyroid (my evil half) came back benign and with a big long name (hyperplastic thyroid nodule with fibrosis and cystic degeneration) which basically means non-cancerous lump. They also found portions of a parathyroid gland in there, but my surgeon assures me that having three and a half parathyroids is just fine. So I guess that's a lot of words to say I'm fine, but there you go. :) I also want to thank everyone who sent good thoughts, visits, flowers, cards, emails and especially food. And most importantly I want to thank my amazing husband Clarke for being a great nurse and taking care of me in sickness and in health. 4 September 2008 - twelve hours to go Only twelve hours left until I have to be at the hospital for my surgery. Luckily I have plenty to do between now and then...hula, prepare the living room with books and movies and pillows, and of course, sleep. Thank you all for your kind words, thoughts, cards, and flowers. I know you'll all be with me tomorrow. 2 September 2008 - A very hula-ful weekend 72 hours of hula! E Hula Mau was this weekend in Long Beach. It's the big California hula competition. We don't compete, but we love to go watch. We headed up early Saturday morning and got there just in time for the first group. Basically, E Hula Mau is halau competing from 10 am until 5 pm both Saturday and Sunday. There's a lunch break and a short afternoon break, but other than that it's back-to-back hula. The only trouble with this schedule is that we want to spend time shopping at all the vendors, but we don't want to miss any performances because they're all so much fun. We managed to do a fair bit of shopping damage nonetheless. :) Saturday night was kanikapila in the lobby of the Westin (the host hotel). Sadly, it wasn't true kanikapila (which is backyard style everyone haning out playing 'ukulele and dancing), but the music was good. The musicians just weren't playing for hula dancers...no hula tempo, too many musical interludes. Because hula is the translation of the words into movement, when there are no words, there isn't much for the dancer to do. So we bailed on the kanikapila about midnight and headed to Mai Tai's!!! Where we proceeded to drink TALL mai tais, dance, and make new friends. A short cab ride and deliciously greasy pizza later, we were all exhausted. Sunday morning was rough and sadly affected our attention span to the 'auana competition that day. But we stuck it out, even through the awards ceremony. Instead of joining in the Mahalo Bash or another round of not-so-kanikapila, we ate dinner and crashed early in preparation for Monday. Now, Monday's event is not part of E Hula Mau, but seeing as how the majority of hula dancers in Southern California are in Long Beach on Labor Day weekend, the organizers decided it would be perfect. The World Hula Conference (Ka 'Aha Hula 'O Halauaola) happens every five years and the next one is next summer in O'ahu. If you want to be a part of the opening ceremony, you have to learn and perfect several chants and ancient dances. So they decide to teach us mainlanders all six chants in one day. It was grueling, especially after such a long weekend, but it was a great workshop. I think we learned everything pretty well, and they gave us a parting gift of the CD of chants for to practice. So we've got just under a year to perfect all that. All in all, a good hula-ful weekend. 27 August 2008 - Quote of the Day "I'm polymerized tree sap and you're an inorganic adhesive, so whatever verbal projectile you launch in my direction is reflected off of me, returns on its original trajectory and adheres to you." -Sheldon (Big Bang Theory) I love nerd humor. :) 18 August 2008 - Have hula, will travel I love my hula sisters! Almost all of them joined me in the long drive to Frazier Park over the weekend for a Rotary Club lu'au. My aunt Pam is part of the Rotary and when they asked if anyone knew any hula dancers, she spoke up. It is probably the farthest we've driven for a performance, but it was such a great weekend. That was the most attentive audience we've ever had! And we got to have a slumber party in Pam and Rick's living room. And Pammy let us all make a small glass plate in her workshop. And I can't wait to do it again. 14 August 2008 - %#&!$#%@ Warner Brothers They've pushed back the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince until NEXT SUMMER so they can get more money. At least I've got Tales of Beetle the Bard to look forward to (hint, hint, cough, birthday present). 13 August 2008 - Vamos a Mexico Yet another new experience at work. We have a group of open ocean net pens in Mexico, just south of Ensenada. Every six weeks we go down and weight sample the fish and I got to tag along on this trip. I was a ball of excited nervous energy. I was afraid I'd be in the way. I was afraid I'd get seasick and then be really in the way. Neither of those things happened however. The weather was beautiful, the water was calm, the food was tasty, the border wait was only thirty minutes. I might get to go down again next week since we had some trouble with a pelican. I certainly hope so, I miss field work. 8 August 2008 - A funny thing happened... ...on the ride into work this morning. Actually, not terribly funny for me, maybe if someone saw it, but I couldn't resist such a classic opener. My handlebar clipped a telephone pole and my bike and I crashed (luckily) into a large juniper bush. That's what I get for biking while sleepy and sore. Only a few scratches and bruises, but my skin had a mild reaction to the juniper (or maybe just the crashing part) as it has broken into a rash. Thankfully, it faded by the end of the day. I saw five weddings on the ride home from work today, and it's only a three mile ride. I think today might have been just as popular as 7/7/07. 29 July 2008 - and so it goes I just couldn't seem to sit on the sidelines and let Clarke have all the glory, my thyroid has decided to join the fun. Thankfully, I don't have cancer, but I do have a 6 cm lump (that's like almost 2.5 inches for us Americans). This lump is in/around my right thyroid (we each get two, unless you're Clarke, then you get none). We got to see the images from the ultrasound and it's like a pea next to an apple, my right thyroid is so much larger than my nice normal left side. So on September 5th at 7:30am my right thyroid and isthmus (the little thingy that connects both pieces of thyroid together) are gonna go. The official jargon is Right Thyroid Lobectomy and Isthmusectomy. I'll be in the hospital (Mercy) all day but home by that evening and then I'll be laying on the couch for about a week being whiny and demanding. I don't have to go through the special diet nor the radioactive treatment and quarantine that Clarke experienced because my lump is benign. I will be on Synthroid (synthetic thyroid) for the rest of my life to help balance my single-sided thyroid. Clarke and I will have matching forgetfulness, just hopefully not at the same time. I'm not excited about this surgery. I can't decide if having gone through it with Clarke makes it easier or harder. I know what to expect, more or less, but now I know what to stress about as well. Clarke has already promised to take as much care of me as I did of him (which I think is a good thing ;). 23 July 2008 - Nature's so bitchin! I love riding my bike to work. I wish I could find a way to haul all my hula stuff on my bike (without fearing for its and my safety) that way I could bike to work every day. While crossing over the Sports Arena Blvd Bridge this morning I saw sitting in the low-tide mud several ducks and one pure white bird. It was a nice little snapshot of the ugly duckling, although the bird was certainly not a swan, an egret perhaps. Shortly thereafter, while crossing under the bridge near the Dana Inn, I rounded a corner and saw scattered across the grassy lawn at least a dozen rabbits munching on breakfast. It was such a great ride this morning. 16 July 2008 - Fish people I've been working with the "fish people" for a bit now, learning the ropes and just trying to figure everything out. Today I got to follow one of the supervisors (Keri) around and learn how they take care of the fish. For all the years I've been here, it's amazing the things I didn't know about the work that goes on in the back part of the building. 13 July 2008 - Wanna go camping? Ah summer...swimming, surfing, camping, wildfires. There was a wildfire in Goleta, about 15 minutes from where we had our camping reservations (El Captian State Beach). We made many phone calls and almost didn't go, but as Karen pointed out, I sounded rather insistent Monday night "I NEED TO GO CAMPING". So Clarke and I were sent to scout out the situation. There was some smoke and fog in Carpenteria and Goleta, but Santa Barabara was oddly clear. When we got to the campsite, you wouldn't have known there was a fire. It was actually even a bit chilly. The rest of the fam came up the next day and the eight of us took over the group campsite (minimum 10 people, oops). We had a great week of relaxing, swimming, surfing, biking. Clarke paddled from El Cap to Refugio (about 3 miles) and back while Meagan and I walked along the (closed) bike path. On the return trip she and I decided to walk along the beach instead. Well, the tide wasn't too high, but there were some spots where we had to hoist our backpacks over our heads and swim a bit. The day we all went to Sands for surfing, there was none. So Meagan and I had a grand time surfing the 6 inch waves and trying to tandem surf. It was a great vacation, exactly what I needed. On the drive home Dad, Karen and I detoured to Frazier Park to see Aunt Pammy in You Can't Take It With You. She was brilliant! I hadn't seen her act in quite a while, what a treat! 30 June 2008 - Peace out! My last day as a bioacoustics research assistant. Quite bittersweet. I've been Ann's research assistant for almost eight years. The Bioacoustic Lab ran out of money but luckily a part-time data management position is open with Aquaculture. The other part of my time will be spent doing design work for a new group within Hubbs called Pacific Ocean Fresh (more fish stuff). I've already been dabbling with the new job as there is design work to be done ASAP. I've got a new office that is in a different part of the building from my old one. No more bay view, but at least I got a seat by the window. Sam is off to grad school at Penn State as of August 1. It's going to hard to see him go. 1 June 2008 - On the road again My husband has abandoned me for the open road. Really though, it's quite fair since I abandoned him to go live in a tent and chase small feathery owls four months a year for five years. One month is hardly payback. :) Check out Clarke's blog, his trip promises to be a good one. Oh, and in case you haven't heard, Clarke has quit UpperDeck to work ClarkeDesign full time! April 13, 2008 - Thyroid Math CANCER-FREE!! I would like to share a little math that I have learned since early January. 1 surgical cut to the neck + 5 weeks of low iodine diet (most notably, no ice cream or cheese!) + 1 radioactive pill + 1 week of quarantine (most notably, no wife) + 1 hour of holding completely still in a body scan + and immeasurable amounts of friends, family, support... = 1 doctor visit to learn that you are thyroid cancer free :) Its been a crazy 2008 so far, and there will still be some doctor visits, tests, and a lifetime of thyroid pills to enjoy, but I wanted to thank all of you for guiding me through the last few months with your positive thoughts. I am grateful and humble. Here's to ice cream and hugs and taking my 'fakies' (synthroid pills) every morning so I can lead a normal smile-filled life! Clarke March 5, 2008 - Radioactive Man! Aloha family and friends, here's the latest news on Clarke's thyroid situation. Thank you all for your well-wishes, good thoughts, and good food. We've both been a little tired since the surgery but overall, doing great. Thanks to everyone who offered up their homes for me to stay during his quarantine week (5 days starting on Monday). As for my thyroid, the endochronologist took more blood and the test results came back negative (again) for hypo- or hyperthyroid. So basically, they're still not sure what I have but they know it's not a chemical imbalance or cancer. I have a follow-up appointment in a couple months. Thanks for checking up on both of us during this crazy time. Your love and support are an amazing help. Attention greatest fan club a guy could ever ask for! I wanted to throw an update to all of you as today we finally got a solid date on the next and biggest remaining step...The Glowing Pill and Post-swallow Quarantine (dun dun dunnnnnn). I will be going in on Monday, March 10th to Grossmont Hospital to the "Nuclear Medicine" department (how cool sounding is that?) and receiving a radioactive iodine pill to swallow then drive home. For those who've been keeping up with the saga, Thyroid Surgery went great, but there is usually cells left behind that were not taken out. Thyroid cells eat iodine and for the last 3 weeks, my body has been denied any iodine through a very special diet that has in effect starved whatever cells might be remaining. The radioactive iodine pill will look like big yummy fish food to a starving fish, and the cells will gobble it up, without realizing that this food has a hook...or in my case..."radio iodine 131"! Whatever cells that were left behind form my surgery will be nuked for the next several days, and I will have completely rid my body of any thyroid....at that time, I will get to start taking my hormones! Synthroid will replicate what a thyroid would normally reproduce and for the first time since the surgery, I will start metabolising at a more regulated normal level. The last three weeks, there has been the gamut of annoying but very manageable symptoms such as sluggishness, numbness, fatigue, bloatedness (fellas, I finally know what this means...I can't joke that its all fiction anymore :P) and just a general fogginess with memory and decision making (Stefanie will argue that my memory has always been like this, I am sure since I'm always forgetting things she tell me). All in all, some annoying stuff, but nothing worth stressin about or getting down about. In fact, as my body has been depleting, I was told I'd feel worse, but I am feeling better each day! Maybe its seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but really think its everyone's (thats you!) positive thoughts, prayers, energy and overall support. I wake up each morning ready to deal with whatever and grateful for the chance. I am convinced a positive attitude and great support can make bad situations better...every day of the week! The way I have been cared for...the situation is far from a bad situation. I will let you guys know soon about how things are going/have gone with the quarantine. Thank you to... Kay (Best pot-roast award), Stefanie (Best margarine, homemade chocolate and baked bread awards), Mom (Best Iodine free prepared steak award), Heather (Best chicken-based award), Leslie (Best iodine free Spaghetti award ), Aunt Nancy (Best homegrown Beets award), and my surf brother Eric (Best Pork dish award) ...for helping with wonderful iodine meals for me. While the diet has been a challenge, its prolly as yummy and healthy and bearable as anyone on it could ever have! Stay tuned for the next installment of....The Thyroid Cancer Chronicals. Love and aloha to you all, Clarke February 12, 2008 - Successful surgery! Clarke's thyroidectomy went as planned yesterday afternoon. He spent last night in Grossmont Hospital and came home this afternoon. The thyroid and cancer nodule were removed without complications and the surgeon was able to leave the lymph nodes and parathyroid intact. The parathyroid glands are near and sometimes attached to the thyroid so they are occasionally removed during a thyroidectomy, but this was not the case for Clarke (hooray!). He's recovering nicely and will be at home the rest of week. Last night was tough, his throat was very sore due mostly to the breathing tube in place during surgery, but he's already able to swallow without much pain. He has improved vastly since last night. The incision is at the base of his neck in front. The scar should be minimal. Starting today Clarke is on a Low Iodine Diet (LID) to deprive any remaining thyroid cells of the iodine necessary to process into hormones. Iodine is in a lot of foods but they provided us with a great cookbook with more than enough recipes to get him through the next 2-4 weeks. He only has to be on the LID during the upcoming 2-4 weeks. The next step is rest and recovery and a visit to the endochronologist in two weeks. He'll have some blood work done to determine when Clarke will have his Radioactive Iodine (RAI) treatment. The RAI will allow the doctor to locate and destroy (search and destroy? :) any remaining thyroid cells that could cause further complications. Once he has his RAI dose, Clarke will be in home quarantine for about a week. After that, it's all about getting the right hormone dosage. The biggest and scariest hurdle is over. Thanks everyone for the emails and phone calls, we both really appreciate it. It's wonderful to see the enormous support group we have. January 29, 2008 - Clarke's surgery It's been a tough start to 2008 for us. Right before his father passed away, Clarke was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. Yes, it's scary but we've got a lot of things in our favor...Clarke is young and healthy (well, except for the cancer part), the cancer is early stage and papillary thyroid cancer has a very high recovery rate (almost 100%). Coincidentally, I have something going on with my thyroid as well, but the biopsy results came back benign and I'm meeting with an endocrinologist next week. Thanks for everyone's love and support over this past month, we really appreciate it. Below is more information on what we'll be doing to kick this thing. Love, Stefanie Hiya friends, folks, family and any other kind words that start with the letter 'f' I wanted to keep you all in the loop on my neck stuff. I got confirmation today from the doctor's office on a date for surgery. Below is a nice list of the upcoming steps I'll be taking to ensure I am taking care of this little health issue that has surfaced and helped make the start of 2008 a year to remember. For those of you that I haven't had a chance to fill in, my apologies, its been a little crazy. A quick recap.... last December I decided to go in for a physical to get checked out, I figured it would be wise to have the doctor really look things over...since I have been paying for insurance, I should use it right? Well, lucky for me, Dr. Fassett discovered something on my neck that looked suspect. Turns out it was. After many x-rays, ultrasounds, biopsies, meetings with endocrinologists, input from oncologists, and meeting with surgeons, it was determined I have papillary thyroid carcinoma...a malignant tumor on my thyroid gland. Fortunately, it is low grade (it appears we caught it early), and I am in otherwise good health to help recover from it all. Of all the types of cancer, this is one of the most curable out there. So while things could be better, they could be a whole lot worse. so, a quick synopsis...I got a funky bump on my throat that needs to go. And thanks to insurance, its gonna go real quick like. :) Chances are when I wake up from the surgery, I will be minus my thyroid gland, but fortunately, they have cool stuff out there to offset its loss. Here's the upcoming schedule of the exciting things I'll be charging forward with in the next few weeks and months.
and finally.... Love, Clarke p.s. As a friend of mine often says..."Life is full of peaks and valleys". I'm looking forward to climbing lots of peaks. January 10, 2008 Hi everyone, I wanted to pass along the sad news that Clarke's father, Jim Graves, passed away Tuesday night. He was taken to the ER early New Year's Day after a serious case of food poisoning and going into respiratory arrest. Once in the hospital, Jim battled pneumonia and other challenges but it was eventually discovered that a large tumor had developed in his trachea that obstructed breathing. Jim did not want to survive on life support, so in accordance with his wishes, the machines were removed and Jim was given morphine for comfort with his closest family and loved ones by his side and holding his hands until he passed peacefully. Clarke is doing a little better each day. He is so grateful for all the love and support he and his family have been receiving. Services are being held this Saturday, January 12th at 11am, at the First Presbyterian Church of El Cajon (500 Farragut Circle). Thanks to everyone who has been emailing and calling, we really appreciate your support. No flowers are necessary but the thought is appreciated. Donations to the American Cancer Society are being suggested for anyone very much wanting to do something...but again, the positive energy is felt above everything. |
