Checkin' In (had surgery again last Friday)

Hey, Shannon! Hey now...I've made it several months now without surgery. Think I'll see if I can break my own record. Rich is taking fantabulous care of me, as always. That man rocks in addition to rocking my world. Less than a week!!!! Hugs, Kathy

HI Kathy... I am glad that surgery went well for you. You have sure been through alot in such a short time. What other meds will you be on now? Since your thyroid and parathyroid wereremoved and half removed will you need thyroid and parathyroid replacement? Be careful going back to work so soon. It sounds like you need to rest at home for a few weeks. Get well and hope your body heals quickly and easily !! Hugs, Dana

Hey, Dana! There are actually 4 parathyroid glands and I had only one removed. The one that had the tumor on it was working overtime so the other 3 were/are dormant. Hopefully they will wake back up and regulate my calcium levels. Funny/weird note...sometimes doctors remove all 4 glands (not sure why) but what they do is embed a few cells from one of the glands in a muscle in the person's forearm. The cells will regulate calcium from there. How strange is that?? Not my issue though since I still have 3 others. Anyway, so with one parathyroid gone - no meds should be needed except for the calcium all post-ops need. As for my thyroid, I don't know if I need medicine for that or not. I've heard from a friend that had this type of surgery done that she was put on thyroid meds for a while until the thyroid adjusted itself then she was off the medication. I see my endocrinologist on Friday so I should know what the scoop is then. Thanks for the well wishes! Hugs, Kathy

Glad to hear things went well for you. Sounds like Dr. M. is pretty darn good. Courtney 12 1/2 weeks out - 57 lbs

Thanks, Court! Looks like you continue to roll on! Go, Court, go!

Kathy, I am so glad that you are through this and doing well. If anyone can understand what you've been going through, it is me! (I go back in on 3/13/06.) Take care of yourself! JoAnn

Hey, JoAnn! If you don't mind me asking... are they going back in for your thyroid or parathyroid? I hope that everything goes very well for you and that your recovery is swift and easy. Best wishes! Kathy

Hey, Kathy! Thanks for your concern. It's not my thyroid or parathyroid--it's pressure on my spinal cord. Last July they removed 2 discs and a vertebrae, rebuilt vertebrae with bone from my hip, and plated/screwed/fused it all together. I'm still messed up. They are going back in-posterior this time- to try to relieve pressure on spinal cord. They will put in rods with screws. I will probably be in UVA for 4 days again. Oh, well! I plan on splashin' in June!! JoAnn

Kathy, I'm glad to hear you are doing fine and you are home. I'm sorry to hear about your having to go through this (I don't check the boards that often). I wish you the best and a very good recovery. Schatzel