GALLBLADDER GONE

Yesterday I had my gallbladder removed.  Didn't feel a whole lot of discomfort yesterday but today am in pain.  Not many choices when it comes to eating.  Had oatmeal for breakfast and suffered for 3 hours afterwards.  My body has not had enough time to adjust to having no gallbladder.  I will have to stick to broth and clear soups for awhile.

The Hydrocodone really helps and the surgeon said I could take two at a time if needed.  He has a good understanding of the degree of pain it seems.  I'm making sure I take Miralax to prevent constipation from the pain meds.

I was informed that it would take at least 2 weeks to recuperate from the surgery and possibly 2 months before I could do any heavy lifting.  Even though it was a simple procedure it was still major surgery.

The pain today is from the incision on the far right of my stomach where they pulled the gallbladder out.  It feels kind of like the same pain I had when I had the gallbladder attacks only now I have no gallbladder.  In a week I have an appointment with the surgeon for a check up. 

On January 23rd I had an appointment with my ENT who scheduled a biopsy on the nodule on my thyroid.  Hopefully that is the last thing to do for a long time.

TWO ULTRASOUNDS

On January 4th I had an Ultrasound done in two areas - one on my thyroid and one on my gallbladder.

I had been having some slight pain where there is a nodule on the right side of my thyroid.  It had never bothered me before and the doctors were not concerned about it in the past.

I also had two gallbladder attacks in the last two months.  These were very painful and I threw up both times.  The pain lasted a couple of hours and I had my brother come over in case I needed to go to the hospital.  I was really scared.

So when I informed my family doctor about these events he ordered the two scans.

I was able to read the results on the Hospital's Online Portal.  The gallbladder results showed that I had multiple gallstones without obstruction.  I already knew I had gallstones from all of the other scans I had in the last year.  This test result does not indicate the severity of my recent attacks resulting in severe pain and vomiting and white stools for two days afterwards - indicating that my gallbladder was not functioning well.

The thyroid results showed that the right thyroid lobe is enlarged measuring 4.2 x 2.2 x 1.7 cm.  In the mid/inferior aspect of right thyroid lobe, there is a nodule with cystic and solid components, measuring 2.3 x 1.8 x 1.7 cm. This is stable in size when compared to the prior CTs.

This test result showing solid components is not a good sign.  These nodules are more likely to be cancerous than are fluid-filled nodules.  Most solid nodules are not cancerous.

My family doctor called but I missed his call and called back but could not get through.  Have not heard from the clinic since last week's call.  I guess he is not worried about the results.

This brings back those horrible memories of when he didn't think I had throat cancer and I had to have 3 biopsies before they finally found it and I could get treatment.

I know my body.  I am worried about these two issues and think I should have my gallbladder removed.  I also think I should have a biopsy of my thyroid nodule.

I will probably have to make an appointment with my family doctor in order to discuss the test findings.  At that time I will ask for a referral to a specialist - Endocrinologist.  

ENT APPOINTMENT - OCTOBER 2018

Saw my ENT yesterday and he scoped my throat.  Said it did show a little improvement.  I am still a little hoarse and my left side of my tongue is sore.  I have enlarged taste buds in that area and they are now hurting.  He gave it a good exam and didn't recommend anything for it.  He initially diagnosed it as Circumvallate Papillae about a year ago.

Being under stress has been linked to many health issues, including swollen,enlarged papillae. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are home remedies and over-the-counter (OTC) treatments available to reduce your symptoms and help the condition resolve faster. These include:

• rinsing and gargling with salt water
• brushing your teeth at least twice daily, and using mouthwash to rid the mouth of harmful bacteria
• avoiding irritating foods (eating blander, smooth foods may be beneficial)
• taking OTC topical treatments like Zilactin, which cover the bumps like a bandage, protecting them from friction that could irritate them further

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wants to see me again in 3 months.

FINALLY ATE A HAMBURGER

It's been about a year since I had a hamburger.  I started craving one about a month ago but knew it would not be pleasant to eat one so didn't.  However, yesterday I tried and was able to eat a half of a burger.  Then today I ate part of a steak soft taco and a taco supreme.  They didn't taste like they were supposed to but it wasn't too bad.

I'm 14 months out of treatment and things are getting a whole lot better.  Still don't have much saliva.  I figure I got about 5% back and am hoping for more as the years go by.  

I'm still a little hoarse and my throat hurts a little and is red but it's not so bad.  I have days when I'm up and days when I'm down.  I just let it happen and go with the flow.  I think about the cancer returning and won't be surprised if and when it does.  I'm going to try and live the rest of my life with as little stress as possible which is extremely hard for me to do.

Looking forward to cooler weather and will be going to the beach with the doggies this winter. 

ONCOLOGIST APPOINTMENT

Saw my Oncologist yesterday.  We discussed my continued hoarseness and he said that it was not unusual at 12 months out from treatment to be having this situation. 

He has scheduled me for a return visit in 4 months.

I continue to see my ENT doctor avery couple of months and get scoped every time.

My throat is very sensitive to foods that are coarse or spicy or even mildly seasoned.  I am able to eat more of a variety of foods but have a sore throat afterwards.  I no longer eat ice cream but do have servings of Jello which feels nice and cold to my throat.  Still can't eat meat.

Have been experiencing some bad days where I feel sad.  Not sure I want to call it depression.  It usually lasts only a few days at a time and then I force myself to get dressed and get out of the house.  I'm bored most of the time.  No company.  Very lonely.

ENT CHECK UP

Saw my ENT doctor today.  He scoped my throat and said there was not much swelling at the top of my esophagus.  He is concerned about my continued hoarseness.  I told him it gets worse when I eat certain foods that scratch my throat and foods that are spicy.  So he recommended I begin taking omeprazole prior to eating spicy foods.  He wants to see me again in 2 months.

Got home and I researched the drug and found that this drug is also known as Prilosec which is a Proton Pump Inhibitor medicine designed to reduce stomach acid. If a person has too much stomach acid, it can flow into the esophagus. This can cause severe forms of heartburn and other medical problems.  I'm not having any heartburn.

In 2017, researchers found that long term use of Proton Pump Inhibitors doubled the risk of gastric cancer.  My mother died from stomach cancer.  She took this drug for many, many years.

Researchers also concluded that it caused five percent of all esophageal cancers.  Prilosec dangers also include an increased risk of kidney disease and long term kidney damage.

Prilosec alternatives include:  Maalox, Alka-Seltzer, Pepto=Bismol, and Tums.  

I think I'll use one of these instead.

ICE CREAM ADDICTION

Had my stomach tube removed 4 months ago.  They would only remove it if I said I was able to eat.  I lied in order to have it removed.  I thought I would just drink the protein drinks I was putting down the tube and that would be fine.  I just wanted that awful, corroded thing to be out of me.

Well my plan worked.  For weeks I drank my protein drinks and eventually started to try various soft foods.  My taste buds were still not right and things tasted awful.  However, ice cream tasted pretty good.  Not every kind of ice cream but  Blue Bell Vanilla tasted the best.  Still tasted a little salty at first but I was beginning to be hungry most of the time so it filled my stomach which was great.  Eventually I was able to eat more food but only a few bites and then I would fill up on ice cream.

That soon became my crutch.  I depended on that ice cream so much and it became my main source of nourishment.  I would panic if I was getting low on my supply and would quickly get to the store for more.  Towards the end I was eating several gallons a week and when the scale started to show weight gain I knew it was time to stop.

So this week I began to wean off of the ice cream.  The first few days were awful.  Every waking moment all I thought about was ice cream.  I reduced my intake to one serving a day for a few days.  Then when I ran out I didn't buy any more.  It's been 3 days now that I have not had any ice cream.  I'm eating jello a couple of times a day and that satisfies my craving.  

I am able to eat almost anything as long as I wash it down with a soup or a drink.  Still can't eat meat though.  I consider myself a vegetarian of sorts.  I eat a lot of vegetables - mostly squash, zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, spinach, etc.  I also eat a lot of creamy soups.  If I cook a stew I will use meat for flavor but am unable to swallow it.  I sure would like a hamburger but know it will be an unpleasant experience.

So that is my story of ice cream addiction.  It is a real thing.  Who knew?