Post Op Day 14

 I am back to work(-ing from home)!

The recovery period has been an exercise in finding the boundaries for myself. I have been off all painkillers since Post Op Day 11. There are just three lingering issues at this point :-

1. I still can not lift any heavy things for the next couple of weeks.
2. I feel the last 10% of the mobility in my neck is still unavailable. But I'm grateful that the majority of it is back.
3. I haven't been able to do my usual workout or yoga in the meantime. So I feel the effects of that as the body being less flexible and most sluggish.

The review with the surgeon is happening this Friday. I will hopefully have more to share about the next steps after that. Peace!

Post Op Day 2

 Hello world, I’m back. I took a rather dramatic snooze during my thyroidectomy on Wednesday. The doctors at UCSF brought their a-game and performed the long surgery without complications. I’m on day 2 of post op. Still active with the painkillers but I’m starting to feel like myself. I’m so grateful for the love and support I have received already. In the hospital, among friends who are deeply involved in my care, from loved ones many time zones away, internet strangers and my person at home. It’s been a journey already and it is looking promising.  I couldn’t have asked for better people to go along with me. I love you all! 

An update on 2023

Somewhere in Southern California, 2023

 

This is the 15th birthday of my blog and it has been three years since I have written anything here. The blog is now a rebelling teenager who does not want to talk to you often. Bizarre things have happened in the last year. It has been simultaneously the best and the worst year of my life. I have stumbled upon my person while totally not looking for it. It has reaffirmed my faith in humans and the world. 

I have also been diagnosed with a disease which I had a lingering suspicion about for years. As it turns out, the disease has been lingering for years too. Annual physicals were a champ and they have delivered. I have outgrown the childhood pattern of being intimidated by medical stuff and I have been monitoring my health after I moved to San Francisco. That has helped in the past too. My eye issues got addressed in time. This year of 2024 is going to be Year of The Thyroid, as my surgeon put it.

It has been difficult for me to release control. I have been so afraid of free falling over the last few decades. But the diagnosis has forced me to confront that fear of giving up control. I can have the best likely outcomes, best doctors and best caregivers at home but I have to trust them. I have to give up control and trust them to do their job. 

The first step for the Year of Thyroid will be a surgery to take half or all of it out. That shouldn't be a difficult thing to live with as thyroid hormones can be delivered to the body by a daily pill. I am a create of habit anyway. This is just another routine to add to my list.  

I am going into surgery sometime next week. I should be home after a night's stay at the hospital. I have kept the circle of knowledge very tight up till now. I want to start talking about it. If you have known me for any length of time, I like to talk!