Muriel Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 Sending healing hugs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 Sooo happy to hear that the biopsy was done so quickly and that you are resting and taking it easy :yes: Sending lots of hugs and healing thoughts your way!!!! HUGS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 I wonder what "they" biopsied two years ago! Doing a very happy dance for you as well as lighting a candle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfie Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 Deb, with your marvelous attitude and your courage, I know you will overcome this and come out as the winner in this battle. Hugs and courage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shy Spirit Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 Thank you for abandoning the recliner to let us know that you're "okay". :yes: No sense in worrying over spilt milk - whatever happened before is past fixing ... onward and upward! They are on the ball now, and you will be feeling better before you know it. I'm very glad that you are getting some results. A jasmine candle today, I think. :hug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachie Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Deb, I haven't logged on for awhile and hardly ever in the last two years...2 major surgeries, complications, husband in Kuwait and two mortgages and a total house renovation that I had to do mostly myself!! We finally just got a contract on that darn house (that we had to restore after destructive renters) and the light is at the end of the tunnel. Maybe one of these days I can start working on my miniatures again! Any way, all my excuses for not really knowing you, but my prayers and positive thoughts are with you in your health situations. It sounds like once this is over you'll be feeling better than ever! Sunshine and flowers! Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THmini2 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Prayers that everything went well and you have good news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shy Spirit Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Please let us know the results when you can. Thinking of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted December 10, 2009 Author Share Posted December 10, 2009 I haven't heard anything yet. My doctor should have gotten the results today but no one called. I have an appointment with my internist on Friday so she may just wait and tell me then. I'm ready for her to point me in the direction of a surgeon and race him to the operating room. LOL! I'm just *so* ready to get this thing out of me. I felt the same way about my hysterectomy. It's broken, I don't want it, make it go away. hehehehehehehee I'll let you guys know as soon as I hear something. Just keep a positive thought going for me that the next step will be a surgeon in the very near future. <giggling> All I want for Christmas is a man wearing a mask to cut my throat. <cackle> Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodland_miniatures Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Oh, Deb.....haw haw haw!!! Lady, you can't lose with that attitude! You're in my thoughts and prayers for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmgervais Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Still thinking of you and hoping that things turn out well - and SOON! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shy Spirit Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 I'm ALWAYS thinking positively for you, and envisioning a great outcome! Now, where IS that masked man? No ... that's not him ... ... getting closer ... ... aha - there he is!! Hmm ... now, how do I get him over to you??? I'm working on it! :viking: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfie Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 I too wish you luck and hope things get better very soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Hi Deb, I pray for your complete healing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted December 15, 2009 Author Share Posted December 15, 2009 I'm sorry I haven't posted an update yet but honestly the past few days have been spent conducting an inner arguement with myself about not giving up. I am weary of this fight. Sometimes being stoic and having survivor instincts can be really tiring and completely inconvenient. But that side of me won and I'll keep going and I'm ready to talk about it now. It's a good news/bad news kind of thing. The good news is that the biopsy came back negative. That really is good news at least for now but in kind of a negative fashion. The situation is all cancerous thyroid nodules contain microcalcifications but only about 80% of nodules with microcalcifications are cancerous. Since they consider the biopsy to be slightly more accurate (altho it's not 100% either), the offical result is that I don't have cancer. At this time. The bad news is that I asked her when they would take out the thyroid and she said that since the biopsy is negative, they won't do surgery. <banging head on keyboard> Even tho they know where this nodule is heading to, since I technically don't have cancer right now there's no need to operate. So saith the almighty insurance company. The doctor said that she would still give me the name of a surgeon and told me that I might be able to convince him to take out the thyroid if he can see that it's making it hard to swallow or interfering with my breathing. (these are the insurance company guidelines for justifying a thyroidectomy) Apparently the loss of blood flow to my brain isn't a big consideration. So my next task will be to see a surgeon and put on an Academy Award winning performance to prove that I can't breathe or swallow to try and convince him to do the surgery. I'll scream if he even touches my throat and pretend to pass out when I turn my head. I'll weep and wail and fall to the ground choking if that's what it takes to get this thing out of me. I don't see the benefit of waiting who knows how long to test positive for cancer. There's no time line to know if it would be tomorrow or a year from next Thursday. I can't even express how frustrating this is. After two years and 8 doctors, I'm right back where I started and have to keep fighting. And the doctor wondered why I was disappointed to hear that the biospy was negative. Why, oh why, oh why won't they just accept that I have active Graves Disease and my thyroid is full of garbage? I can't imagine any doctor looking at the pictures of almost two dozen nodules in that tiny gland and saying, "Looks fine to me" It gets better. The doctor is concerned about my high heart rate. It never drops below 90 and even at rest it can pop up to 120. I can hear my heartbeat in my ears. I also have palpitations, pvc's, and arrhythmia. This is all just a part of life and I don't even think about it when it happens. Oh, sometimes it's noticable enough that I'll stop and wait to see if my heart is going to start beating again but it's just normal to me. It's a way of life when you have Graves Disease (even if the blood tests say I'm perfectly fine.) They did an EKG and apparently it wasn't that good because she ordered a 48 hour heart monitor test. Yippee. I get to wear the box and get wired up with sticky tape and yucky gel that itches like crazy for two days. Yes, I've done this before about 15 years ago. Guess what the diagnosis was? Yep, they decided it wasn't anything cardiac related and diagnosed it as part of my Graves Disease. But by all means, let's play this game one more time. She's also doing some tests to check for some rare type of tumor on the adrenalin glands. I got to pee in a jug for 24 hours for that one. <sighing> If they would only put down that <bleep> template that the insurance company gives them, they'd see that ALL of this is because of Graves Disease. Every. Single. Solitary. Issue. They're all classic symptoms of Graves Disease and I know that because I've had them for the past 15 years. Some of them I've had since I was 9 years old. <banging head on desk some more> In the fantasy world of blood tests they can say my thyroid is normal, but in the reality of living in this body with this thyroid gland, I know Graves symptoms when I feel them. And the finishing touch? The doctor asked me, "Deb, do you think you suffer from depression?" <grinding teeth> Why yes, as a matter of fact I do. Thanks for asking. I know it's not her fault and I didn't take it out on her. She's the best doctor I've had so far and at least she's trying to find answers even if they're the wrong ones. But I made it clear that if I'm depressed it's not a symptom of something else. It's not a stand-alone illness. I am not sick because I'm depressed. I am depressed because for two years I've heard nothing but "I can't help you", "You need to see another doctor", "We can't find anything wrong" and "You have these diseases for which there is no cure so you're going to have to learn to live with pain for the rest of your life". I think that would depress anyone. So she gave me a 'script for Cymbalta (which is still stuck in the bottom of my purse) and then told me, "I'm sorry but I can't do anything more to help you. You're going to need to see another doctor". Right now I can't think of a single joke. Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 Deb, It's not you; it's the doctors. There are millions of women who can identify with your frustration. Women are experiencing this every day, and it can drive you crazy. I think insisting on having your thyroid out is the way to go. Remember that it's not you; it's the doctors, I PROMISE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_the_haunted Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 Bloody friggen hell, are they kidding??!! What on gawds green earth is seriously going on the our medical system in this country?! I think I'm at the end of my rope after hearing your story and the many, many other firend and family members who go thru this constantly. Deb, I'm so sorry. I know that politacally we can all stand up and shout but, i think that that's what poor Obama has been trying to do on another level. Yep gir, you scream, faint, and do whatever it takes to try and manipulate the system to get what you need. Honstly at this point, I say screw the good girl side and pull out all your guns. Big hugs, Monica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hallowell Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 Deb, keep pushing until you get what you deserve and that is getting well. Don't let the doctors win, you will find someone who will do what is right. You are always in my thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 Well I'm no help; the specific treatment for the cardiac symptoms of Grave's Disease is thyroidectomy and surely the insurance company has a template for THAT! What about Bruce's CHAMPUS? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodland_miniatures Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 Oh, fer gawd's sake, what is WRONG with these people????? Even though I've never met you, Deb, I think of you as a close friend I just haven't known very long and I WANT TO GO KICK SOMEONE'S BUTT because they are hurting my friend!!! (also I've been through the same drill myself with the medical industry and there is just no excuse for what they put us through - AND DON'T HELP.) Isn't there something called the Hippocratic Oath that starts off by saying, "First, do no harm"? Obviously this has been forgotten a long, long time ago. Oh, BARF! SNOT and dirty hangnails!! Okay, I'm done. Monica said it good - you go win that Oscar when you see the surgeon, and get him/her to get that thing out of there whatever you have to do. Oh, how I wish there were something real I could do to help, Deb. Big hugs, big swear words and the strongest courage prayers for you are all I got, but they're yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muriel Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 Oh no! I am screaming for you! You go and 'practice' all you need to to get that performance perfect. (Though I know it probably isn't mostly acting and is actually how it is for you) Sending many prayers! Adam is alone in the gardens of heaven. God comes to him and says "You need to go forth and multiply." "Go through the gates at the end of the garden". "What are gates?" Adam asks. God explains what gates are. "Then you walk through the valley" God continues with his directions "What is a valley?" Asks Adam. God explains what a valley is. "When you are through the valley you walk up the hill" "What is a hill?" Asks Adam. God explains what a hill is. "When you get to the cave, go inside." "What is a cave?" Asks Adam. God explains what a hill is. "There you will find a woman, Eve." "What is a woman?" Asks Adam? God explains what a woman is. "Now go forth and multiply" Adam goes on his way. Two days later he is back. God is angry: "What are you doing back Adam?? I told you to go forth and multiply!" "What is a headache?" Asks Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted December 15, 2009 Author Share Posted December 15, 2009 Well I'm no help; the specific treatment for the cardiac symptoms of Grave's Disease is thyroidectomy and surely the insurance company has a template for THAT! Only if the blood tests show my thyroid levels to be outside of that window of "normal". It's a really huge window. Unfortunately, most people with Graves Disease go thru this at one time or another because numbers don't work with this disease and the medical profession hasn't done anything to change that. I spent a long time on the phone this afternoon with someone who suffers just as much as I do and she's not getting any medical help either coz she also has "normal" blood test results. I really, really wish that my old surgeon hadn't retired. He would never have let me get into this position. He would have done the surgery years ago. Anyway, I'm having the cardiac monitor attached on Thursday morning and I imagine I'll get the results back from it and the adrenalin tumor tests fairly soon. If the heart monitor shows anything abnormal, they'll do a contrast dye test next. At least I think that's what I remember her saying. <shaking head> While I don't think it's a bad thing for them to check out every possibility, it's frustrating when I keep telling them that this heartbeat problem was diagnosed years ago and only came back after I was taken off my thyroid meds. I mean, that's not to say that something new couldn't have developed in the years since then coz I'm a lot older now but if it's something new, it sure does a mighty fine job of perfectly imitating the same old issue. "What is a headache?" Asks Adam hehehehehehehehee Thanks Muriel, I needed a laugh and that was a good one! I appreciate all of you and your support and love. This has been really difficult for me to deal with and to be honest, I think I'm a lot sicker than I even admit to myself. But you guys hold me up with your support and you lift my spirits with all the love you surround me with. Thank you. Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
what2craftnow Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 Good gawd Deb - how much more of this BS must you go through? It's downright criminal, in my humble opinion. Isn't there ONE doctor out there somewhere who will go to bat for their patient, instead of cow-towing to the vague and poorly written insurance "rules"??!! Look, you go in there like a landlord and say "OK, this S.O.B. "Mr. Thyroid" is trashing "my place" and I want him EVICTED - NOW!!! Can't get more plain and simple than that! You put on whatever "performance" you need to and get them to issue the go-ahead papers. It's truly sad that you have to even resort to such nonsense. What a mess. You hang tough GF, and try not to let these bullies and idiots get the best of you. I am keeping you in my thoughts and prayers, and praying for that ONE doctor with some kahuna's to come along QUICK! BIG Hugs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heidiiiii Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 Deb, If I did not tell a little white lie to my GP..I would have never gotten into the Neurosurgeons office. hehehe If it were not for that little white lie, I would have never known I had TWO herniated discs and that I needed surgery! So if you have to do a bit of creative story telling to get what you want..so be it. I did it and I bet I am not the only one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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