How does my neck look? 9/28/10

I'm still having problems in the afternoons, feeling tired. I decided to try adding caffeine to my afternoons this week. Yesterday I had an iced venti hazelnut latte, resulting in feeling too jittery during the 5pm hour. Today I had an iced grande decaf skinny hazelnut latte, this time resulting in feeling a little less jittery, but jittery nonetheless, during the 5pm hour. Maybe adding caffeine was not such a great idea after all. I run Wednesdays after work, so I won't be downing a latte of any kind tomorrow afternoon.

I am also trying to go to sleep a little earlier too so I can wake up earlier, maybe even sneak in a few extra minutes of sleep. I'm still working on it.

I noticed that the middle of my scar has more color - a few weeks back it looked a little dry, white, and scabby, but it looks much better now. Anyway, what do you think? How does my neck look?

Had one of those moments while driving to work this morning. I realized my bday is about a month away, and last year was the last "normal" bday I celebrated.

Is it the weather that is making me feel drained each afternoon? Temperatures are high this weekend, and all I want to do is sleep, after 2pm. Non-productive.

San Diego Trolley Dances 2010

.... one of the only dance events I consistently attend each year since I moved back to SD. Got some pretty good photos to post. You can find more info about the SD Trolley Dances here


Below are some of my favorite shots of the dances:

ThyCa group meeting - Sep 23, 2010

Once again another work day where I started to run out of steam in the afternoon. I wonder if/when that condition will improve.

Was not sure if the ThyCa meeting was this evening or next Thursday night. Lucky for me it was this evening, and there were a couple new people that attended. The discussion was good. One of the new members just had her TT surgery two weeks ago and wanted to know more about LID (low iodine diet) and what happens after you get your RAI dose. She did not know how big her tumor/nodule was, nor did she have her pathology report. She was even surprised to hear that you can choose not to have RAI. Well, in reality that is not a choice for everyone. The Mayo Clinic published a study in 2008 that showed that ThyCans with papillary carcinoma less than 2 cm have the same survival rate whether or not they had RAI. One of our members decided against RAI. And I'm learning that many more have done the same. Lucky for them.

Once again the meeting ran over, a little past 7pm, so it was too late for me to make my pilates class. I stayed to learn more about the facilitator position. I decided to become a co-facilitator, with Kira. We spoke with Mary about the responsibilities, changing the meeting dates and times, and how to get more people to attend, and possibly get some speakers at our meetings. I'm excited about it.

Next month our meeting is after the annual ThyCa conference in Dallas. The conference schedule was just published this evening. As I suspected, I'll be missing one or two Hurthle cell sessions on the first day since I would not be able to fly out until Friday morning, the first day of the conference. I haven't looked at the whole schedule, but I'm already sad that I will not be able to attend the conference.

Wow, I managed doze off for about 30 minutes just now. I'm exhausted, and I didn't even workout this evening.

Dreaming while driving

I'm still ready for a nap around the 4pm hour, even today. Well, today was a little different as I was ready to nap starting at 3pm. I got a few things done between 3 and 4:45pm, so I avoided having to take the nap. However, the drive home was a little more challenging. Downtown was overcast and there was no need for sunglasses, but by the time I got to the 163/15 split, the sun was out and not only was I sleepy, but the bright sun was making it nearly impossible to keep my eyes open. I put on the shades while I was at the light at the top of the off ramp. I hit three more lights before I got home, and at that last light, I closed my eyes for a split second and started to dream about eating Trader Joe's Inside Out  carrot cookies - I took a bite, then remembered that I was in my car at a stoplight and I would probably be hearing angry horns honking at me, the mere thought jerked me awake. Happily, the light was still red. But I kept on thinking about those TJ's cookies until I got home. Yes, I ate one as soon as I got home.

So, I still have not figured out the 4pm nap. Is it because I'm not getting enough sleep? But am I not getting enough sleep because I can only sleep for no more than 4-5 hours each night? Am I eating/drinking too soon after taking my Levoxyl so it is not being properly absorbed? My monthly cycle is greatly out of whack this month. I'm not even sure what I should tell my ENDO, if anything. I think I should be taking another blood draw to check my TSH and Tg levels, though, maybe in a week or two. I think I need to wait another week and see if things are still out of sorts before I report to my ENDO. Hopefully this all pans out soon.

Fight off the Sunday blahs?

Did my usual Sunday morning workout (pilates class, treadmill torture, arm weights), and to add into the mix, I'm going rock climbing in a few minutes. I know, I'm a little worried my arms are gonna crap out on me, esp since I did weights just a couple of hours ago, but I'm going to give it a go. I also realize this could complicate things at my SONY appt tomorrow after work (they show you how to use your SONY product, at the Sony Style store, so I have an appt for a session with my NEX-5), esp if I have problems using a stapler again tomorrow at work. And, as if that wasn't enough, I'm also ready for a nap, and it isn't even 4pm yet. So many things working against me, but I want to see how far I can push my body. I'm tired, but I'm not going to sit around and wait for the Sunday blahs to set in.

How does my neck look? 9/18/10

Yet another afternoon where I was ready to take a nap in the 4pm hour. This time I was driving Frankie to Noah's in PB for his bath. I don't think I exerted myself too much today - took Frankie on a short walk, ran some errands, took Frankie to the vet and a bath..... Maybe my sleep was a bit off this morning since I was up late researching filters for my NEX-5.

Something new I've noticed is that my scar is now itchy! I started scratching it last night while I was surfing the web for filters. Then just now, it was itchy again. I guess that is just more of the healing process. Other than that, it has also been feeling tight when I swallow or lift up my chin. I rub/massage it every now and then. I still have not put any anti-scar stuff on it yet.

Not sure if this is a new symptom, but I'm still getting cramps in my feet and legs. It has been getting better, a lot less cramping, but I can still feel it, while just standing around. If I remember correctly, lack of calcium causes cramping and joint pain, and I've seen other Thycans mention it on the forums. I'll have to look more into it to see if it is a new symptom so I can tell my ENDO about it. I hope it's not, but I can't think of any other reason why I've been having leg/foot cramps lately.

So anyway, how does my neck look?

Once again I feel tired after my lunch time walk, but today I have a slight headache to go with it. Wonder what is going on.

Photos

Here are some photos I took with my Sony NEX-5 last week when I was in San Francisco:

That's me, shot by LindaMay - Union Sq, SF

Sweep panorama mode

View from my room - Hilton, 10th floor

I am drained...physically & mentally drained right now. After my walk during lunch I wanted a nap. After all the digging I've done to fix things at work today, I feel spent.

This morning was the first time someone mentioned not seeing me for some time at work. I hesitated before saying I took some time off to take care of my dad.

2pm vs 4pm nap

I have been able to get past the 2pm nap time, but a few times this past week I have run out of steam in the 4pm hour instead, including today, which is a Saturday. The only thing I'm not doing is taking my daily multivitamins. Hopefully taking them consistently again will fix my 4pm crash-time.

So, my monthly cycle is still off (still not here yet). In addition, I think colder weather makes my scar feel....funny. A few times while I was in SF earlier this week I could feel my scar when I swallowed or moved my neck a certain way. It's hard to explain the exact feeling, but I have not had it in a while....like the skin around my scar is being stretched and I get little shocks along it. Now, I remember my ENDO said it would feel like this for at least 6 months after my surgery. This is only month #4, so I still have a couple more months of the funny neck/scar feeling.

How does my neck look? 9/10/10

Can't believe it has been more than a week since I posted a photo of my scar. So, I think I'll post a couple of them, including some from the a few months back. Let me know how you think my neck looks now.

Friday 9/10/10

Saturday 9/4/10 - I'm lying down in this one, and it looks a lot like a neck crease!

Saturday 8/7/10

 Monday 7/5/10 - swelling after RAI treatment

 Saturday 6/5/10 - still a little puffy after 2nd surgery, but at least derma bond is starting to peel off.

Wednesday 5/5/20 - Two days after the 1st surgery, left thyroid lobe removed

Saturday 4/17/10 - Two days after 2nd opinion FNA biopsy on left thyroid lobe

Now I'm tired

So yesterday I was ready to nap on BART going to SFO. Today, around noon and then around 4pm I was ready to nap. The scary thing is I was driving home from the dog bath place in PB (yes, per the vet, Frankie needed a medicated bath!), right when traffic was starting to get heavy. Even waking up this morning was harder than it has been for the past week. I wonder if my meds are finally leveling out and need to be changed again, or perhaps all those mornings when I couldn't sleep more than 4 or 5 hours last week finally catching up to me?!?

Travel day - SF day 2

Got some things done today. Forgot how slow TAS is in SF, I wanted to cry a few times. On BART to SFO, boy am I exhausted! Starting to fall asleep to the lull.

My flight was delayed 15 minutes. At least it was not a full flight. I managed to stay awake for the duration. When I got home, I noticed that Frankie's skin condition was a lot worse than before I had left for my trip. The cyst that burst still had not healed, and he's got a bunch of dry itchy areas all over the place. Looks like I'm taking him to the vet tomorrow. I'll work from home until an appt opens up. Poor Frankie. If it is not my health/well-being that is in the crapper then it is his. Welcome home.

Travel day - SF day 1

Although I tried to get 6 hours of sleep last night, somehow I woke up at 4:41am, and couldn't get back to sleep. Once again, I think this is the only thyroid med problem that still has not cleared up yet. Well that and my monthly cycle. Anyway, getting up that early was Ok because I was able to figure out how to get my empty camera box home - undo it and fold it flat, into my luggage. Voila! Still had some other packing to do as well, and after it was all said and done, and the taxi had dropped me off at SFHQ, it was only 7:30am. I made it in before all the other admins!

I was at work until 6:15pm. Made it to the Hilton, at the edge of Chinatown/North Beach around 6:30pm. After taking in the view from my 10th floor room, facing Coit Tower, I unpacked, changed my clothes, and was on my way to my evening adventure around 7:15pm. Took as many shots as I could as I headed into North Beach for some Italian food. I ate at a restaurant called Valore Cafe. I think I have eaten there before, well either that or it was a deja vu feeling, just like the locker room at the rock climbing place last week. Weird. Anyway, I ate a lot, so I decided to go out of my way to find a Walgreens to buy a bottle of water. I ended up at a 7-11 on Market Street & Sutter. And I had forgotten to turn on my iPod pedometer, so I only got half of that walk in.


So, back at the hotel now. I'm a bit tired, so I'm thinking that once again I will be able to sleep well tonight (just like I thought I would last night, but didn't). I have at least one meeting tomorrow. I'll have to leave the office by 4pm, I think, unless they have the whole body scanners at SFO - that could be a problem. I should be fine, though.Hopefully I get up on time.

Meeting with my boss this morning. Wow, so much has happened since I went on leave. Excited to have my responsibilities back and get my projects back on track.

Exhausted! We walked from California St to Jefferson St, then over to Ghirardelli Sq. Waiting in line to take the streetcar back to Union Sq. Took lots of pix!

SF Weekend in review

Wasn't sure how well I'd be holding up on this trip with the lack of sleep I had Thursday night (packing took a lot longer than I expected) and all the running around in the City, but I've been doing pretty good so far.

Saturday I slept in, Sunday (today) I sort of slept in (kept on going in and out of consciousness from 6am to 8am). Both days were pretty full of eating (lots of it! --still PMS-ing), some walking around, and the focus being on looking at a digital camera (DSLR) for my brother-in-law. And it was all worth it since Phill got a Nikon D90, and I got a Sony NEX-5. We even had time to look at a puppy for Viv this afternoon! And we made it up to the Marina so Phill and I could take some photos with our new cameras. And I have to say with all of this going on, I have not needed a nap, either day. My sleeping habits still need improvement, but so far I think my Levoxyl dosage is adequate, well, as far as my energy is concerned. But not so sure about the amount of time I am able to sleep each day.

I got to hang out with Kristin Friday night. Viv and I met her at a pub/restaurant in the Haight called Magnolia. We shared the beer ice cream for dessert, which I highly recommend to everyone, as well as the snap pea ravioli. Just like me last year when I turned 40, she too felt the need to get outta town for her 40th this week. So I was really glad I caught her before she took off.


Nick and Jerry both say my scar is pretty unnoticeable, and that I look like I'm full of life. That was really good to hear, esp coming from two people that have seen me at my worst - out walking dogs still in my PJs, un-showered, and completely unkempt. I love those two, and their two boob-pawing dogs. Somehow I was able to escape my stay with them without getting pawed this time!
 
Viv has already gone back to SAC since she works tomorrow morning. I've got a full day with LindaMay and Phill tomorrow before I have to work as well come Tuesday morning. I expect most of the day will be spent playing with our new cameras and just walking around enjoying this lovely city. There is so much I remember and so much I don't remember about this city I used to call home. I'm so glad that my energy level has been able to keep up with me on this trip.
 
Places I enjoyed this weekend:
Nick & Jerry's - best place to crash and hang with friends and their pets, and possibly the best views of SF in the Excelcior district!
Calumet - cool photography store. Ask for Alicia - she was very helpful showing us good starter DSLR cameras (she recommends Cannon T2i or Nikon D90)
Nubi - froyo at Portrero Center - not as good as PinkBerry, but it will do
Wolf Camera - or Ritz Camera if in SoCal. Ask for Shanna - she was very helpful with our NEX and Nikon questions, and best thing of all, she kept me in mind when an NEX-5 was recieved/returned at her store, so of course I just had to snatch it up!
Chouquets - nice little french bistro on Fillmore. Cute french waiter!
Pets Unlimited - great place to adopt a pet from. Viv may be getting a new addition.....soon.....
Baby Blues BBQ - all I can say is YUM!!!
 

So, I got the SONY NEX-5! They are hard to come by, so @ Wolf when she said someone returned it this AM, I had to look @ it. Early bday!

Camera research..... looking at DSLRs for my brother-in-law, then started looking for myself. I like the Canon T2i or the Sony NEX-5 (a 4/3 camera).

Bummer - I didn't set off any alarms at security. Also, the whole body scanners have not been set up here yet, well at least not in this terminal.

Airport security....just realized that I may set off (radiation) alarms at the airport this evening when I go through security. My "card" is valid for 80 days.

Still sore

Everything still hurts from my rock climbing outing Tuesday night, but most likely because I did not stretch after. Even last night after run club I probably should have stretched more, but I didn't. As a result, at pilates this evening, I was getting calf, thigh, and foot cramps! Maybe I am dehydrated. Despite all my whining about being sore from so much activity, I have to admit that I am pretty proud of myself for not needing to take naps during the day at work! It will most likely hit me on my flight to San Francisco tomorrow night.

At work, I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things. I even forgot how to book my travel, although it did not help that our travel website has changed since I've been out. I'm still going over the emails trying to piece things together on my projects, and going back to see if there were any data integrity issues that were overlooked, of which I found a few.

Looking forward to the weekend. Still need to pack. I hope I do not forget to bring my bottle of Levoxyl. I'll need to dress warm for work on Tuesday and Wednesday as the temps go down to 61 and 57 degrees respectively. I wish I was packing for vacation instead of work and vacation.

Viv and I are staying at Nick & Jerry's Friday and Saturday nights. I miss those two, and their boob-pawing dog, Leche. He's a rather lovely white dog, just beautiful, red tipped and all. But the minute Viv or I walk in their front door that dog comes right at us and goes for our chest area with his paws. We could be sitting in the kitchen chatting with the guys, and Leche always manages to come around and get his paws up there. Not sure what it is. So to add to my already sore arms and legs from two nights ago, I may have to add my boobs to the list after my visit with the guys.

First day back

As expected, it took several hours for my work PC to install updates and load all my emails from the past four months. Thank goodness I only had to call the Help Desk twice (for two separate issues). It felt really good to be back at work after all I've been through, to do something 'normal'. And, I did not need a nap at 2pm!

A few people from the Admin team called/emailed/OC'd me to see how I was doing. I didn't really run into that many people in the hallways, elevators, even the restroom, so I didn't have to worry about people asking me where I've been or what's that on my neck.

Nice surprise: I'll be in San Francisco next week (Tue and Wed) for work! I've got a lot of catching up to do with all the changes that have been going on since I left, and see where my projects are going (and where they've been during my absence) - somethings are just better done in person than over the phone. I don't get to see my boss that often, so I always jump at the chance to have some face-time with her. Anyway, I got the Ok from her to fly up a couple of days earlier, which works out well for me since two of my sisters (Viv, and LindaMay and her hubby, Phill) will be in SF this weekend. I'm also hoping to visit a few other people, especially KT since her bday is next week. Not sure how tight my schedule will be on Tue/Wed when I'm working, but I hope I can fit it all in.

The soreness from rock climbing yesterday has expanded from my forearms and fingers to my triceps and delts. It wasn't so bad after work, but it was really bad after run club - I could not turn the steering wheel without feeling the pain! Holy smokes! I hope tomorrow is less afflictive, although pilates class tomorrow night could still make things worse.

Ok, first day back at work. Still going strong, but good thing I'm on my lunch break now! My forearms/fingers are still sore - got a cramp using a stapler!