R3 D8 Checkup Day

God is so good. You don't even have to set your alarm clock, He just wakes you up on time!!! Got up at 5am to get dressed and ready to leave by 6am...testing starts at 8 and we are going to be not only in rush hour traffic in Houston, but it has rained for days and the forecast is at 100% so we want to have plenty of time to get there.

I check the weather online and it is PERFECT!!! No rain for at least a couple of hours! We leave, get maybe 3 drops the whole time. Traffic is good and we get there in no time.

First appt: 8am chest xray and blood at 9am. Well, they call me in for blood first, no biggie..take all the blood you want. Chest xray...I did SOOO good!!! I was able to reach up and grab the overhead bar this time. It wasn't a complete stretch up, but it was some impressive!! :) And, of course, I was looking very chic in the hospital garb...so I was feeling good and struttin' anyway!

Ding! Next floor! 1000, the endocrinologist. Waiting in the waiting room and the sky has opened up completely! Pitch black and scary clouds all over. I had prayed about the weather the evening before...God is so good!! Now, on to the doctor... OH MY GOSH!!! This was the most gorgeous doctor!!! I was like, what are doing here?! No, I didn't say anything, but they are just very far and few at the hospital..no offense there! I was seeing her to get an opinion on my thyroid. On a scale of normal range, I was at the far left...pretty normal! Yes, the thyroid IS enlarged, there are two nodules there. She said if we went to the mall and just ran tests, that at least 80% would have nodules that were nothing. We'll get a small needle biopsy done in Dec (2oth) to get it tested, holding off now with the chemo going on. She said all my testing for it came back normal. Yeah!!!

Ding! Another floor! 1140...get there pretty late as the endo appt pushed us back...which is OK...not a fine feathered friend of CAT scans. Last time it infiltrated (all the iodine filled my arm-it was SOOOO gross!!). So, go to the back to get the IV thing hooked up (for the iodine). The nurse keeps saying I have small veins, keeps whacking my arm and poking with no success. Now, it wouldn't be so bad, remember...take all the blood you want? BUT, this is a BIG needle, so completely different story! And, normally, the needle is in on the first try! No big deal...get it in there and get done with it. So, she moves down from the elbow area to the wrist area. She whacked there too and got a big yelp outta me! She put the needle there and it hurt SO SO badly. I told her in very clearly that it hurt. How that the last time I was uncomfortable with a stick that it infiltrated, so I'm speaking up this time. I don't know the difference between, yeow, this hurts and yeow, that is a bad stick...try again. She assured me with a flush that it was a good stick..I just have small veins. I go back to the waiting area and put my face into a warm blanket and pray.

My turn to go for the CAT. The nurse goes with me, which is not common. The tech asks if this is her stick...yes, it is. I'm sure that nurse is waiting for me to say how much my wrist hurts, but I am considerate to a certain extent. The tech has me lie on the CAT bed. Can I just say here, that CAT's are no big deal. Just a donut looking machine...not the "scarier" looking MRI machine, but just a little bagel. It's loud, but it's a very quick test...maybe 10 minutes TOPS. Not even that, really. So, I tell the tech that the last time I did this, it infiltrated. It had hurt when I was stuck, I said nothing. I hurts now, a lot, I'm saying something! So, she monitors me very closely. Does the first round of tests (2 passes through the donut and holding your breath). She comes back in and readies the iodine. She starts it and it HURTS VERY MUCH! I let her know VERY CLEARLY and loudly (not yelling) that it hurts. She says it is going through the needle as it is supposed to and she can tell it is NOT infiltrating...is it feeling any better. YES!!! It is feeling much better, thank you. She runs out for the test. Two more passes and I'm through. She comes back in and apologizes, but says she could tell it was a good stick and that she slowed it at the beginning then let it in quickly. She says that the faster the iodine goes in, the clearer the scan....that is why she went ahead with the test. I tell her it was all good, thanked the nurse for staying with me and keeping an eye on me. I really did appreciate it. I was more appreciative when she took the thing outta my wrist!! :o)

That done, we go to the cafeteria (still in the Main building) and have some lunch. Pizza! I am VERY hungry...you can't eat or drink anything for 3 hours prior to the test and it's lunch time!

We take the trolley car and cross the skybridge over to the Mays Clinic to ready for my appointment with Dr. Ross...my first doctor when we started all this back in March.

Dr. Ross says my CAT scan came back good, no changes, he was happy with it. Did a breast exam and didn't find anything out of the norm. The surgeries are looking like they should..will see me again in March for another mammogram.

Graland said that it was about time I made an A on my tests after failing so many of them! :)

Time to go home...it has been raining the entire time we're there and guess what?! Beautiful skies and perfect driving conditions, no traffic. We are feeling good and praising God the whole time for a perfect day.