Okay, here we go! I have a date set for surgery: MARCH 1, 2017
In one month!!! It would’ve been sooner but they knew I had the Gala coming up (February 17th…GET TICKETS HERE) and then a quick anniversary / bday/ just fun/ trip to Mexico a few days after.
The meeting with the surgeon, Dr. Grubbs, went fairly well. We met her entire team. It was nice to have her immediately point out that she knew I was a speaker and my voice ‘mattered’, so with that in mind she is going to try and save half of the thyroid. When you take out the thyroid you have to ‘pull’ it and behind it is the very thin vocal chord. Sometimes it can get bruised, and worse case scenario (which they always have to give b/c I have to sign that I acknowledge I am aware of all risks) is it can die. If it’s bruised my voice will be raspy. They have remedies for this that heals it after time but to be on the safe side, if I had one 1/2 of my thyroid (my left side) in tact it will mean that vocal chord will make up for the bruised one.
NOW, with that being said, I do have a lymph node in ‘question’ that was not reached by fine needle biopsy, SO, while I’m under she will clean out ALL the lymph nodes on my right side and send it all in to pathology. If any of them come back even a remote risk for cancer then she will have to take the left side as well and do the entire thyroidectomy.
Either way, I know she has my best health at heart, so I trust her judgment. I’m fine if she takes the whole thing out because I don’t want to go back for another surgery!! But I am cool with her saving my vocal chords from damage too. 🙂
Not until she goes in and begins the removal will she know if I will need the radiation treatment. That will depend on if it is in the lymph nodes or if the cancer is anywhere else.
I’ll admit, just thinking of someone cutting on my throat is a bit … frightening!! 🙂 I’d rather just NOT think about it.
I have a pretty neck too! LOL
Until then I am keeping very busy with meeting with new survivors, setting up two new I HAVE A VOICE VIDEOS to come in the Spring (WOOT!!!), the GALA, and just came back from an amazing speaking engagement at Baylor University.
Here is a video and a few pictures of my time at Baylor University:
This was three Chapel Classes in a row … never knew I had it in me! 😉
All in all, I do know that I am blessed beyond measure with the outpouring of support and PRAYERS from all of you!!! You are amazing and I am grateful. Whatever you have going on in your own life, I want to encourage you to break it down into bite size, easier to manage, portions. Try not to look at the circumstance in that ‘wide angel view’…that can be intimidating and quite depressing as we often can try to imagine this ‘big picture’ and it NOT be God’s point of view.
When we break what we are going through in little pieces and try to manage through with HIS STRENGTH, moment by moment, then we realize how much stronger and capable we are of coping and dealing with the situation in this new perspective. It’s easier to say ONWARD we go because the intimidation of the uncertain ‘big picture’ is no longer looming before us. When we focus on moment by moment then we can see the HOPE that lies before us, within reach. 🙂
Blessings
Shannon
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