Go ahead...Raise the roof (sort of)

Moving from the emotion of yesterday to today has been quite the story! This will be a short posting, but a good one! Got the results of the body scan at 4:30 pm today. The doc called and said that the scan came back and was as it should be. Meaning...the scan showed that the radiation was taken up by remaining thyroid cells as it was designed to do. Those cells were located where my thyroid was before surgery (exactly where he expected them to be) and so there was no indication or signs that the cancer had spread. That alone is a wonderful praise! I will have to have another dose of radiation in 6 months which will be used to confirm that the first dose killed off any remaining thyroid cells. The next 6 weeks I will continue my meds and will see the doctor in mid December to check the dosage of meds to see if it is at the right amount.

Thank you to all of my friends and family for your prayers, notes, and calls concerning this journey. I still have more to go, but I thank God for walking with me through this. He has carried me through alot of tough moments. He also placed each of you in my path to encourage and support me as well.

My prayer request now would be for my mother and sister as they both undergo tests, medications, and possible treatments for their thyroid issues. I'll keep you updated on the latest!

Blessings!

Jeremy

A hole in the armor...

Well...I must say that today may have been the toughest day to date in this whole experience. It seems I have looked at this as a small 'bump' in the path of my life when it actually has been quite big. I think maybe twice during this time I have come to tears(with one of those being a clear lesson in empathy towards the emotional roller coaster women experience) and today added another. Not quite sure what brought it on. It could have been the test in class today that I had no idea about and left knowing it was not good. Maybe it was mom calling earlier this week to say she may have thyroid issues now as she visited the doctor. Or maybe in the back of my mind knowing the results of the scan are due anytime. Could also be that I have not really grieved in this whole process and it is finally surfacing. Whatever it caused it...Thank you Lord, because I need it, and I need to continue to do it.

My sister called this morning and she heard me tearing up. Thanks for listening sis. Today was also, what I described, as the most discouraging day, like a spirit of discouragement was upon me. Thanks to my life long brothers in the faith in Central Texas and the Dallas area that responded to my text for prayers. I don't know what I would do without you guys! God has blessed me with some truly Godly friends!

I bought a new album on itunes yesterday and finally got to start listening to it today. It is Switchfoot's new album, Hello Hurricane. Great album! I think the band wrote this album to address the storm of life that we face and how they toss us around. The songs give alot of hope in those situation we face that toss us around. Exactly what I needed to hear today.

"What soap is for the body, tears are for the soul." Jewish proverb

So much more to say, but I will save it for another day.

Love you all!

Jer

Oh...the Queso...with a capitol Q!!!

Well, this morning started early and I didn't sleep much, so I was tired. In fact, I had three alarms set this morning and I somehow turned off all three of them and fell back asleep. Thank God for Hwy 75 morning traffic!!! Up and out by 6:45 to drive up to the hospital for the scan. Made it with time to spare (don't worry mom...traffic was light, yeah, I couldn't believe it either)! Got right in. They walked me in and had me lay down on the scanner. I forgot to get a photo, so I found one on the internet.

(There was supposed to be a big picture of a plastic donut shaped machine here, but it won't show up now, so you get this lame description instead.)

They had me lay down on the plastic stretcher, which by the way was actually pretty comfortable. I ended up laying on it for almost 3 hours. And when I said I was cold they brought out a blanket that had been in a heated box. Wow!!! I may have to plan to have my own blanket warmer someday!!! The stretcher raised up and the two arms enveloped me like a pair of tongs. They lowered the top one to what seemed millimeters from my nose and explained that I needed to stay still. My only response was "Can I sleep?" Unfortunately, the machine is a loud machine! So no sleep, but it was nice to just lay there with my eyes closed. I figured I would eventually go through the machine, but no. The two arms, starting at my head, scrolled down to my feet and then returned to my head. I think that one was a 45 minute test. Then they mentioned doing one more, don't quite remember it as well as the first one. The testing lady came in and adjusted things for another short test. Then she returned and said she would take the scans to the doctor and would return shortly. When she returned, she said the doctor wanted more scans, so another hour or so of testing. This time, the two floating arms focused on my neck area and did a complete 360 around my head, yet it took 45 minutes to do that. Then, to my surprise, the stretcher started moving and I went into the donut for a CT scan. Finally I came out of the scanner and they said I was done. I should get the results later this week, so now is the waiting game.

I left the hospital and headed straight to work. I also started my medication back except at a height dosage. My new doc had given me samples that would last until I see him in 6 weeks. I got to work and was greeted by my coworkers eager to say hello and welcome me back. As I updated them on the past week, I mentioned to them that I wanted to have the queso from Matt's, called the Bob Armstrong dip.

It is probably one of the best queso dishes to have ever been created. It is the perfect blend of ground beef, queso, guacamole, and sour cream in a bowl. You mix those ingredients and...a taste of Heaven!!! Here are a few photos of sheer pleasure!

Unbelievably good! Once the work day was over, I attempted to find a local laundromat as all the clothes, sheets, towels, and anything I used during the week that could be washed, needed to be washed. Finally found one, but didn't have time to do the laundry, so tomorrow after work, I will be at the laundromat washing and studying for class. Well, it's after midnight and I am exhausted! Good to see people, hug them, and say hello in person! God is good!

Goodnight!

Jeremy

Counting down to a bowl of queso...mmmmm...good!

Well, two more days, then I can enjoy the foods I have missed for so long. This hasn't been too bad of an experience. I haven't seen a person since 11 am on Monday, so tomorrow I think I will venture to the front porch to do some studying. I have felt OK over the past week. Much more tired than I thought. Wednesday, the area around where my thyroid used to be swelled up and has remained that way. That was explained to me that that would probably happen, so on Wednesday, I described it as that I can no longer see my Adam's apple. I know many of you have wondered, "so what is it like to have radiated iodine in your body?" Well, let's see...for me, my taste buds taste less. I have to suck on lemon drops to try to get any radiation out of the saliva glands. My appetite is down which is a good thing as I have gained about 15 pounds over the past weeks. I do have to be honest and say that I was not glowing. That would have been cool, but nope, didn't happen. Mostly this week I spent my time on the computer working online, catching up on email, studying, reading, watching some movies and TV. It has been an interesting experience to say the least. thanks to those friends and family that called to check in on me. It was always nice to chat. I am sorry I didn't get to catch everyone. I have greatly improved my cooking skills, so I may have to invite some of you over when I get back to normal for a home cooked meal. Who knows, maybe the family will let me fix a dish for the holiday get togethers.

Like I said, two more days and then on Monday, I will head in to have the body scan and once that is done, start my meds and can eat those prohibited items. I have started to hallucinate giants bowls of queso and ice cream, so Monday will be a GOOD day indeed!

That's all for today. Catch up with you later! Thanks for your prayers, calls and messages. They really have encouraged me.

Blessings,

Jeremy

Glowing like a neon light...

Well, today was radiation day. How exciting! I mean, I could plug in my refrigerator, laptop, and tv, and power them from the remnants of my thyroid. Who knows...maybe I could also be a night light at the local airport too. Anyway, I arrived at the hospital around 8am and checked in. The nurse called me back and they took a blood draw to see how my TSH levels, kidney's, and white blood cells were. Then back to the waiting room. About 1 1/2 hours later, they called me back for a consultation on the procedure, paperwork to sign, etc. Then they brought me to the nuclear doctor who went back through everything one more time. Then...radiation time. I had been under the impression that it was a drink, but instead it was a pill. The guy helping me sat me down, copied all my paperwork and gave me a copy. He left for a few minutes. I noticed that there were three cups of water on the counter next to me. He walks in with white jar about the size of a large can of facial cream. When he placed it on the table, it landed with a thud sound. It was a lead lined container and pretty heavy from what he said. For the size of the jar, I was surprised that it only had enough space to hold the single pill for my treatment. Along with the container, he also brought a Geiger counter. Yes...Geiger counter. Now I was thinking this was pretty cool. He removed the pill, actually he poured the pill from the container in to a cup and then handed me the cup. I took the pill and drank two cups of water. He then took the Geiger counter and starting at my neck, started to search up and down my chest for the location of the pill. You could hear the clicking noise like on tv shows when they use one. He then asked me to wait for another five minutes and then I could go. He handed me one more glass of water, used the Geiger one more time to see if it had reached my stomach. He stepped out, so I quickly took a snapshot with my camera phone.

He then showed me the way out, and I left wondering how would I explain my condition if I were to get in a wreck or get a speeding ticket..."I am sorry officer, but you need to step back from the window as I am emitting radiation waves." That would be a cool story if it had happened.

Once I got home, I started emailing, texting, and letting folks know the latest on treatment. Well, that's the gist of things for now. I'll try to keep the blog updated...better than I have in the past!

Blessings,

Jeremy

The final countdown

Well, two weeks of the no-iodine diet are almost up. It has flown by fairly quickly. The food has been good minus the items I can't have. Fresh fruit and vegetables everyday...probably the first time since leaving home that I have had the full recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables. The recipes have been easy and good. I have been cooking for myself for some time, but almost every meal, I think I kinda like this. I have realized that I need a dishwasher SO bad! I empathize with the victims of Top chef and Hell's kitchen. I am cooking for me, they are cooking for everyone else.

The first week of the diet, I felt pretty good. I rather thought my energy level would drop off pretty quick, but that didn't really happen. Then a week passed, and Sunday I felt a bit odd. Monday hit and wow did I feel tired. Not so tired I couldn't function, but I could tell I was hypo (that is low thyroid). Everyday feels a little different. Somedays energy is good, some days...I could fall asleep standing. Incredible to think how a small little organ can produce so much. God really knew what he was doing when he created man!

Monday marks the day of Radiation! I guess it will be to late to make that my Halloween costume. I still have to confirm tomorrow for sure that Monday is the day, but I will take the drink or whatever it is, and I think drive home and then lock the door for a week until the following Monday. At that point, I will go in for a full body scan and then back to a normal diet. I got real tickled tonight, as I have class on Tuesday nights with this night being our last class. As I was driving home I started to think of ice cream and how easy it would be to stop by Wild About Harry's and get a small cup of custard. Then I started to think what would be the first thing I would eat on that Monday when freedom returns. All I could think of was a giant bowl of queso and an even bigger bowl of salted chips. I better stop talking about food or I might just get myself in trouble.

Today was also blood draw day. I guess they need to see if I am low enough in the iodine area for treatment. I have been thinking also about what will I do for the week in isolation. My dad called and said to get him a list of movies for him to gather for me. Also, there is studying for a test I have to take online next week. Books and notes to read for another class. I will work online from home also as I can use the laptop and cell phone. I also think alone time in studying the word of God is needed. My dad mentioned to me that this could be a good time for my own wilderness experience away from the world, except that is hard to do when you are right next to HWY 75/Central Expressway. Sirens, car brakes, car crashes all day long. We'll see what I can get done.

Sorry, this was a boring post, but I assure you something exciting will happen one way or another. Good night and God bless!

Jeremy

The Diet Begins...

Sunday started the next stage in this saga with cancer. I have stopped taking my medication and started the No-Iodine Diet. Sounds good, eh? Well...it's quite the work to say the least. My mother was gracious enough to spend the weekend with my sister and nephew and try some of the recipes from the No-Iodine Diet. She reported one success and one failure. Oatmeal cookies, great. Muffins...very bad. I, too, have taken up some cooking attempts with this diet. It's amazing what common day foods contain iodine. I have cooked more in the past two weeks (and I am sure in the next 3 weeks) than I have in the last year. No eating out for three weeks, which isn't that bad. I can save some money. I have already learn that I don't read the directions all that well. Made a loaf of bread and misread the water content...too much water so I thought I will just add more flour and other ingredients. Next thing you know the dough was coming out of the machine. I grabbed a bunch of the dough and mad a dough ball. Closed the machine on the remaining dough and let it do its' thing. The next morning I pulled the loaf out and it was soaking wet, granted it was baked, but wet. Nasty!!! Tossed it and started another. Yesterday, I spent 3 hours making hummus. I guess you learn from experience... I cooked the full amount of garbanzo beans and it took 1 1/2 hours to boil it. I boiled so much water, that all of my windows fogged up and there was a fog in the house for a few hours after that. Great hummus though!

This diet does take a lot of preparations, and that is exhausting. Still working on the menu for lunch as I think ever day this week I will end up having a PB&J sandwich. The hummus and veggies definitely make up for the lack of cheese and meat! I must say that this diet does make you eat a bit more healthy as I can only have egg whites and only small portions of meat each day. This could be a good thing!

Three days down, eighteen more to go!

Great news, my sister saw had a test, and she does not have thyroid cancer!

Thanks for your continued prayers.

Blessings,

Jeremy

Diet preparation week...oh what fun!?!

Greetings friend! I hope this posting finds you well. This will be a short one until I find some time to sit down and really write. You will be happy to know that no more emotional breakdowns or hot flashes for me! Shortly after that episode, I took a long weekend and went fishing with a friend down on the coast, and boy did we have some fun fishing! The day before we left was the day I had my appointment with the endocrinologist. Wow! This has to be the best doctor visit I have ever had. This doc sat down and visited with me for over an hour about the whole cancer event, what is to come, and even sat through the details of the fishing trip to come. Good doctor!!! So...here is what is to come...I started the day after the doctor visit to take a different thyroid medication. It is a short term med taken twice a day. On Sunday, October 18, I will stop taking the medicine and start a three week long diet with low- to no-Iodine. Sounds like fun eh? I will not be able to have any foods that have high iodine content. That actually affects many foods I like. No seafood, no iodized salt, milk and products from milk, salty food, commercially made bread, no pizza, no chili, no Chinese food, and no rhubarb...does anybody eat that?

This week will be my practice week for recipes for the diet. There is a 90+ page cookbook provided by a thyroid support website with recipes for foods. I have already started to try some of these out, well at least one. I made homemade bread in a bread maker a friend let me borrow. Boy was it good! Here's a photo of my fist loaf. I am mourning many items that I will miss out on. Seafood, milk products, and no fast food...I may start to cry...not really. This week will also be the last ditch attempt at eating all the things prohibited on the list...I may even try some rhubarb.

Once I have completed the first two weeks of the diet, then on Nov. 2, I will have the radiation treatment. I will go to the hospital and take a drink cocktail of radioactive iodine. I will then go home and will be isolated for the next week from physical contact with people. I will not be able to leave my house or see people for the week. This is where the diet will come in kinda hard. I have a few folks that have said they will make some of the recipes from the recipe book and freeze them for me to use during the week. From what I have read, there will be some specific things I will have to do while the radiation is in me, such as bag clothes I wear, flush the commode 2-3 times after use, change the sheets nightly. This is apparently to remove any residual radiation that I may give off. I will continue to work during the week from home. When the week is over, on Nov. 9, I will have the body scan. Following the scan, I will immediately start the my medication and can start to have the no-iodine items again! I will say that that Monday will be a day to celebrate and finding an all you can eat seafood restaurant!!! Six weeks after the scan, I will see the endocrinologist again to see if the meds I will be taking are at the right dosage. I am very happy that for Thanksgiving and Christmas, I can eat the family cookings!!!

That's all for today. Thanks again for you prayers! Also, please pray for my sister. She went to the doctor recently, and she has an issue with her thyroid as well.

Blessings,

J

It's been awhile and lots to say!

Well, it has been quite awhile since I have written. I apologize for not keeping up with the blog like I wanted to. Work, school, life and many other things have kept me from updating, so I will do my best to update more often. I think the best idea right now is for me to post a few times over the next week to fill you in on how my life has been.

The last time I wrote, which now that I look at the blog, was almost a month ago. So... lets catch you up from that writing. We'll start with right after the last blog.

The last posting ended with my return to work and the "grandma" of the office escorting me from the office premises. Since that experience "grandma", Mrs. Pat, and myself have become quite the friends! Mrs. Pat has been a great support during this time as she always checks up on me to see how I am doing. Now, many of you know that I work in an office that is predominately women. There are two other guys that work in my office, and they are almost never at the office. I tend to be the receiver of any aggression or fun joking as the women vent about life. Well, I was able to provide them with a well deserved laugh once I safely returned to work.

A little over two weeks after the surgery, I felt good as I was back in the swing of things at work and school. I found myself able to stay fairly active exercising with friends through some tennis, biking, and some jogging. I started to notice that about mid afternoon I would get tired. I found myself yawning more and looking for something to get my energy up. At first, I looked for food, and that didn't help. I got up and walked around some, and that didn't help either. I then realized that my medicine was at the same dosage as it was from surgery. After surgery, they gave me a certain dosage that is normal for right after surgery. I would need to see if I could get my medicine dosage increased. I also knew that this probably wouldn't happen until after I was to see the endocrinologist in a couple of weeks. I told myself, "Just a couple of weeks of this and we'll get the medicine worked out, you can hold out to then." That seemed like a great rationale for the time being, or so I thought...

I specifically remember the day and time that it happened. I didn't know what to do, and I didn't want to call my family or they would get worried. I didn't want to call my friends because they had already helped me so much, I didn't want to ask for more from them. One of my friends not in Dallas ended up being the right person at the right time.

Here's the story...

It was a Wednesday afternoon. The mid afternoon tiredness was kicking in, and I was looking for some leftover tidbit in the refrigerator with no luck. As I returned to my office, I decided to text a friend of my, Lyndee, who used to be a co-worker that had started a new chapter in her life by going back to school. She was having a rough time adjusting back to school, work, and a new city. I sent a text asking how her third week at school had been. After texting, I got busy and forgot that I had sent the text. I went on with the afternoon working and doing my thing. Work was over, so I headed home. I remember as I was driving, I was feeling a bit strange. Nothing that I could describe at the time or even describe in detail now. I arrived at my house and walked in, dropped my bag on the floor, checked the mail, and turned on the light. I turn the A/C off during the day, so the house was pretty warm. I walked to the couch and sat down, and just as I sat down...it happened.

As it happened, I looked around in disbelief. For some reason (and I know most of the women who will read this will know what I am describing) I started to cry for no reason! As I sat there, I remember saying out loud, "What is going on? Why am I crying? Nothing bad happened today, and I am just sitting on the couch!" I thought to myself, 'Is this what it is like to be a woman?'

I looked around my house and was thinking, 'Oh my, I cannot tell my family about this or they will want to come stay with me. Who can I talk to about this?' Within seconds of this thought, my text notification goes off. I dry my eyes, click on the text, and wouldn't you know it...my friend Lyndee responded to my text. I immediately texted her back to see how she was doing, and it turned into a frenzy of text joking with each other. As we were texting, I thought, 'God, did you have Lyndee text me at this time to help me?' So, I texted her that for some reason I cried today...and no response. I immediately thought back to the years we worked together and realized...of all my coworkers, Lyndee was one that I did not share the deep down feelings with. My thoughts were, 'Oh, crap...I just freaked Lyndee out!' As that thought and others raced through my mind, my phone lit up like a Christmas tree and started ringing. It was Lyndee, and she was checking on me. (Side note: Lyndee, she is a dear friend and is one of the most sarcastic persons I have ever met. She and another former coworker, Julie, made it a mission to give me a hard time, and loved to play pranks on me, and of course I never gave it back to them...well maybe I did.) As I answered the phone, the first words out of my mouth were "Of all the people in the world to tell them I am crying, you would be the last, because my crying will somehow come back to haunt me." Lyndee immediately responded and said "Jeremy, I was in the middle of class when you texted me you were crying. I can't text you back about that, I had to call to check on you." For the next 20 minutes, I asked her if this is what it feels like to be a women, and we laughed the entire time. Thanks for giving me some more insight into what women deal with! Oh yeah, I left out the story of me having hot flashes too! Let me tell you, I went a week or so thinking something was very wrong with me after crying and having hot flashes. Fortunately, the Thyroid Cancer support website lists those as possible side affects of the surgery. I feel more like a man today than I ever have, but I do have a better perspective about what you ladies have to deal with! I told this story to some coworkers at our corporate office, and they were on the floor in stitches (they were all women, and one was visiting from Ethiopia), and one of the went on to explain to me, that when I see a women crying for no reason...leave her alone and don't ask why she is crying. Now I know!

I will try to post again on Sunday and update you on the doctor visit, fishing trip, and continuing treatment plan!

On a side note, one blessing from this experience is that several people have informed me that my situation has encouraged them to go see their doctor for a checkup! In fact, my sister visited her doctor, and they have discovered some issues with her thyroid as well. Please pray for her as they do some of the same testing to determine this issues with her thyroid and for a peace for her family during this time!

Blessings,

Jeremy

A return to normalcy...part 2?

My Thursday night class is a little better than I thought it would be. With all the snacks and such that I brought this week, I stayed awake, and the lecture was much more enjoyable and fruitful for application. In fact, we raced through the book of 1 Samuel. There is a lot of good stuff in there that is very relevant to today in our global community. It is amazing to see just how patient David was after being anointed as the king of Israel. Saul, the first anointed King of Israel, pursued and tried to kill David many times to keep David from the throne. David, throughout Saul's pursuit of him, was faithful to God's promise to be the next king and never tried to take the throne himself by force. He had so much love for God, love for the king, and for the king's son Jonathan, that he waited for God to bring him to the throne.

As we studied that story, it reminded me how patient I need to be with regard to returning to work. Yes, the FMLA story continues from the last posting to this one. And again, I have to find humor in this situation. I also have to thank God for allowing humorous situations while dealing with this cancer and the steps I have to go to while trying to rid my body of it.

First, I want to acknowledge and say thank you to the many members of Porch Club from Camp Sanguinity! If any of you are reading this blog, the years of sitting up late after the kids went to bed and telling stories, jokes, and pranks (sorry Vance) have prepared my humor to deal with many situations with laughter and a smile. I do think of you often when I think about or deal with the cancer issues! Thank you for giving me the ability to laugh in the moments of darkness! Sander, Webb, Robert, and many others, I have opened my mailbox very slowly everyday expecting a thyroid, or some other body part, to be in my mailbox with a funny note attached! Thank God it hasn't really happened!

I find humor in alot of things, so this one story continues. I think I left off last time about sweet Pat escorting me from the premises, and finally returning when I got a note from the surgeon saying I could go back to work. I still laugh at that thinking of High School and walking the halls without a hall pass...gotta laugh at those days!

Anyway, since that last posting, sweet Pat has asked me everyday about the FMLA papers. Everyday I have called my doctor, and of course I end up leaving a message for the nurse. She eventually calls me back and says she will get them to me. Well, here is where the story moves to the humorous side. I called everyday this week, and the Corporate office called Pat everyday to ask her where the papers were, and of course she asked me, and I asked the nurse. I have a hard copy of the papers in my desk, actually the originals in my desk, and everyday I called I would pull them out and look at them, 4 pages I think, and would say to myself, "I could fill these out myself and go have the doctor fill them out." The papers say your doctor must fill these out, so of course I would just call and ask if they were done. Well...Tuesday afternoon, I get a call from the nurse and she says, "Jeremy, I have placed these papers on your doctors desk with a note that he needs to fill them out asap. He will fill them out first thing Wednesday morning." I was like, Great! Finally! Great idea, but it didn't happen. Here is where I started to laugh, a little. I also started to get a little frustrated. Wednesday afternoon, the nurse calls me back, and of course I am thinking, "she forgot the fax number, so she is calling me." No! The nurse informs me that the doctor has told her that I need to come in and sit with her to fill out the papers! Of course, I was immediately ready to get this done and over with, but I had to leave work early to go fill out the papers that the doctor was supposed to fill out!!! At first I was a bit livid. I was thinking, ok my doctor can feel a bump and say go get this test and that test, you have cancer, let's get it out. Then we have to fill out some paperwork and he says no, the patient needs to fill it out! Maybe we do have some issues with out healthcare system.

So I get to the doctors office, the nurse comes and gets me, (please note that the nurse is still the fill-in for my nurse on vacation, so she has no idea who I am or experience with my medical history) sits me in an examination room and begins to ask me the questions, like...when did the doctor discover the problem? I don't know about you, but I would expect medical professionals to document the date that they felt a lump and the ordering of tests. No, they had no clue! Just before I left the office, I printed out an email I had sent to a doctor friend that outlined the timeline of events from the first doctors visit to the return to work (well the pseudo-return to work). As we went through the questions, this is exactly what the nurse needed, but also, there were questions asked that I had no business answering as they were for my doctor to answer. I left the doctors office wondering if I should continue to stay with this doctor if he couldn't even fill out this paperwork! But in the end, I realized he did feel the bump and was proactive in diagnosis, so I figure I should give him a break...

Well...maybe I shouldn't. The story continues!!! Thursday comes around, and before I left the doctors office, the nurse told me she would have the doctor sign the papers and would fax them over to our office. I took it on faith that the papers would be faxed on Thursday. I truly forgot to follow up on Thursday until wonderful Pat came by near the end of the day to ask about the papers. Of course when she asked, I was in shock the papers were not there. So I picked up the phone and called the office to ask for the nurse. Pat headed back to her office while I spoke to the nurse. The nurse explained that the doctor was just returning from lunch...this was near 3:00 in the afternoon...and that she would leave the papers on his desk with a note to sign them. I had just hung up the phone when Pat came back to my office. I was smiling thinking, ok, this paperwork thing is over finally. Well...Pat, in her kindest grandma voice, says, "Jeremy, the Corporate office just called and said if the papers are not here by 5:00pm Friday, you could lose your job." WHAT!!!!!!!!! My eyes grew bigger than grapefruits, and my jaw dropped to the ground. I was in utter shock. I picked up the phone as fast as I could and dialed the doctors office. When the receptionist answered, I, as kindly and as patiently as I could, asked her to take a message and deliver it to the nurse asap. I told her, "Please take this message to my nurse, if I don't have the papers signed and to my office by 5:00pm today, Thursday, my Corporate office says I could lose my job." The receptionist replied, "Oh my, I will get this to your nurse right now." I hung up the phone and told Pat to stay by the fax machine. Then for the next 10-15 minutes, I was alone in my office praying and talking to myself. Next to the surgeon telling me I might lose my voice, this was the most stressful time of this whole experience. I was talking to God about what was going on. I kept saying to myself..."hmm, I could get fired because of the program that is supposed to protect my job." I was livid for those 10-15 minutes. So many thought went through my mind. I was not a happy camper, as we would say at camp. Those 10-15 minutes passed by and suddenly Pat bust through my doorway, hands in the air with one hand clasping newly faxed papers. I thought she was Rocky running up the stairs next to the statue from Rocky 2 (I think it was Rocky 2). I, too, joined her in the celebratory dance probably for 5-10 minutes of dancing and thanking God!!! Needless to say, I was still a bit angry with the Corporate office and with the doctors office, so I left work and went straight home. I wasted no time and threw on my running clothes and took off. I ran my usual route and knocked 6-7 minutes off my best time. I felt so good afterwards, that I started to laugh about the whole FMLA paperwork thing.

I am happy to say that all the paperwork is in place and seems to have settled so I can work without problems. One great lesson I have learned is...I will never use FMLA again!

I have been amazed by the number of humorous and interesting experiences I have seen through this medical issue. I am thankful for a healing God, loving friends and family, and a good sense of humor!

Besides the drama that unfolded this past week, I feel pretty good. I do sense some tiredness in the middle of the day, but I still feel good. I meet my endocrinologist on September 17, less then two weeks away. I think at that point, I'll get a better understanding of the next steps with radiation and diet.

I would ask for your prayers as I meet this new doctor. That he would be a good one and that he will fill out paperwork on time! Ha,Ha. Please also pray for my patience as my voice is not back to normal. I love to sing, and I still can't really carry a tune at this point.

J

A return to normalcy...sort of

It's been over a week since I posted last, and I seem to be doing pretty good. I spent the weekend visiting with family and friends in Waco. It was such a shot of joy to see them, tell stories, laugh, and even do a bit of exercise! I took my mom's cocker spaniel out for a run, or should I say she took me for a run. It was a nice break form the lounge chair or couch a TV. I forgot how hot it gets in Texas. Not the best idea to go running in the middle of the day. If something had happened, I am glad to share the dog would have eventually pulled my body to the house! The visit with my friends was a real joy. One of my dearest friends was celebrating his eldest daughter and son's birthday party, so I stopped by for a visit and was able to catch up with some other dear friends from college that even sent me a cookie bouquet, well actually two bouquets, as the delivery person delivered it to the wrong house, and when the home owner found it, the bouquet had (and I mean this literally) melted and the cookies, which were still edible, had fallen off of the sticks and broken into pieces to some degree. The company redelivered the next day a new one with a balloon! What great friends! My weekends in Waco are never complete until my great friends and brothers get together for a 3-4 hour session of Rock Band. It is non-stop fun, and was a great healing dose of love before returning to the real world. I was glad to leave Waco when I graduated college, but now it is sometimes hard to leave with the family and friends who live their lives there now.

I have a hilarious story, well at least to me hilarious about getting back to work. I started back to work on Monday, and it was kind of a slow day as I was getting back to returning phone calls, and trying to catch up on emails from my absence. There was a short meeting at a facility not far from my office to inform some of the employees about supplemental insurance options for us. After the meeting, I returned to my building and office, when I was asked about my FMLA papers (FMLA is the Federal Medical Leave Act). My time off was under this, so I have to have paperwork filled out by my doctor to get my leave approved. It had not been completed, so I left a message with my doctors nurse about the paperwork, and did not get a call back. The rest of the day went fine. Ok, here comes the funny part. I returned on Tuesday to the office and as I walked in, I noticed that we were having a staff meeting, so I ran to my office to grab a pen and paper for the meeting. As I walked in, I was intercepted by our office Administrator Pat. Pat is like the worlds best grandmother! She is so sweet and full of wonderful stories. Well, Pat quickly pulled me from the meeting and asked if I had a note from my doctor to return to work. I immediately assumed she meant the paperwork to be filled out. I said I had not heard back from the nurse. She said, she was sorry, but I could not be at work. I gave her a confused look and ran to my office to call the nurse. When I phoned, I asked for my nurse, and the receptionist informed me that my nurse was out of town for the week, and left me another nurses name and transferred me to he voice mail. I left an urgent message for the nurse to call me back. As soon as I finished, Pat came in with a sad but serious look on her face. She said, "I am sorry Jeremy, but you will have to leave the premises immediately. You cannot be at the office until we have a note from your doctor saying you can return to work." At first I was shocked, and then I got mad. I was like what the heck is going on. Again, Pat said someone from the Corporate office had just called and said I had to leave the building right now. I was mad at this point. I was thinking, I don't want to go back home and sit on the couch or recliner anymore. I want to work, but they won't let me work. As I walked out, Timeka, our office assistant at the front door was confused at me leaving as I had just come in. I was thinking, "I am getting escorted out of the building!" I left the office and was pretty upset. I drove home fuming, then a thought popped in my head...You just got escorted out of the building by the grandmother of the office. At the point, I started chuckling, then it broke into a giggle, and then into full on laughter by the time I reached the house. I finally got home, and quickly realized I could call the surgeon. I reached his nurse, and she said she would be happy to write me a note. Well, within an hour, Pat called me and said I could come back to work. Now it is a pretty funny topic for the office as I 'claim' to have been escorted from the office by Pat the sweetest, kindest grandmother ever. After that, everything was fine at the office.

I also started back to school this week. I have two classes, one is Old Testament history, 1 Samuel to Ecclesiastes. The second is Angelology, Harmiotology, and Anthropology. It has been a year or more since I have sat in a class. I have been taking online classes, and I am so excited to be back in a classroom with people around me to talk to. I can't tell you the number of times I dreaded being online watching video and reading someones paper. Unfortunately, the Old Testament class will be a hard class to NOT sleep through as the professor is very monotone. Good, applicable information, but presentation is missing quite alot. The second class will be the highlight of the year! This professor is amazing and exciting, and he loves what he is teaching, so it may be hard to finish all he wants to talk about. It should be good.

Overall, I am feeling pretty good. I was able to be pretty active this past week. I rode the bike a couple of times, ran some, and even played tennis with some good friends. I am seeing a bit more of tiredness during the middle of the day, but for the most part, I feel full of energy and excited about what is ahead. The only strange thing for me is that I still cannot sing, and I feel like I have something stuck in my throat. Thankfully, many people remind me that it has only been two weeks since the surgery, so I cannot expect to be back exactly where I was before all of this.

Once again, I want to thank all of you for your prayers, cards, thoughts, messages, texts, and support throughout this time. I can literally feel the prayers affecting me everyday! I will do my best to write more frequently as time allows. Blessings!

J

So what's next, doc?

It's been a few days since I have posted. I did intend to write earlier this week, but wanted to wait until today as I had my follow up appointment with the surgeon. Not long after updating the photos of pre- and post- operation photos on Tuesday, I was updated by the surgeon on the pathology report. I'll get to that in a minute. After surgery as I was waking up in my room, and slipping in and out of consciousness waiting on my wonderful cup of jello, I overheard conversations from family and friends about the surgery and the surgeon's impression of the cancer. I caught bits and pieces of statements like, 'Thyroid looked good', 'it didn't look cancerous', and others very similar. Even as the doctor checked on me right before I left the hospital, I think he said the thyroid looked healthy. For some reason, I took that to mean that the nodule on the thyroid was cancerous and there was a strong possibility that the thyroid was not cancerous. I was feeling pretty good that surgery took care of everything! Well, that got squashed on Tuesday evening. The surgeon called and gave me the findings of the pathology report. The thyroid was cancerous, and I will need to take a radioactive iodine cocktail to kill off any remaining thyroid cells in my body. That was not the news I was looking for. I was pretty bummed! Fortunately, my good friends Andi and Adam were available for a nice dinner to encourage me after that news. I was hoping to not have to have radiation of any kind. The doc also commented that I would need to start my care under an endocrinologist, so he and my personal doctor set me up with a new doc. For some reason as I started to think about this, I started to feel like a football. I felt like I was being passed from doctor to doctor, or quarterback to running back with a lateral to the receiver, etc. Anybody else felt that way about your medical care???

Anyway, today I met with the surgeon, and he checked the incision site to see how it was healing, and he said it looked good. I promise, it's not very pretty, so it doesn't look good to me, but at least it doesn't hurt to swallow now! After checking the site, I started to bombard him with questions. What stage is it in? Has it spread? What about the body scan? What about this radioactive stuff? He was very gracious to answer all my questions! Spreading is a possibility, but they cannot tell at this point as it would be on the microscopic level. Body scan would be something my new doctor would do. The radiation bit would be a cocktail of radioactive iodine that, in his words, 'is like a smart-bomb.' Thyroid cells are the only cells that process iodine, so this cocktail would only kill thyroid cells and does not affect other cells or systems of the body. Boy was that a relief to hear!

Overall, I feel pretty good. My energy level feels similar to pre-op levels. I even want to start exercising again. I will start back to the office next week. That's all for this post. Thank you again for all of your prayers during this time! I definitely still need them, so please keep 'em coming! Love you all!

J

In my haste to post yesterday, I forgot to post the photo of my surgeon. So many of folks have called or emailed that experience is key in the surgery I was to face, so here is a photo of the surgeon, and please feel free to give me your input on what you would think after you saw him! By the way, he was an EXCELLENT surgeon, and one of my nurses said he is her favorite surgeon and she felt he does the best job of any surgeon she has worked with. That was very encouraging to hear. I have also included a few photos pre and post surgery. Thanks again for your prayers. I am scheduled to meet the surgeon at the end of the week, so I think that is when I will get the results of the pathology report. Love you all!

J

This is Fatama. She is from Guinea. She helped with the pre-surgery stuff. She was a blessing to know!

This is Terri. She was one of the main nurses to check me in and prep me for surgery. Very nice and sweet.

This is Chae. She was the final nurse to care over me and oversaw my checkout. She was one of the kindest nurses, and gave high marks to my surgeon.

Alright...ready for the surgeon???

Hands as soft as butter and not a tremor to be felt in his handshake! Thank you Lord for a good surgeon!

Can't sing, but I can talk!

Good morning and welcome to the Roost. I had hoped to write some yesterday, but it didn't happen. Today I just want to catch you up on how recovery is going and how thankful I am for each one of your prayers! It has been an incredible journey, and it's not over. I never would have thought a simple doctors examine would have such life changing results, but I am thankful that he was so proactive in figuring this out!

The past few days have been lazy but good. Several coworkers and friends have stopped by to visit, offer food, or just hang out with me. Thanks! All of your prayers, phone calls, messages, etc. have been so uplifting. I have seen Christ in the words, actions, and hugs from everyone during this journey!

I have been very surprised by the low pain I have experienced! From past surgeries, pain has been terrible. I believe I have only had to have pain medication once or twice during the entire time, and that has mostly been tylenol. Right now the most painful part of this has been swallowing, thanks to the breathing tube, and the soreness of the muscles around my neck. I may try to venture out today for a walk or even a movie.

Several friends have asked

about the experience at the hospital. I must say first that your prayers, they were answered for the most part! Many cute nurses attended my surgery needs, but they were all married. I was also surprised by how many nurses, technicians, and others from another country were part of this experience. I met some from Guinea, Kenya, the Phillipines, and even Ethiopia. It was a joy to be served by so many in a time of need. I have to say my time at Presbyterian Hospital was very nice, and the care was exceptional!

I will do my best to connect with each of you to thank you for your words of encouragement, prayers, cards, flowers, and the many containers of ice cream that fill my fridge! I have such great friends and family! You are all such a blessing to my life! I know I will never be able to thank you enough for everything that each of you did during this journey. I continue to ask for your prayers as I continue with this journey over the next few weeks until we know the final outcome and until we get the medications adjusted to the correct levels.

It looks like the poem I

posted on Wednesday didn't show up, so here it is again. It really is pretty funny.

I have a followup with the surgeon on Friday, and either that day or earlier, I should get results on the pathology report on the thyroid. Let's pray it was not cancerous!

I can't thank you enough for your thoughts and prayers! I love you all dearly!

J

Jambo sana!

Good morning buzzard fans. This will be a short update. I am home, got home yesterday around noon. Don't feel too good, but don't feel too bad. Rough night sleep, but that's to be expected probably for the next few days. Started the synthetic thyroid meds, throat hurts quite a bit mostly from the breathing tube. I kinda forget that surgery, anesthesia, pain meds, swollen tissue, and stitches mess you up, and take a while to get over. They will test the thyroid for cancer and I should know next week about radiation. It's good to be home!

Thank you to everyone that has been praying! I could feel your prayers! Our God is an awesome God, and he put all of the right people in the right place to take care of me during this experience. I was blessed to meet several nurses and technicians from Africa and Asia that were so kind, in fact I got to speak a little swahili with them. The nurses and doctors were exceptional at the hospital! I commend them for their quality of care!

That's all for now. Thanks for your messages, texts, calls, etc.! I love you all!

J

Party for a thyroid...it ain't your grandma's party!

I am a bit overwhelmed as I write this tonight, or is it morning. My last to friends left about 30 minutes ago after praying for me. Thanks Susan and Jennifer. Tonight was a great going away party! The food, fellowship, laughter, the thyroid cakes (thanks Andi), the t-shirt(can't stop laughing Alex and Jess), were great, but the best part for me was each friend that emailed, called, or came tonight to walk with me, to say they are praying for me. I am so humbled by each one of you. I can't thank everyone enough for their
words of encouragement, prayers, and even poems (I'll post that later in this). I love each one of you, and thank my God for you being a part of my life!

Sometimes in these moments of trials in our lives, we feel all alone. We wish that people would respond in a certain way to our situation and when it doesn't happen we feel like we are not loved or cared for. I admit at times during this journey, I have felt alone. And as soon as I felt that way, God sent an angel, one of you precious friends, to write an email, dial me up on the phone, or even stop by. Tonight was a house full of angels, as well as my email box and facebook wall was full of messages from angels. I would love to tell you about each of them, but for time sake, as I probably should be in bed trying to sleep, I want to tell you about one in particular that was an unexpected blessing. About a month ago, a week before visiting the doctor, I met a young man on one of my trips to Guatemala. His name is Santiago. This young man was one of the most eager youth on the trip. He jumped in and loved everything we did with the kids, and they loved him. After returning to the states, I received and email from his mom that he had a great time and wanted to go back to Guatemala. The same church had another trip planned two weeks after his first trip, and we arranged it so he could go. While he was on the trip, the team was informed of my diagnosis, and they began to pray for me. The team returned home and within a day or two, I received an email from Santiago's mom. She wrote that Santiago told her about my diagnosis and Santiago wanted to pass on a message. He said, 'Tell him I love him, I miss him, and I will be praying that God makes him completely OK." I was floored! Here was a youth I met three weeks ago on a trip, and he has faith that God will make me ok. WOW! Then to top that off, he has been following the blog. He saw that I was having the party and his mom emailed me to say they would like to stop by. They both came and brought some wonderful food from their family restaurant, and they stayed for most of the time and visited with my friends and coworkers. I was humbled beyond my own belief! He walked in, gave me a hug and said 'I am praying for you,' and was like a part of my family. Santiago, you are an angel, and you have lifted me up! Thanks brother!

It is getting REALLY late now, so I want to say so much about the party, but that will have to wait. I have a poem to share with you that a life-long friend sent me today. I have been sharing it with whomever I can (sorry party folks, I was enjoying my time tonight, and I forgot to share it with you). Thanks Kristen! I will be enjoying this for some time indeed!

Ode to My Missing Thyroid

Finally, I've got to share the cake and the t-shirt!

Thanks Andi for making 2 thyroid cakes and cupcakes! They were awesome! Who knows, I may freeze it and wait a year and have an anniversary party... You are a wonderful friend! I love you!

Thanks to Alex and Jessica for the t-shirt! This took me by surprise, no idea it was coming, and yes, I am wearing it to the hospital! And it was made even better that you put it in a Christmas bag!!! I love you guys!

Thank you to all of you who were not able to make it out. Thank you for your emails, texts, messages, and phone calls. You are all such great encourager's and angels to me! I love you all.

Now to bed. I'll try to write more before the hospital, if not, I will write when I am next able!

Blessings,

JC

Thyroid going away party...

Good news for you readers...this one will be short. It's late and I am tired!

First, some folks emailed me some questions, so I will try to fill in some details about the surgery.

The surgery will take about 2 hours and they will remove the entire thyroid and if any lymph nodes look bad, they will take those too. I will be in the hospital for one overnight, and then I am out of there. I do have my mother staying with me for a few nights. I will definitely contact some of you if I need help, or if I am really bored and need to get away! They will send the thyroid off to see if cancer was in more than just the nodule. If so, then I will have a radioactive iodine cocktail i will drink that will kill only any thyroid cells still left in my body. Then I get to figure out the amount of synthetic thyroid medicine i will need to take to get back to normal.

Ok, yesterday I wrote about a going away party, and was just kinda joking about that...well, some folks thought it was for real, so...THE PARTY IS ON!!! There will be the Thyroid Going Away Party at my house Wednesday night from 7-9. It's a stop and go party, so just stop in, grab some food visit and go when you want. I just ask for you to bring a drink, like soda, or something you like. We will have a thyroid shaped cake!!! I was even thinking of making a t-shirt with an iron on thyroid that says 'get me outta here!'

That's all for this posting. Please continue to pray for the listed requests. You all have been a great blessing to me in this journey!

Jer

How old is this surgeon?

Have you ever been to an amusement park and stood in line for four hours for the biggest, fastest, longest, coolest roller coaster ever? When you finally reach the cars to load, you get in the back car. You lock the shoulder restraints and raise your hands excited for the journey about to begin. When suddenly you look to your left and you see the coaster operator in his booth and you think, "Is that guy old enough to operate this thing? He must be 16 years old, and he is going to work the brakes of this coaster?" Your arms slowly start to lower, the excitement you felt turns to worry or even fear as you think, "Does this kid have the skills to do this? Can he reach the buttons for the ride?" Well, that is sort of how I felt when I went to meet the surgeon today, except the 'operator' was much older than my example. After filling out pages and pages of paperwork, the nurse ushered my mother, father, and myself into a treatment room. We passed the doctor in his office as the nurse led us in. I took a quick glance at him in the office and a small knot developed in my stomach. As the nurse closed the door, I quickly looked at my parents and whispered, "How old is this guy?" He looked like my grandfather. I am usually not one to make judgements on how someone looks, but in this situation, my anxiety overruled, and I started to get worried.

With thoughts of my grandfather fresh in my mind, all I could think of was the Parkinson's he suffered from near the end of his life, and the constant shaking of his hands. I immediately associated visions of the surgeon with shaky hands. Within a few minutes, the surgeon came in and was quick to introduce himself and shake my hand. Surprisingly, he had soft, strong hands with no hint of Parkinson's. One point for the surgeon, no points for Jeremy's anxiety. As most surgeons are, he was not the most personable doctor. He did a quick examination of the area around my thyroid and jumped straight to the details of the procedure. All was fine and dandy until he started to explain the risks of the surgery. First he spoke of low blood calcium, no big deal. Second he spoke of risks of hoarseness. This one bothered me. He said there were three possibilities of hoarseness: 1. general hoarseness from the removal of the breathing tubes 2. short term hoarseness from bruising of the vocal chords 3. long term hoarseness from severing the nerve for the vocal chords. As he described the long term hoarseness, he used a raspy whisper and said, "you will sound like this for the rest of your life." Ok...one point for Jeremy's anxiety, no points for the surgeon. He even spoke about the possibility of death, and that didn't bother me, as I was still imagining this raspy whisper. For those that know me well, you know that singing is a big part of my life, whether that's singing hymns or the short neck buzzard song. Now I wasn't feeling so good about this guy. Even score, so I was pretty apprehensive at this point.

We finished up our time with him with questions, in fact, mom had a list of questions, and he had answered them all. He thanked us and left the room. His nurse then asked about scheduling. I told her I would need to check my schedule and would call her with a few days to work with. We then left the office.

I will divert here for a moment away from the day to touch on the spiritual side of things. I told you in the last posting there would be more, so here is more. I have a devotional book of sorts from theologian John Stott. Some folks love Stott and others don't share the 'love' for him. This morning before the surgeon hoopla, I was reading one of the devotionals. Stott was writing about 'living in the real world of constant pain and pleasure.' He was using a passage from Ezra 3. He writes about the Israelites return from captivity from Babylon, and as they return, they begin to rebuild the temple. "when the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord...all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid." Ezra 3:10-11 In the following verses, Ezra 3:12-13, the author writes of the priests, Levites, and heads of households were crying for they had seen the previous temple and knew the new one would not compare. Some were shouting for joy while others were crying. Both emotions are valid and real, and both were happening at the same time. While one group was joyful to see the new temple was better than captivity, the other group wept as they compared the new temple to 'the glory of what once was.' So this is with everyone today. As people face situations with their jobs, marriages, families, and in my case this medical situation, they will have to choose how to respond. For me, I am 'captive' to this cancer. Soon I will be free from captivity and my body will not be the same as it once was. I can shout for joy that I am free from the cancer, or I can weep that my body is not the same as it once was, not as it was in the 'glory days of old.' I know which one I choose for my hope is in the Lord. Romans 8:28 (The Message) That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

So, back to the surgeon. Left the surgeons office, had a bite to eat with mom, and then went to the office. As I walked in, I saw a coworker outside at a porch table, so I went out. She asked me how the visit went. I told her about my apprehension. She immediately lifted me in prayer. That's what I needed. Thanks Jess! Well, about two hours later, I made the decision to schedule the surgery. Two awesome things happened after the decision. First, called the office and scheduled the surgery. The nurse called me back and....drum roll please....I get to sleep in before the surgery!!! Second, the office took an afternoon ice cream break and I got a cup of Mediterranean Sea Salt Caramel Gelato!!! The second greatest frozen dessert after Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream!

Sorry, I digress sometimes...surgery. Well, I got two good references for this surgeon and obviously he has experience, so at this point, I feel good about the surgeon.

Thursday, August 13th at 12:00pm at Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.

Prayer requests: Same ones as yesterday, plus pray for continued peace about this surgeon.

I'm thinking of having a going away party for my thyroid on Wednesday night. Any suggestions for themes?

JC

The past two weeks...

I'm sure most blogs start out this way...'Well I never done this blog thing before, so I thought I would try...' I guess that is how this one should start, but instead I will start with a Sunday school lesson.

In class to day, one of our class members was filling in for our regular teacher. The class had decided to collect subjects and ideas of topics discuss throughout the year. This particular Sunday was about forgiveness. The discussion was great and very engaging for the class. One particular story caught my attention as we discussed so many. Someone brought up the story of David and God's judgement on him for his adultery with Bathsheba. The judgement was for David, and Bathsheba, to lose the newborn child. As I thought about that story, I turned over and over in my mind the fasting and praying David went through for the time period that his child was alive. When God's judgement on David came to be, David got up, ate, cleaned himself, and went on with his duties as a father, husband, son, brother, king, etc. Someone in the class said David set an example of how we are to handle situations in our lives as Christians in such a manner as David. I see that I need to be ready to move on with what comes next with this experience I am facing, and with God's strength, I know I can.

With that being said, I too, realize that if God chooses to remove this cancer from my body before surgery or any other treatment needed, that He can do that and He will be glorified in doing so. I also realize that He may be choosing another way for this to be removed or manifested so that He is glorified in it. I pray that I am open to Him in this situation however he leads.

Ok...enough of the spiritual ramblings, there is plenty of time for that down the road...or so I hope. After trying to respond to so many people by email, I realized last night at 2:04 am that I may not be able to notify every friend individually like I want to. One of my coworkers said I should I should blog on a site so I would only have to update once and folks could check for themselves. I think that is a good idea, so here is my attempt at that. (Thanks to Mrs. Pat for that suggestion...I couldn't remember the name of the site, so I used this one.) So...here is my attempt to catch everyone up:

A little over two weeks ago, I was enjoying an upper respiratory infection, and Robitussin wasn't working. I called to see my doctor, and said I had this infection and might as well get a physical while I was there. I am not much for visiting doctors, so it had been about two years since I had a checkup. While getting the physical, the doctor felt a hard bump on my thyroid (who knew your thyroid was soft, much less hard). He said at my age it should be that way, so he ordered a couple of blood tests and an iodine scan at the hospital. You know how tests are at the hospital...you wait longer than the actual test is, so I got a pill, swallowed it, and went on with my day. The pill was an iodine pill with radiation. I returned the next day to lay in a machine while they took pictures of my thyroid followed by a machine with a small tube pointed at my throat and my thigh to measure the amount of iodine my thyroid was producing. The tests came back a day or two later, and the doctor called me in and said the test didn't tell him much, so he wanted me to get a needle biopsy. Well of course biopsy sends up the flags...something is wrong, so that began the frenzy of calls to and from friends and family to ask for prayers. I went in for the biopsy...which by the way took less time than it did to wait for the pill on the first test. Obama, where's my insurance card?!? Anyway, the biopsy went fast and relatively painless, and I overheard the technician say it would take about two days to get the results to my doctor. That was a Monday, so Wednesday no word. My boss at work was, and is, a pastor from time to time. He said in his experience, when the news takes longer, it is better news. So by the end of the day on that Wednesday, no word...then the phone rang as I was leaving the office. The nurse said the doctor wanted me in the next day...I knew it wasn't good. Thursday, August 6, I went to the doctor, and he says I have papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. He begins to explain that to have cancer, this is the best one to have...hmmm, not so reassuring as the word CANCER is in there, and no...it is not my astrological sign either! His recommendation was for me to have the thyroid removed, so that is where I am today. I will meet with a surgeon Monday morning to discuss the details and find a date to remove my thyroid.

Well, I thought that would be a quick synopsis, but it looks more like one of my papers from seminary. Anyway, that is the latest. The only thing I ask for right now are your prayers. Prayers for wisdom for the doctors, peace for me and my family, and that I would see God in this and what I can learn and share in this (and if you have room in your prayer for a cute nurse, that would be good too!).

J