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