Some people....

...will do anything for attention. Recently for me it's been my health, but not exactly the kind of attention I want! I find myself talking about my issues a lot the last couple of years and I never wanted to be that person... But, there's stuff going on that I can't hide from and it's caused a change in plans for us so here's the update:

I was working out a few weeks ago and felt like my airway was a little obstructed, so I started feeling around on my neck and noticed some swelling around my thyroid. So, went to the dr because that seems to be my main activity lately and she said I have a nodule on my thyroid and ordered some tests and labwork, etc... Had a thyroid ultrasound and uptake test Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday morning (quick, huh?) my doc called and said I needed to go have the nodule on my thyroid biopsied asap, so the surgeon said come right now (8:45 this morning). Turns out they don't do a needle biopsy, they treat it like a tumor and remove it then see what it is. So, instead of a cross country excursion next week, I'm having the nodule and possibly the right half of my thyroid taken out.

In other health news I also saw the reumatologist for my follow up and he's very 'suspicious' that I have an inflammatory disease in my spine based on 4 out of 5factors (pain, stiffness in am, genetic pre-disposition, eye inflammation, but blood test did not indicate inflammation in my body). So he suggested a trial of Remicaid which is an IV biologic that targets the TNF proteins and prevents inflammation. If it works then I have the disease, if it doesn't then it's something else. It's not exactly a short term treatment if it does work.

Also, visiting the doctor this week was LG with her ear drum issue. Doc said it looked like it was healing already and gave us some antibiotic ear drops just to make sure it doesn't get infected. Guess they usually heal pretty good and she doesn't seem bothered by it at all.

I'm trying not to stress out too much about the health issues but could sure use some prayers! It just feels like all bad stuff happens when J leaves. And he feels like he's missing all the good stuff! Sometimes I feel like our lives can be put on hold while he's gone, but they're not. Stuff happens, family members die, babies are born, people get sick, kids grow, they lose teeth, start walking, talking and life goes on but with a big hole in it...

Needless to say, our plans for the next few weeks have changed a bit. We are leaving tomorrow for my dad's wedding in NH and my sister and niece will come back here with us instead of all of us driving to CA together. Then depending on how everything goes, Katrina will fly back or we'll drive. Kids were really looking forward to visiting with their friends in KS and their cousins on the West Coast, but they were pretty good about it especially when I told them Devon would be staying at our house for a little while. I better get some sleep so I can drive to Boston tomorrow...

Almost forgot my bright sides:
My sister is coming!
I only had to pack for the weekend instead of the whole summer!
I've had a wonderful babysitter the last couple of weeks!
I've great friends and neighbors who help look out for me and my kids!
We're going to have a great weekend in a part of the country we've never been in and meet a bunch of new people!