Post Triumph Recovery

It's been almost 3 months now since I last posted.  My goodness has so much happened.

Our first Texas Lyme walk was a success and I reached my goal!  I had quite a support group show up to walk with me in the freezing cold on a Saturday morning that required us to get up before the sun.

We went on our cruise in February. Yes we were on the ill-fated Carnival Triumph that was stranded in the Gulf of Mexico for 5 long days.  The poop ship, the turdtanic, the floating petri-dish. The first part of the cruise was a blast.  The second was an experience.

Our Bedroom and Neighbors

Needless to say, I surprisingly was healthy as possible during that time.  I happened to take all of my medications with me for fear I would need to prove my RX while going through customs.  I did I do not know how many flights of stairs over those few days.  We were displaced after the fire and slept on the deck. In order for us to find a restroom it required us to search on different floors and different parts of the ship.  It was miles I'm sure over the days that we walked.  The warm and humid weather helped with joint pain. As we got closer to Mobile, AL we went through a cold front and by the last day I was spent.

The following Monday after we arrived home and I had an MRI scheduled.  My neuro-lyme had ordered it to check for any nerve damage.  It took pictures of my brain, neck, and spine.  A few days later they called and told me it was all okay and showed no signs of damage, but that they discovered a spot on my thyroid.
A week later I was having an ultrasound done.  The ultrasound revealed several spots and resulted in me having a biopsy on one of the nodules.  After four passes into the nodule they were not able to break it and therefore could not get enough cells out to confirm if it is benign or malignant.  The doctor and myself have decided to proceed with removal of my left side. This will happen next week.  She said they will examine it while I'm in surgery and if it is benign then they will leave the other half in and will just watch the other spots over the next few years.  If not, then they will remove my whole thyroid.

I have made great progress since first starting treatment.  I met with my LLMD last week and he explained that the surgery will set my progress back a bit, but I'm positive in my heart and soul that I will bounce back. I'm so much stronger than what I was. He had given me a break in B-12 injections and I was only having to inject 3 times a week.  After my last visit he had me go back up to 5 times a week due to the fatigue I'm having.  Well, it was a nice break for my thighs while it lasted.

Gas Monkey (where they film Fast N Loud)
was on our way to the doc and we had time to
kill.  We popped in and snapped some pics and
picked up some t-shirts.

After the appointment we headed over to my neuro for a nerve conduction test.  They basically hook you up to leads and shock you to make your nerves react.  He did confirm mild neuropathy in my hands.  My thumbs have lost just about all strength. He said basically it's the beginnings of carpal tunnel and if I wear braces at night for the next few month I should get some relief.

I do not have to travel to Dallas for my next appointment.  I will be doing a phone consult with him which is fantastic news.  Travel days really take it out of me.  I usually am crawling out of the car into bed on these days.  My memory is getting sharper (at least I think).  The brain fog seems to be lifting.  Just pressing forward like a good little soldier.