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Have high blood pressure? high calcium levels?
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photo credit: pasotraspaso
This is my two week post op report card, and it’s a good one!
The first week was rough, I’m sure just due to the effects that any surgery has on your system along with hormone and blood chemicals all flying up and down, but now at two weeks post op from my parathyroidectomy I am feeling MUCH better.The symptoms that were IMMEDIATELY fixed are:
- my blood pressure is now totally normal, all the time
- normal bladder control (pre-op I ALWAYS had to pee and could barely make it in time)
- bone and muscle pain GONE!
- I have lost 7 pounds (yeah!)
- digestion MUCH improved
- Sex Drive back… (double yeah!)
Still to go:
I am currently REALLY emotional, I didn’t have the mood swings when I was pre-op like some people do, but I am having them now… I’m thinking it has to do with the parathyroid having to adjust itself.
I still get a little shakey when I don’t get my calcium. I had an appointment with my Endocrinologist on Tuesday and he has me on 1000 milligrams of calcium 4x a day along with a prescription for Vitamin D that I take once a week. I am also scheduled for a bone density scan in two weeks to see how much damage has been done to my bones during this calcium leaching period of God only knows how long. After he looks at that and determines the results he’ll redo my levels.
I am musing that perhaps my weight gain over the last two years and onset of menopause symptoms including rapid weight gain for now apparent reason may have to do with the fact I read on my synthyroid medication I picked up yesterday. (I also have Hashimoto’s Thyroid Disease) It says not to take it with calcium… so I’m wondering if that was/is part of the reason for the weight gain (Hashimoto’s is hypo thyroid) is that the synthyroid couldn’t really do it’s job to help regulate my metabolism with my calcium levels being constantly so high in my blood stream. Only time will tell.
All in all the results of the parathyroidectomy are a huge success. 
Read all my previous posts on this journey
Pt 5: 2 Days Post Operative
pt 4: Tomorrow is Surgery Day
pt 3: Consultation with the Surgeon
Definition :
“Parathyroidectomy“
Parathyroidectomy is surgery to remove parathyroid glands or parathyroid tumors. Parathyroidectomy is recommended when one or more parathyroid glands are producing excessive amounts of parathyroid hormone.
Spring Gardening Tips – May
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Did you manage to wait until after Mother’s day to put out plants? I finally managed it but only because I’ve been in the hospital this year! I did put out a few herbs into my big tin barrel on the East side of my home. They are doing just fine! Any time after the 15th you can start to sow seeds or plant six packs of seedlings. It’s always a good idea to plant early in the day or cool afternoons and not in full sun. The most important time in a seedlings life is when you put it in the ground so spend a little extra time now and it will pay big dividends in the end.
My favorite part of this month is seeing what great surprises my efforts of the last growing season are going to give me this year. I was pleasantly surprised by my Oriental Poppies that grew from seed. They are just gorgeous bright jewel colors.
Plant annuals and herbs at the same depth as in the container. Dig the hole 2 times the size of the pot and loosen the soil in the bottom. Fill the hole around the plant with the fill dirt, tamp down and water well. Pinch off all the flowers from annuals like petunias and pansies, to direct the nutrients to the roots of the plant for more blooms and healthier growth. Gently spread out the roots at the bottom of the pot so they will grow into the new soil. Water as the plant directions indicate and pay special attention to the new transplants for the first week.
Container plants and window boxes are also due, plant shade loving plants together, sun loving plants together and place accordingly. Your combination possibilities are endless. I like to change it up every year as the plants available change or my mood does. Choose from contrasting colors together or one color scheme in mass in several pots all grouped together. Don’t just think of the flowers, also look for interesting shapes, colors and texture of plants for each pot. Taller things in the back with trailing varieties spilling out the sides of the pot will add to an informal style.
Cut back all your fall flowering plants if you haven’t done that already and clear out all dead twigs throughout your garden. Dead head your Mum’s for increased flowering come August.
I try and grow Zennias every year and they never work for me… I recently read that it’s better to plant by seed and I usually forget, so that’s my challenge for myself this summer… to get some zennia’s to grow.
2 days Post Op Parathyroidectomy
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I am cautiously optimistic! I want to shout from the rooftops about how much better I feel in my body than I have for a couple of years, but I realize it might be the pain medications I’m still on. However, even when I wait before taking the meds I can feel that my blood pressure has returned to the low normal I’ve always had before this health issue. Also, happily all of the doom and gloom things I read about recovery which included things like…. your doctor will tell you not to smile, laugh or talk excessively, you’ll be on soft foods and liquids for a week… are totally NOT true. My surgeon laughed when I told him about what I’d read. I’ve often heard from doctors to NEVER look up medical things on the internet as there is as much mis-information as there is good…. So here is my experience in a hope to be encourage other women out there who are preparing for this surgery. I started in pre-op where I changed into my hospital gown, got the IV hooked up and then they let my hubby back with me. We then met my surgeon again, the surgical nurse and anesthesiologist, they were all very kind and answered all questions we had and kept the mood light and easy. The anesthesiologist gave me a shot of happy juice to relax me before the general anesthesia. I remember telling the nurse that wheeling through the hall to surgery looked just like I Greys Anatomy… I really don’t remember anything after that until I woke up in Post Op. AWESOME! I didn’t want to remember a thing and I didn’t. They monitored the PTH (Para Thyroid Hormone) during the surgery to make sure the tumor they removed had fixed the problem. They found the tumor as expected from the scan and removed it, the PTH immediately went back to normal… Good news! I woke up to a bit of a sore throat from the breathing tube and very thirsty, the post op nurse was great, she stayed within view once I started coming to, gave me a few ice chips, told me the surgery went well. I was so relieved when I could talk. I was horse, but talking just fine. She asked my pain level.. it was about 4 out of 10, they tell you to keep the pain moderated on the low end because it’s harder to fix if you let the pain get out of hand. I got a shot of happy juice and something for queasiness. I was also given a mega does of Calcium since my system wasn’t dumping it in. Very Tricky XS Tums.. no kidding. I take 1000 milligrams 4 times a day until I get my blood taken. I got to my room and the nurse was just great, she got me some water right away, ordered up a soft food dinner which consisted of jello, beef broth and ice cream. I couldn’t eat much but since I hadn’t eaten in 24 hours I knew I should eat something. I was pretty much in and out of it the rest of that evening I tried to stay awake to watch 24 with my hubby, but I don’t think I got much of it. Nighttime at a hospital is always rough. There are so many sounds and beeps and just as you go to sleep, they come to get a blood sample to check my calcium levels. I have a BIG appetite come morning and the Adventist hospitals feed you well. I head home after lunch and hope everything continues to improve. I have to take the opportunity to first thank all of my friends and family and especially my wonderful husband for all the prayers and support I was offered throughout this process. More information on Hyper Parathyroid Disorder
pt 4: Tomorrow is Surgery Day
pt 3: Consultation-with-the-Surgeon
pt 2: Appointment with the Endochronologist
pt 1: I thought it was just Menopause
Definition
-
“Parathyroidectomy“
Parathyroidectomy is surgery to remove parathyroid glands or parathyroid tumors. Parathyroidectomy is recommended when one or more parathyroid glands are producing excessive amounts of parathyroid hormone.
Fireproof Your Marriage
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And They Lived Happily Ever After
The 2nd Time around!
And They Lived Happily Ever After
Like at least half of you out there I have been divorced and now praise God, very happily married again. Being married for me a second time is a force that is greater that I can really explain. I never expected to find a soul mate in my 40′s, but I did. We are extremely happy and that doesn’t just happen by accident. The wisdom that both of us gained from going through a failed first marriage is working overtime to make sure THIS marriage does indeed last until Death Do Us Part.
Are we kidding ourselves? I don’t think so…. the 2nd time around you are much better prepared. You know how hard it is to make a marriage work and before you enter into wedding bliss you make sure of a number of things first!
- Kids… do you want them or not? (we did NOT want anymore!)
- Finances... are you frugal or a credit card deamon? What is their credit score? This is important if you are planning on buying a new home together…
- The In-Laws... Do you get along? Are they going to be meddlesome?
- Holidays… where do you spend them?
- Housework… who does what? why?
- Income… whose in charge of the $$$$$?
- Vacations… alone, together, his kids, her kids, all kids…
- Disappointments come when your expectations are different, so discussing EVERYTHING before you get married is a must!
Ok, so then what… you are committed to one another, your families don’t suck too much, his kids haven’t put out “OFFICIAL” contracts on your life… so how are you going to keep the romance alive for the next 30+ years.
My commitment to myself at the beginning of this new marriage was to be a GREAT WIFE! I can only control what I do… and like in the movie and books about “Fireproof” (I have a link provided) You can make your relationship better first! If it’s not what you want it to be.. go first! what’s there to loose? and there is so much to gain.
Here are some of the things we do… OFTEN
- SEX.. yes… I said it! Lots of sex, fun sex, crazy sex, quiet sex, on vacation, at home, in secluded spots…. without a great sexual connection, you become roommates, brother and sister and your eyes and hormones make you less blind to the world around you. Show me a man who has great sex with his wife and I’ll show you a man that has no reason to fool around.
- TALK! We talk about everything and anything. My husband is great at knowing when I have something on my mind and I’m keeping it to myself. He will bug me until I spit it out… and after that… it’s not a big deal. Most things that my slightly whacked out Menopausal brain is telling me are misunderstandings or misinterpretations of what’s true. DON’T let things get out of control… Fix them NOW!
- SILLY STUFF We did lot’s of silly little things for each other when we were dating, and we continue to do silly stuff now. You know the things… leaving little notes hidden, a piece of something silky in his coat pocket, having the stage set when he comes home from work… For Valentines day I always line the path with hearts and red and pink things, he acts like it embarrasses him, but I know he’d be disappointed if I stopped making a fuss.
- CHEER him on! It may not be YOUR favorite thing, fishing, football, weight lifting, playing softball.. but you can be his cheerleader! Make him feel like he is YOUR hero! His boss his customers, his co-workers are there everyday to beat him down… my job as a great wife is to repair that damage.
- ROMANCE It comes easy for me… I’m a big sap and even my girlfriends and daughters ask me for “to do’s” that are romantic. Men have been told they aren’t romantic because they don’t act like the men in a romance novel act…. TRUE they don’t.. but we don’t really act like those women either… so lets cut them some slack. Romance can be things as simple as remembering what your favorite ice cream is, taking the time to wrap YOUR presents under the tree even though it looks a little like the box has been drop kicked a few times… Look for when they try to be romantic and then PRAISE them for it.. You’ll be surprised at how much more he’ll try when you notice.
- RECREATE together! A favorite book of mine “His Needs Her Needs… affair proofing your marriage” says that one of men’s top needs is to have a wife that will be a companion to him in the marriage. If you watched the Bronco’s with him when you dated…hopefully you didn’t pretend to be a football fan just to make him like you… I happen to be as big of a fan as Jim is so we make it an event! I have special Bronco Dip, Bronco Burgers, Orange Crush Daquari’s.
- TIME We enjoy doing the simple things together too, grocery shop, do errands, yard work, decorating the house for the holidays… would it be more efficient to split up those things and do them separately? yes… but it can be a lot more fun if you do it together.
- AFFECTION Men like it just as much as women do… especially if they have that #1 need taken care of “sex”. You’d be surprised at how much more affectionate guys are. Snuggle on the couch, always hold hands, kiss for at least 30 seconds every day.. no pecking! We have a sign next to our bed that says “Always Kiss Me Goodnight” and we always do!
I know that lots of you ladies out there are married to guys that won’t respond to the things I’ve talked about… But many of you have just stopped trying or are waiting for him to Go First! Watch that movie Fireproof, and give it a try.. You might be surprised.
I’d love to know your views on marraige or 2nd marriages or if anyone has seen the movie and used those techniques? Just click on the comments and lets chat.
