Chicken For dinner

I remember hearing a talk years ago where the speaker said that he couldn't do something he was asked to do because they were having chicken for dinner. Confused, the other person asked what that had to do with his request. The speaker responded, "One excuse is as good as another."

I don't know why I remember that, because, most of me doesn't agree with it. Maybe that's why it stuck.

So, here's my reason for missing 4 months of blogging. It will be for you to decide if it's a "chicken for dinner" excuse.

At the end of June, this year, I wrote a perfectly nice little post about Anne of Green Gables. My parents had just returned from PEI and brought me a statuette of Anne for my writing desk. I even included pictures!

Unfortunately, when I tried to post, Blogger was down. I tried the next morning before I was to leave for a family reunion in Idaho, still couldn't post, and decided to do it when I got back. (our reunion place did not have internet)

I had a lot of fun at the reunion, but after the six hour drive home and unloading the car, I fell into a deep fatigue. Actually, it was like I hit a wall with my energy. This is hard to understand if you've never experienced it.

I've been tired before - after carrying my 3-year old from one end of the National Mall in D.C., to the other for a whole day, yeah. And after 4 days of non stop Disney World activity, of course. But this was different.

My up and down, on and off health problems decided that they would no longer be ignored. I spent 90%  of the next 4 months on the couch. I can't even express how bad daytime television stinks and I was too tired to hold a book and couldn't stay awake to concentrate on one anyway.

I was lucky enough to find a great doctor, who figured out that my thyroid was going nuts. It took many tests  (I can never just be textbook, for some reason) but I was finally sent to a surgeon and two weeks ago had my thyroid removed. That's a story for another day, but I'll just say that I felt better immediately. I know, pain pills can do that to you, but, I could tell, even under their influence that I felt better.

A week later, a trip back to Billings for my post op appointment revealed that the pathologist had found a small amount of cancer cells in each lobe of the thyroid. My husband remarked later that I was awfully calm when the doctor told me I had cancer. I responded that it was because it was out of me. If they had found that out before the surgery, I would have been a basket case.

Another trip to Billings this week to meet with my endocrinologist assured me that I don't need to have any more treatment for the cancer, that they believe it was contained, and that I just need an ultrasound scan in a year. Good news!

So now, I'm off light duty, which means I can pour my own milk from a gallon jug, and unfortunately, lift laundry baskets, push vacuum cleaners, and drive. Oh well, it's been an interesting four months.

Just before the surgery, I had written in my journal that if I could have an improvement on 2 things, I would accept that as a great success. Those two things were the fatigue and the brain fog. If you've never experienced brain fog, imagine that your head is full of cotton balls and nothing can get through. You can't think clearly, remember anything, or make yourself do much.

So, my surgery was a success. The fatigue is gone. I'm tired off and on, because of healing or over doing it in a day (Disney style), but no debilitating fatigue. The brain fog is also gone. I actually finish sentences now. I can think clearly. My teenage son doesn't have to remind me that I need nouns to go with my verbs.

I have months to go while my medicine is adjusted, (You can't live without thyroid hormone) but I feel so much better and know that as the medicine takes effect, other symptoms will disappear. It's sort of like Christmas came early for me this year.

And to celebrate? I'm going to participate in Nanowrimo, starting November 1st. Writing a novel in 30 days is just what the doctor ordered. Well, what he doesn't know I attribute to him . . .

And if you think I'm a little crazy-then you'd be right. It was my thyroid they removed, after all, not my personality.

It's nice to be back and I'll be keeping you posted about my nano progress. I promise. No excuses!