So when I last left you guys, I had just gotten the
injections in my head/neck, was being treated for an infection, and we
were full steam ahead towards wedding weekend!
So
much has happened in life since then and I just need to start off with
the largest thank you I am capable of. Owen and I are beyond blessed to
have so many wonderful people surrounding us that care so unbelievably
much about our happiness. We have felt embraced by all of you with your
prayers, well wishes, gifts and love and the word grateful can’t begin
to cover it. The wedding was everything we could have hoped for, a
beautiful day with a little misty rain and lots of love. All of the
planning and images in my head came together just as we had hoped and it
became a day that we will never forget! Our relationship has been
through more hardship than many see in a lifetime, and thankfully we
have come through it more in love and thankful for each other than we
ever knew was possible. More photos to follow :) I promise!
After
our whirlwind weekend we left for a fantastic honeymoon in Hawaii full
of road trips, waterfalls, snorkeling, zip lining, amazing food and so
much more! Well worth the wait and so needed for us to just leave
reality behind for a little while. Although we missed the pups
tremendously, we didn’t want to come back!
Now that we are settled back home and back to real life, here is the news on the medical front...
The
infection in my tooth extraction site was drained before the wedding
and after two rounds of antibiotics it finally began to heal
appropriately. So far so good, I go back to the periodontist in January
unless there are any new issues that arise. Who would have believed that
one pesky tooth could take more than six months to deal with.
I
am still in physical therapy to work on my neck and jaw needs as well
as headache management. We are hoping for some more improvement to
lessen my headaches and pain overall so that will continue for a bit
longer. I saw my physical medicine doctor this week to resume the med
adjustment process and continue to investigate new ways to manage my
pain long term. We trialed a new Injection in my upper back and neck
with a steroid component to break up some of the inflammation and scar
tissue. I’m pretty sore today but hopefully it will help more than the
last round. I am also waiting for insurance approval to begin Botox
injections in my jaw. I’m very nervous about this step, but the only way
to know if it will settle the spasms and give me relief is to try. So
we will see.
I also followed up with my primary
care last week to discuss my ongoing thyroid issues. Because my numbers
are all good aside from my hormone level which continues to be elevated
from radiation damage, he doesn’t feel getting it controlled should be
too difficult. I started a new medicine, very low dose, and will be
rechecked in a few months to adjust it as needed. The only new
development is that I need to have a carotid dopplar test done. As we
know, because of radiation my muscles are are stiff and fibrotic. The
arteries in my neck are also at high risk of hardening which can lead to
plaque build up and blockages, which ultimately can lead to terrible
side effects such as heart attack and stroke. So they will do a study to
see if I have any build up at this point that needs to be handled and I
will have a follow up screening every two to three years for life to
make sure I stay clear in that area. It’s good we are being safe, but
the possibilities are frightening. Especially since I see the life after
strokes everyday at my job. Better safe now than sorry down the line.
Aside
from all of that life is happy :). Owen and I are settling back into
life with Max and Ellie and it’s been nice to get a routine back again.
Maybe now that the wedding is passed I’ll get started on that book all
of you keep pushing me to write. We will see :). I have a CT scan in
December to make sure that my lung nodule and possible infection
cleared, then nothing significant til March for my next round of
oncology visits. Fingers crossed it stays that way and nothing new
reveals itself until then!
Thank you all again
so much for all of your kind words and well wishes the past few weeks!
It means so much to us that so many people are as invested in our life
together as we are!
