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Warning: Some of the images in the Medical section section are very graphic in nature. If you cannot stand the sight of blood, it is advised that you skip these images.
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Date Range: 12/1/2003 - 12/31/2003
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I'm happy to report that I'm about 90% over my cold that I caught from Gaetano. He's about 80% better with a cough and congestion still lingering.
At the begining of this month, I had a chest x-ray done because I was experiencing some pain on my right rib cage. When I inhaled it was obvious that my right side was very different. A lump could be felt along my rib cage where it hurt. As it turned out, I had disturbed a floating rib and it was out of place. In time it will heal itself and already is much better.
While looking at the x-ray, Dr. Del Campo noticed something unusual. He spotted several splinters of calcium along my rib cage. With a thyroid history and remaining nodule (goiter) in my neck, the recent gall stones, and the osteochondroma on my leg his suspicion was that my parathyroid was functioning abnormally. The parathyroid controls calcium, an ingredient found in gall stones and in the bone growth that I had.
He scheduled some blood work and a P.E.T. Scan. My blood results came back normal, much to my surprise. I thought for sure that he'd finally found the missing link -- the cause of all my health problems. No such luck... The P.E.T. Scan was put off because the hospital felt it was unlikely my insurance would cover it, so Dr. Del Campo ordered a bone scan.
When I got the news that I needed to schedule the bone scan I was on my way out and didn't ask any questions. I figured I'd have time to ask later. Unfortunately, their office is closed until Monday, January 5th. Naturally, I turned to Google for help.
I've come to find out that bone scans are used to test for bone infections (osteomyelitis), bone tumors, hairline fractures, and bone cancer. The results don't tell them which of these are present, just that there is one (or more) of them.
If they are testing for osteomyelitis, then the bone scan is done immediately after the injection of the radionucleide. Otherwise the patient (that's me!) returns after 3 hours for the scan. Well, my appointment for the injection is tomorrow at 10:30 am and I return for the scan osteochondroma), at 2 pm. I can only conclude that they're not testing me for osteochondroma. That leaves bone tumor and bone cancer. Bone fracture is not a candidate since I've had no trauma and there's obviously something growing on my ribs.
Nervous? Scared? Worried? You betcha... I'm only 28 years old and too young to have any of the problems I've already had let alone anything else.
Posted by ~Angela | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Permalink
Those who know me well, know just how much I love sushi. I've said many times, "I wish there were such a thing as sushi delivery". I especially felt this way the past couple of weeks having been unable to drive.
Unfortunately right now the budget is ultra-tight and except for the gift certificate for a local sushi place I got for Christmas, I'll not be buying sushi once a week again for a couple months. :-( However once I can afford it again, I do intend to try out SimplySushi.com.
They sell from their site and Amazon.com's Gourmet Food section. Naturally, I've added a bunch of sushi and sushi related items to my Amazon.com wishlist, just in case... ;-)
Posted by ~Angela | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Permalink
Gaetano's sick again with a fever. :-( He didn't want to take Tylenol this morning, exclaiming he wanted "purple". So what's a mom to do? Add a drop of blue food color of course! Good thing he didn't want yellow...
Posted by ~Angela | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Permalink
Great news; the exostosis was benign! :-)
Posted by ~Angela | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Permalink
Nobody can explain XFN better than its creators, Tantek Çelik, Matthew Mullenweg, and Eric Meyer. At the request of Eric, I'll be making an extension based on the XFN Creator for Dreamweaver. I'm honored to be involved.
Yes, I know as of this post I haven't XFN'd my links yet. I'll do them once I've finished writing the extension.;-)
Posted by ~Angela | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Permalink
Thanks to everyone who has sent their well wishes. I appreciate it, and it has helped me keep my spirits up. Ordinarily I would be an emotional wreck, but this time has been different because of friends and family who care. Huge thanks to Andrea (my sister-in-law) & John (my brother) for picking me up and letting me stay with them. Special thanks to Dan too for making me laugh just prior to surgery which helped prevent me from getting all emotional and for keeping everyone updated on how I am doing.
Now for all the gruesome details...
When I met Doctor Galligan, the anesthesiologist, I expected to get emotional like I did back in September when I met the anesthesiologist. Dr. Galligan was very friendly and I felt I could trust him. That's not something I do easily, but I got the feeling he really knew his stuff just from his handshake and how he carried himself.
Anesthesia poses many risks, and one that worried me most is that it can cause low blood pressure which can lead to death. My blood pressure runs low to start with, so I was nervous about this. General causes it to go lower than a spinal, which is one more reason to do a spinal. However spinal has other risks that are just as worrisome.
It wasn't until just before I went in the operating room doors that I finally decided what to do. I asked Dr. Galligan if I did a spinal if I had to be sedated, and how long would I be kept in the hospital. He told me I didn't have to be sedated if I didn't want to and that he could focus the anesthesia on my right leg so that it would wear off faster. He expected it to take about 3 to 4 hours to wear off completely. We talked about risks a bit, and he didn't try to sway me towards general or spinal at all.
Since I didn't have to be sedated, and I brought my camera I asked if I would be able to take pictures myself or if he would mind taking any. He was excited about it and thought it was a great idea. He said he could see that this sort of thing doesn't bother me, and felt I would do just fine without any sedation. I asked if I could change my mind at any time and he said I could so I felt comfortable doing a spinal.
Dr. Galligan had me lay on my right side with my knees drawn up and my back curled like a hissing cat. After a couple minutes he had me roll onto my back. It felt like my right leg was propped up on something and I had to pull me head up to look. Nope, my leg was flat on the table! It was so bizarre that I couldn't feel my leg at all, even when they lifted it up off the table to wash it and put the tunicate on. I could see my leg, but I felt like it was still flat on the operating table.
During the surgery the soundtrack from Forest Gump and U2's Joshua Tree were playing. It was cold, but they put a hose that puts out warm air under the blanket with me to keep me comfortable. My arms were free to move so I could lift them above the surgical drape to take pictures. Dr. Galligan took a few pictures for me too.
Dr. Parker, the surgeon, was very relaxed and didn't mind the picture taking at all. He did his thing with confidence. I was a little worried that the saw would freak me out, but Dr. Parker opted not to use one. The incision would have been bigger if he used a saw. Instead, he used a chisel to chip the growth off.
I couldn't feel anything he was doing or any pain whatsoever but I could feel my hip get jarred a bit as he pounded at my bone. It felt like I was an observer of someone else's surgery.
Once the growth was removed, they showed it to me and I took a picture of it. Dr. Parker says that it looks benign to him, but because there is so much bone and cartilage they'll have to decalcify it before they can determine it is benign at pathology. I should have the results by Wednesday the 17th.
He put some local anesthesia in the wound, and then proceeded to sew me up. Surgery was about 40 minutes or so but it seemed like only 5. It went by very fast. The doctors did a great job of making me feel comfortable and seemed impressed that I didn't get grossed out at all. We were even joking around a bit. :-)
After the surgery, I went to post-op recovery for an hour. A nurse stayed at my bedside the entire time, watching my vitals. My blood pressure did get low, 85/44 at the lowest as I recall. I got a little worried at that point, and started dozing off and had to force myself to stay awake.
Dr. Galligan did a really good job, because I was able to move my left foot to help get circulation going and help improve my blood pressure.
I could see that I could move my right foot, but I couldn't feel it at all. I thought I was barely moving it, but it was going in larger circles. It really was a strange experience. Since I pushed myself to try and move my feet, my blood pressure came up to a decent level so they moved me to the recovery room.
They expected me to get all feeling back after about 2 or 3 more hours at this point. Moving my feet as much as I did caused the anesthesia to wear off much quicker. I regained all feeling after only 2 1/2 hours from the time of the injection, which was 2 hours sooner than expected.
I was able to stand without putting weight on my right leg and hobble to the bathroom. A bit later, they let me get dressed and Silvia from physical therapy came with crutches and gave me a lesson in using them.
I was in great spirits the whole time, and the nursing staff was all nice and complimentary about my cheery mood and independence. That of course helped keep my spirits up, which made their day pleasant to have a patient that wasn't a grouch. It was a nice little vicious cycle of keeping each other laughing. Too look at me, you wouldn't have guessed I just had surgery. No, I didn't have any narcotics either!
I went in for surgery at 11:30am and got to go home at 2:45pm. Not too shabby, I say. :-)
I didn't have much pain last night, but today I woke up in pain. I'm being careful to take my medicine on time rather than wait for the pain at least for the first couple of days. The medicine makes me a bit dizzy, and it doesn't kill the pain 100% but it at least brings it to a tolerable level. I'm a toughie, and hanging in there.
I've uploaded the pictures from the surgery. Before you look, be warned that they are graphic and if you have a weak stomach you may not want to look.
Posted by ~Angela | Comments (10) | Add Comment | Permalink
In less than 11 hours I'll be having an exostosis, a bone growing out from a bone, removed. The official diagnosis is Osteochondroma Right Tibia, which means a bone tumor that is usually benign, growing from the right tibia. In my x-ray, it looks like a sprig of brocolli.
Right now my biggest worry is the anesthesia and whether to do general or spinal. Both have different risk factors, and from what I've read their death stats are equal. I would have thought spinals would have less occurances of death but apparantly not.
Back in September when I had my gall bladder removed, I had no choice. The hours leading up to the general anesthesia were very emotional for me. I was so ill and jaundice that I didn't expect to live.
Now I have the option for spinal and general and I can't decide. Even though I fear having a general anesthetic, I am leaning towards that option. If death rates are indeed equal, I'm not so sure I want to risk my spine.
I'll try to blog more tomorrow, but no promises...
Posted by ~Angela | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Permalink
It is always nice when I can help Dan with work, considering he's always helping me with things. About the only two things I ever help him with are JavaScript and Regular Expressions, because he claims he's allergic to them. :-) This time, I helped him take a user's selection in a popup window and select the right item in a select list in the parent window.
If you look at Lary McKee's site, you'll see a hyperlink under the in the Options section that says: Preview Mats. When you click it, you'll be able to choose an outer and inner mat, then click on the Choose Mats button to close the window and set the select lists in the Options section. Dan did all the fancy JavaScript that changes the Mats using CSS, and I did the part that happens when you click the Choose Mats button. We make a great team, I say! :-)
Lary's work is gorgeous, and highly detailed. Would make a nice Christmas gift if you're lacking ideas. ;-)
Posted by ~Angela | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Permalink
I'm so excited, I must blog. :-) Eric and Kat Meyer are the proud parents of Carolyn Maxwell Meyer. I couldn't be happier for them and I know they're going to make awesome parents. Wow...talk about wonderful news! :-)
Posted by ~Angela | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Permalink
A few people have asked if Gaetano and I have a wishlist, and indeed we do. If you're curious what we like, or inclined to buy Angela or Gaetano stuff check out our Amazon.com wishlist.
Posted by ~Angela | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Permalink
No matter how crappy life gets and how rough a day I've had, my son brings joy to me. He isn't the greatest singer, but he sure tries.
Posted by ~Angela | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Permalink
Comment from jackie on 8/16/2008
I was reading about your bone tumor in your ribs. I am 27 and I found a huge one in my ribs when I was 25. I had to remove three ribs and part of my sternum. From what I hear it is very very rare. Hope everything works out with you.
Thanks Jackie, so far nothing has changed for me. I think that's a good thing. I hope you're doing well too! ~Angela
Comment from momtothree on 10/23/2006
I'm sorry to hear about your condition and was wondering what the bone scan found. I am 38 and found a bony bump on my rib cage under my left breast tissue about three months ago. A breast ultrasound came back negative and we are waiting three months for follow up. Meanwhile, I've also developed a vague but specific pain in my left shoulder blade, directly behind where my lump is felt. I am scouring the internet for possible answers while I wait for December's checkup. Thanks for your story.
Comment from kmw on 3/19/2006
For Angela: My daughter has the same symptoms and normal blood work. She was biopsied and was discovered to have an osteochondroma of the ribs. It is benign but they cannot remove it and they expect her pain will never completely go away.
Because of your thyroid problems, look up pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism. This is a problem that does not show up on any blood work but has the same symptoms of an abnormal parathyroid and thyroid gland. Hope this helps your anxiety. Dr. assures us that the osteochondroma is benign and will not turn cancerous. Kathy W.
Unfortunately this is one of many comments that got buried among the suspicious ones and fell off my radar.
Four years after this post I'm happy to say I'm still kickin'. Will have to look into the pseudowhatchamacallit though! Thanks Kathy ~Angela
Comment from Stephanie Sullivan on 12/31/2003
How'd it go Ang? OK? And when will they give you the results?
Hope everything is well and Happy New Year!
It went alright I guess. My leg is a bit sore, as is my back from laying flat on the hard surface but I'm otherwise fine. Thanks for asking.
My recent leg surgery showed up as expected. That much I was able to see myself and they asked about it so I knew something was up.
I asked to see the scans, and was shown but they didn't clue me in on much. I could see two shapes near my neck that I think took up the radionueclide. I'm not a doctor of course, so hopefully I'm wrong.
My doctor isn't in until Monday, so I should find out what comes next by then. As far as I know if "results" are found with this test, more evaluation will be needed. If we don't have any more clues about what's causing all these strange illnesses, there are likely to be other tests. Fun, eh? :-)
Happy New Year to you too. ~Angela