Happy's Obsession

I recently got an e-mail from qafbliss, asking how I was doing. I thought I'd post my answer, in case anyone else was interested.

( The continuing saga... )

( Health Update )

Better to be safe than sorry! I want to be around for a long, long time.

I. Just. Ate. A. GRILLED! CHEESE! SANDWICH!!!!

Yep, I did.

Small bites, well chewed, washed down with a lot of water...

... but I ATE IT!!!

And now I can pick my chin up a lot - it's the pain in the back of my neck from sleeping so stiffly propped up that limits me.

Now if only my voice comes back.

Voice very breathy, but they say that will probably get better. Throat looks like Frankenstein got ahold of it on a drunken binge and went to town. Can only hope that the steri-strips are buckling the skin a little funny to hold the cut together, because if I end up that dippy & bulgy... it will be turtlenecks forever. Or scarves, at least.

The doctor seemed amazed at how big my thyroid gland was. Said it was the biggest he'd ever seen. Each lobe is supposed to be the size of your thumb... each was the size of his palm. At least 10 times normal size. Surgery took 3-1/2 hours because it extended all the way up under my jaw almost to my ears, and (on the left side) down underneath my collarbone. Christ, it didn't feel that big!

And I'm hoping there's a lot of swelling, otherwise... well, I don't want to think about it. I'll have a better idea in a few weeks, but right now I think I'd scare kids.

They have me on Roxicet (oxycodone/APAP) - and I have to say, that stuff kicks ass! Seriously, I'm to take 1-2 every 4-6 hours. I took 1, then waited about 45 minutes and took another half. Whoo, it was a trip for about 20 minutes! Then it just settled down to take the edge off. Hell, it sanded it mostly away! Except for the fact that swallowing is difficult due to the swelling.

The steri-strips are supposed to fall off in 7-10 days, and since I go back to work in 12, I really hope they do. Because, as I said... unsightly in the extremis.

Well, I'm going to fly back over to the couch, sip more cold water, and continue watching Season 1 of Dead Like Me. Got Season 2 also, plus SFU (S1), Dave Chapelle show (S1&2), Rescue Me (S1), and The 4400 (S1) to watch. Plus, I want to rewatch S1 of QaF (love that season!), and "selected highlights" of the rest of the years.

I've got plenty to keep me busy!

*buzzing along - in some pain, but not really caring - just avoiding mirrors*

(cont) get up regularly.

Hopefully, I'l go home tomorrow (today) - but if I was feeling like this at night at home, I'd be freaking out. I'm on oxygen, so it can't be that I can't breathe... but it sure feels that way the last second before I fall asleep.

*off to try sleeping again*

Sorry for typos/split posts. Typing from my Treo in hospital.

I survived the surgery. Throat painful, pain meds good. I can't sleep. Every time I'm almost there, my body freaks out that something is wrong & I wake right up. Oliver (the PM nurse) says that isn't unusual, that after about 16 hrs post-surgery, I will crash & finally sleep. Probably just about when I have to get up.

Mouth is really dry from meds, but the IV is making me