Decisions...

I already made my decision. I will have my surgery in Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Now, I am waiting for the surgeon to call me to schedule the surgery. He was supposed to call yesterday but didn't and today he's doing other surgeries. His secretary said he will probably call on Monday.
I will post later about the exact date of the surgery. Again, THANKS to ALL of you for your messages and support.
You are loved!
Laura

Better news....

OK, so here's the story. Yesterday was a looooong day between doctor and doctor. I went in the morning to the ENT to check my vocal cords and they seem to be just fine. Then I went to get some chest X-rays done and they came out negative. So it seems that whatever is in the lungs is nothing to worry about so far.

Right after the X-rays I went to get an ultrasound, which lasted about 2 hours. There is nothing in my neck but the nodule I can feel. Later in the afternoon I saw my endocrinologist again as well as a surgeon. They both agree that another surgery is needed but it will be a fairly simple one. The surgery will be in an area of my neck that hasn't been entered before, so it is pretty safe to go back to the neck. The surgeon thinks that the doctor who performed my last surgery in November did an excellent job in removing all the disease in the area and still be able to save my parathyroids and leave intact my vocal cords. He left to me the decision of having surgery in Mayo with him or have it down in Ames with the doctor who did my last surgery. I am still trying to decide where I will get it done. There are a lot of things to think about now.

My mom and I are back in Iowa now. We are going to call my doctors here and talk to them to see what will be the best choice to make. But today we are going to relax a little and go to the Iowa State campus and listen to the Puerto Rico national anthem being performed in the carillon, Campanile.

I will post later to let all of you know about the decision we take regarding my surgery. Hope you all have an awesome day. Thanks a lot for the prayers, the support, and all the love!
God bless you,
Laura

What's next???

Hello Everyone!
My apologies for not posting anything in the past few days. One of my best friends got married this weekend and I was her Maid of honor. Check in the photo gallery for some pictures of the wedding. I will also post some pictures of the sorroundings of the clinic later this week. My friend lives in a very small town in Wisconsin and there was no Internet access nor cell phone service. So you could imagine how crazy my mom and I were going.

Anyway..... I want to update you on my health situation. After all the analyses on Wednesday, I saw the oncologist on Thursday as well as an endocrinologist. The results of the CT scan were somewhat scary. The oncologist brought to my attention that in addition to the nodules in my neck there were very tiny "spots" in my lungs. There is a possibility that those tiny "spots" in the lungs are just scar tissue from a previous infection. But there is also the possibility of them being cancer that spread from my neck to the lungs. Because the "spots" are so tiny (less than 3mm in diameter), there is no way yet to determine if they are cancer or not. Both of my doctors (oncologist and endocrinologist) think that right now it is more important to focus on the bigger disease in the neck, remove it, and afterwards take care of whatever is in the lungs. And Yes, another surgery will be needed to remove the nodules in my neck. Hopefully it will be the last one.

Now, I am getting ready for more appointments on Tuesday. I have appointments to see an ENT and a general surgeon. Also on Tuesday, I have appointments for an ultrasound and X-rays. I will keep you posted on whatever happens after Tuesday.

Thanks to all of you for showing your support.
Much Love,
Laura

At Mayo...hoping for the best

I spent most of the day and afternoon at the clinic. I checked in and got some blood drawn. Then later in the day I had a CT scan. I got to walk around the clinic and kind of figure out where the different areas I need to go are. Tomorrow (Thursday), I have an appointment in the morning with my oncologist and another one in the afternoon in the department of endocrinology. Services at the clinic are wonderful and I am really glad I came up here.

I also want to take this opportunity to all of you that have posted messages of support. I really appreciate them and want you to know that you are loved too! :)

Will write more later,
Laura

First appointment at Mayo...coming soon

On Wednesday June 21st I have my first appointment at Mayo Clinic. I am not sure what they will be doing. I assume some tests and analyses prior to my appointment on Thursday with my doctor, Ravi Rao. I feel a bit nervous, but knowing that my mom will be with me helps with the nerves. I will be constantly checking my email as well as this care page to give updates of my condition and treatments.