Focht Family Blog

This was a week for doctors. Samantha went in on Monday for her 9 year checkup. She is doing great. She is still at 90% for height and is now about the same for weight. The doctor said that it is normal for this age to start getting a little thicker. He said to just keep an eye out for how much snacks she is eating and what kind of snacks she is eating.

Mom went to the surgeon and I went to the endocrinologist on Wednesday. Mom’s surgery is scheduled for August 27 at 7:00 in the morning. The endocrinologist looked at my one value and told me it was within range. I was fine and I should have my ultrasound repeated in 3 months. Apparently I was supposed to go on feeling like I was choking for another 3 months. I went from there, crying, to my regular doctor’s office. I asked him to test me for anemia (I have had it before) as well as do some further testing on the thyroid. The tests came back on the low end of normal but within range so he basically said the same thing.

I have to say I was getting mad at the doctors for not listening to me and not trying to find out what was causing all of the symptoms I have been suffering from since March. I had the original ENT order a repeat ultrasound because the choking feeling is back. It went away for awhile after the cyst was drained in March. The ultrasound showed the cyst is back.

I decided I will probably have to have surgery so today I drove to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston to meet with a doctor that does a minimally invasive surgery to remove the thyroid. The first thing he said when I showed him my lab numbers is that it is very possible that you can be within normal range but be low for you. He wants me to go to an endocrinologist there to have it evaluated. However, he said that giving me medicines to raise my thyroid will not get rid of the cyst. My original biopsy did not get enough cells to show if it was malignant or not. Your chance raises slightly to about 5-6% if the cyst returns. I can have it drained again and have it injected with alcohol which keeps it from returning 90% of the time. However, I wouldn’t know if it were cancerous or not. The odds are low but we have a family history of women getting cancer at young ages. If I were to get cancer later on I would always wonder if it started in the thyroid and spread so I am opting to have that side of my thyroid removed. The doctor is about a month out in his surgery schedule so I will find out soon when my surgery date will be. If there are no complications I will be released the same day.

Since Nathan will be stuck in GA longer than he wanted we are taking a week or so and driving to Indiana to get out of the heat. The new RV floor-plan we wanted to look at has the first one coming out of production this week so we can get a look at it as well as getting a few things fixed before we are out of warranty.