I did it .... appt @ surgeon tomorrow ....

[ChitChatNine]

I called my hubby and told him all my feelings and decisions and he said he said he was wondering when I was going to call to get the ball rolling as this infection cleanout HAS TO BE DONE and said I have handled it with admiration (WHOA .. did he really say that??) and to hang up the phone and call right away for which I did.

I came out of Denial.  (((( I hate that word))).  I should have called 3 days ago when it acted up again.

Unless there is a reason they cannot go back in a 3rd time if I ever need a TT I have decided to have only the cleanout done.  Unless my team of Dr's tell me something I don't already know, I'm not willing to have the other side out based on a guideline w/o backup data that is too new and I am dreadfully afraid of becoming a stat # if the protocols turn back.  

I know me and I know my body. Unless it is life threatening I can't go back in to have it out.  I am scared enough to have the infection taken care of and enduring the recuperation from that pain all over again and not being able to drive, etc., etc., etc.

I really commend those who have done this so close together and had a choice in doing so ... I have tried very hard deep down to see if it is Fear, Courage, or something lacking inside preventing me from having the TT, but realize it is none of the above .. it is bcz I have a choice in this matter and my instincts tell me to do the cleanout only at this time .. When all else fails we need to trust our instincts unless they are driven by outside forces.  

C~

[ChitChatNine]

NO cleanout is necessary .. he liked the way the incision line looks and said it is continuing to heal.

BUT ..he was ready to drain the stitch abscess near my isthmus .. he numbed me and was ready to cut when  he abruptly stopped the procedure.  He suddenly thought it cannot be a stitch abscess as no stitches there at all .. now he thinks it is a SEBACEOUS CYST and put me on strong antibiotic 4X day for 10 days and come back.

He "was" going to drain the thing thru the incision so no scar but said that would be a mj. mistake if this is a cyst ???

Anyway ... I left .. he said it is not connected to the thyroid surgery (odd, though, how the bump was there the next day huh?)

I got in on a cancellation @ my dermatologist who knows me VERY WELL the past 8 yrs having treated many atypical melanoma excisions and moles.

I will let you know what he thinks ..

I CANNOT continue to see somebody whose expertise is out of the field on this one .. not with all swollen, hot, tender and infected .......... ?

Geez, he said the other areas are definitely healing stitch abscesses but very very late onset of a month vs. typical 4-5 days.

GO FIGURE?

So my appt with Derm is today at 4:30 .. More Later ..

Thanks for asking sis ...... I know we spoke on the phone the same time you posted this .. ESP at work, huh?

Cheryl

[bcmsmom]

So what did the surgeon say sis?  

[ChitChatNine]

I have sensitivity to the adhesive in band-aids (bright red marks within 12 hrs) .. I know I told the surgeon that already in last disucssion .. (I use paper tape to hold gauze pads in place on incisions, etc. when I get my moles cut out with stitches) ..

I was thinking of asking him to apply some of the glue to my forearm and let me cover it with a gauze bandage for 48hrs as they do in the allergy office to test for allergy (contact allergy) ... this way we will be sure no allergic reaction to the glue!  My 13yr old daughter has severe nickle allergy and braces contain trace amt' of nickle in them so the allergist taped a small piece of braces material to her forearm and inspected it in 48hrs and all was ok and 1.5yrs later all is still ok.

Thanks for the comment about figuring out about the stitches; that reminded me to put the glue ? on my list for today.

C~

[utahmomma]

Like I said sis, if my entire freak'n family hadn't decided to come down with ThyCa too I'd still have the other half of *MY* thyroid.  Don't even second guess your decision - you are going in VERY well educated and following your gut instinct.  

Hugs for you tomorrow.  Let us know. I really hope they can figure out what went wrong with the stitches.

((HUGS))

[Justicemom]

Oh, you have been through the ringer...After being through all of this, you have to tell yourself, it will only get better.  Good Luck with the next surgery.  I'll be thinking of you.

[medhelpjunkie]

Do not even for one minute question your decision and or feel like you have to explain it.  As stated you know you and what is best for you...and this is what is best for you at this time.  What is best for you at a later date maybe different.  But yu cannot make that decision now Your husband is a God send...give him a big kiss for us.  It so nice to have someone supportive, not imposing their views, but there to support yours.  My prayers are with you and I hope this surgery goes ever so smooth as well as the rocovery.  Keep us posted.

[venora]

Ok sis My heart is with you while you go through this.Let mw know if there is anything I can do.As always you are in my prayers
Love Venora

[ChitChatNine]

It is called multiple stitch abscesses and very very rare to have happen .. esp. with thyroid surgery as I understand .. body either rejecting stitches, allergic to the stitches, or germs introduced somehow during surgery/hospital stay, etc.& harboring around stitch areas.  Will never really know.  Surgeon said in 900 thyroid surgeries never saw this happen.

I made a list of ?'s to ask the Dr tomorrow.  If he can, I want it cultured before they do any procedure so we know ahead of time what germ it is.

THANK YOU ALL FOR KIND WORDS .... I am so lucky to have you all as friends ..such support THANKS!~

C~

[abl]

Hi you!

Great idea!!!!!  You do what you feel is best for you, and your body, on your time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Keep us posted and....GO GET "THE SECRET" DVD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It will be the perfect thing to watch over and over and over while you recover!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please take care!!!  My thought and prayers are definitely with you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

abl ;0)

P.S.  I saw the picture you sent from our other thread, and I spent several hours googling and trying to figure it out.  So, I am glad you are going in, because I couldn't find anything!!!!

[artsyrose]

C, you certainly deserve the pat on the back and I congratulate hubby for giving it to you, and I congratulate you for making a well thought out decision. It is the best one for you at this time. Remember, it is your body and no one knows it better than you do! You go girlfriend!!!!!! Kathy

[EmpatheticJenny]

Hi, Cheryl--

Although you are thinking that you should have called 3 days ago, it seems to me there is something to be said for spending a generous amount of time debating about what to do. It is too bad that "waffling" is seen as something negative. I have noticed that people who waffle tend to make the best decisions in the end (and feel more comfortable with whatever it is they decide).

There also is a lot to be said for trusting your instincts. The following idea is my own hunch; I cannot back it up with any evidence, and I want to say so plainly. My hunch is that the decision-making part of our minds has much, much more input to work with than we are consciously able to be aware of, whether the input is subtle signals from inside our bodies, small parts of our own medical history that we no longer remember, something important we once read or heard about but think we have forgotten, and so on and so forth. When all of that information is put together, the result is an intuitive feeling about the right thing to do. Just because it cannot be explained any more concretely than to say "I know it's the right thing to do," it does not mean the feeling is not based on something solid.

On top of that, the reasoning that you have done about guidelines and how they can change over time is VERY solid reasoning. I am glad that your hubby gave you a well-deserved pat on the head! I am writing to add another one. I will be thinking about you tomorrow....

With best wishes,
Jenny