Dreading today

Today is the day I've been dreading for the last two months. A thyroid small needle aspiration biopsy will be performed on me this afternoon. Ugh!

Two months ago during my annual physical my new doctor noticed my thyroid was slightly swollen on one side. After an ultrasound, I was told my thyroid was full of "nodules". These are little growths that are very rarely cancerous (95% are benign). Just to be sure they want to stick six needles in my neck, and dig around to get samples for a biopsy.

They'll give me a local anethestic, but I'll be awake for the procedure. I'm really dreading this whole thing. I'm not really afraid of the results because I've read that thyroid cancer is very rare, but I'm afraid of the needles and the "digging around". I just have zero tolerance for pain and this sounds kind of painful to me. My breast biopsy a couple years ago hurt like heck, and this is my neck, which sounds a lot more painful to me.

I took the day off from work to have this done, even though it only takes about forty minutes. Actually, I'm still really tired from the Denver trip and wanted a day at home to relax before returning to work. Of course this is in the middle of my day, which kind of wrecks the relaxed mode I wanted.

Other plans today are the boring stuff like unpacking and going to the gym for a great workout, before the doctor visit.

Plus I'm kind of on a post-vacation downer mood today. Fits right in with the biopsy appointment. Hopefully I'll get back to my happy self soon. Maybe the gym will help, which is where I'm going in about 15 minutes. :)

The new normal

I'm back from Denver after a very busy five days. The graduation was great, my niece gave the welcome speech, and received here Bachelors and her Masters of Business Administration. She turned 23 last week.

We spent a lot of time with my husband's family and a lot of eating out. I heard the comment several times that I look amazing (an exaggeration, but it was nice to hear), and wow, you kept off all your weight. They've watched me go up and down with my weight for the last 22 years. This is the first time they've seen me in two consecutive years where I weighed the same.

I was very picky about my food when we ate out. At the hotel breakfast buffet I'd always order a three egg white omelet with tons of vegetables and just a dash of oil.

When my sister-in-law made dinner she made sure there were plenty of things I could eat. She didn't make something extra or special, she just made sure there was salad, lots of fresh vegetables and fruit. Sometimes I could eat the main course, sometimes I'd just have a bite. I didn't starve.

I also managed to get in two really good workouts. Not as many workouts as I wanted, but there just wasn't much free time.

Something my Weight Watcher leader said a week ago really stuck in my head the entire time I was in Denver. She said this is our new normal. How we're eating now, the exercise, the focus on getting and staying at a healthy weight, these things are all our new normal. We will do this until we die.

What I did this last week wasn't hard or a challenge, I just did what I had to do. I didn't really give it a lot of thought, it's second nature to me to eat healthy. This is my new normal. 

Monday night and I'm well into my week of success

A very quick post because I'm totally exhausted. Three days of tracking my food under my belt, and I feel much more in control this week.

Wednesday is a three-day trip to Denver for my niece's graduation in Boulder, Colorado. After five years of college she's graduating with her Masters in Accounting. She's only 23 and already has a job lined up. She's a very smart and pretty young woman. I remember when she was three and told me her brother was acting "dangerously". So cute and so sweet and now an adult. How time flies.

I booked us at the Doubletree in Westminster because they have a pool and a gym. I'm going to get my workouts in regardless of what's going on with the family.

Also, I had a record yesterday on the StairMaster. 142 floors in 30 minutes, a 77 steps/minute rate. Weight Watchers Activity tracker only has a 24-step and 30-step rate available for calculating your Points.

Fading fast so off to bed for me!