Low-key birthday this year

The big "event" of my birthday the other day was spending an hour with my Nuclear Medicine doc.  Given how important that is right now, that's not particularly surprising.  My birthday won't be greeted with fanfare this year, and that's OK.  Tonight's Greek dinner was fine.  The restaurant was fairly empty in our section, so our waitress had time to chat with us.  Better, we managed to get home before the rain started.

Among other things, the Chief & I talked about how fortunate we are to be retired, to have the time and resources to treat ourselves to a nice dinner out.  Not having to worry about cramming domestic maintenance into the few hours work doesn't take means we can do things at a more leisurely pace.  We put in our time; now we can kick back & relax.

Going nuclear Nov. 4th

Had a 1-hour video visit w/ my Nuclear Medicine doc this morning.  We covered a lot - hence the lengthy session.  I "get nuked" Nov. 4th, starting a low-iodine diet Oct. 28th.  I get an injection 2 days before I get the treatment, then again the day before, along with a contrast dye for a pre-treatment scan the morning of the 4th.  (I'm gonna need to write all this on my calendar to help keep it all straight.)

I'll be in isolation for 6 or 7 days, though I'll still be ever so slightly radioactive after that.  They'll give me a card documenting my medical radiation so that, if I set off TSA's sensors when the Chief & I fly out for my sister's wedding a few weeks later, they'll let me on the plane.

The Chief sat in on my visit and we were both relieved to learn that the "radiation safety" precautions won't be quite as strict as some of what I'd read online.  I still have to stay away from people that first week, and can only prepare food for myself, not anyone else, but I don't have to worry that simply being in the kitchen will contaminate the house or even that room.  Not only that, but the iodine breaks down in water, so that's all that's required to clean up after myself - no Clorox or other heavy-duty cleaners.

Tomorrow's the big day

My video consult w/ Nuclear Medicine is tomorrow - finally!  The Chief and I have a SLEW of questions about the whole business.  I'm hoping & praying that we'll get answers to all those questions so that we can start planning again.  It'll be at least a couple of weeks before I "get nuked" because of the required prep (like the low-iodine diet), but I plan to tell the NucMed doc that under no circumstances will I let this interfere with attending my sister's wedding in December!

2 months post-op

Two months after getting my throat slit, you can hardly see the incision.  My traumatized vocal fold has recovered, the rash is on the wane, and in general I feel just fine.  Next week I hope to learn when I'll get my radioactive iodine treatment, and to get details on the prep, including the low-iodine diet.

And it’s back!

Had my final follow-up with the surgeon today.  He noticed immediately that my voice sounds much better.  He scoped me and was happy to be able to report that my paralyzed vocal fold is back up and running again!  

I’ve still got a fair bit of swelling in the area, which is why my singing voice isn’t really back yet, but the worst is over.  The doc warned me that the radioactive iodine will cause swelling too.   Not what I wanted to hear, but at least it won’t be a nasty surprise when it happens.

The Chief asked how long it will take me to recover from the iodine.  We were surprised to be told 6-9 months!  However, he also assured me I’ll be able to travel once I’m out of quarantine.  Nuclear Medicine will give me a letter to show TSA in case I set off one of their sensors, to reassure them that any radiation I’m emitting is strictly medical. 

Too soon :(

This Sunday I sang with my choir for the first time since my surgery.  I definitely went back too soon; my voice started feeling tired before mass even started, after no more than 20 minutes going over that morning's music.  I was careful not to push, and even dropped down an octave for a phrase where necessary, but my voice made it clear that it's not yet ready for that much work.  Once I get past my "radioactive phase," I'll have to resume voice lessons to take my voice to the gym, er, get my voice back up to speed.

That was a nice surprise

One of the companies I've designed for this year had their end-of-season awards last night.  The show I designed in May did very well indeed - nominated in almost every category, every nominee in Best in a Minor Role was a cast member, and we won in every category but one.  No surprise that we took Best Production (out of a 7-production season).  I ended up taking home awards for both hair and makeup design.  Given that one of the other shows was Kinky Boots, I expected them to get the makeup award.  After all, if you've ever seen drag makeup, you know it can be quite elaborate.  Nope, I got that award, too.  The Chief was confident I was going to take home both awards; I wasn't as confident, or maybe I just didn't want to get my hopes up.  My husband, however, is my biggest fan and told me on the drive home that he knew I was gonna win both.  

These things are 7-1/2" tall and heavy!  Drop that on your foot and you'll hurt or even break something.  They sure look pretty on our mantel, though.

One of the productions was School of Rock and the front row of the theater was filled with kids from that cast.  It was fun to watch them all bouncing and cheering and generally having a great time.  My favorite moment of the evening, though, was when 2 of their number, who had shared a role, won for Best Junior Performance.  They all lost their minds, jumping around, cheering, yelling, and mobbing the 2 honorees with hugs and congratulations.  I got a bit emotional seeing how thrilled they were for their friends.  And it was obvious that they were indeed friends, even if they hadn't met each other before being cast in the show.

All in all, it was a nice evening.  Award ceremonies can be tedious but in this case you could feel the love.  Several of the awards are named for past members of the company and in at least 2 cases were presented by family members.  It seemed like everyone was congratulating everyone else, people were dishing out compliments to friends and strangers alike, and if you were carrying one of the boxes the awards were presented in, you got congratulated.  At least one person told me at the end of the evening that they were really regretting not seeing "my" show.

I went home with a very tired throat.  Not from yelling & cheering - I knew not to compromise my recovery - but from trying to talk in a space full of very chatty people.  The evening's energy was so positive, though, that I'd say it was worth it.

No, voice isn't audition-ready yet.

Went back to choir practice last night for the first time since my surgery nearly 2 months ago.  Unfortunately, my range has shrunk, my breath control is minimal, and my voice got tired barely halfway into a one-hour rehearsal; hardly surprising under the circumstances.  

On the positive side, I was actually able to sing, and when I did, it felt better than I'd expected after the vocal fold injury and everything else.  Once I've had my Nuclear Medicine consultation and know what my medical schedule will be, I'll go back to taking voice lessons to try to get my voice back up and running.

Design wish list

(Random thought prompted by my current reading, set in 1829). I would like someone to tap me to design a production set in about 1830, the Romantic era.  The women’s hairstyles were something else and would be so much fun to build!

Audition?

The Chief and I went to the vigil mass this weekend and I went ahead and sang the responses.  I was relieved to find that my voice didn’t feel too bad.  I’m not ready for the Met or Broadway, but I don’t think  I’m going to set any dogs to howling or cats to yowling.

Now I’m reconsidering my decision not to audition in a couple of weeks for Merry Widow, which runs at the end of February.  I’ll test things out by going back to choir practice this week.  If that goes well, I’ll fish out some music to audition with.

Livestock

We knew we had mice - had been seeing the evidence (droppings, nibbled bread) and the occasional brown blur - but the rodents are getting bolder.  The other night I spotted one zipping from the kitchen into the dining room (how do they get up so much speed on those tiny legs?) and tonight we saw one in the living room.  The Chief is now setting out more traps.

To quote Mr. Jinks, “I hates meeses to pieces!”

Shiny new fridge!

After the debacle with the freezer, the Chief and I decided it was probably time to replace the 27-year-old fringed.  It was still working but had been leaking water for quite some time.  Rather than wait for it to die on us, we decided to replace it.  We now have a shiny new French-door fridge. We’ll probably be grabbing for a non-existent left-side handle for a while. 😁

Goodbye, Blithe Spirit

Tonight is the final performance of Blithe Spirit.  The Chief is watching the show tonight, after which we’ll collect my things and the wigs and head home.  Striking hair and makeup tonight means I can stay home tomorrow while everyone else strikes the set, costumes, etc.  While I’ll be glad of the break, I’ll be a little sad that I don’t have any further theater adventures on the calendar for the rest of the year.

This is the first time I’ve done different productions of the same show so close together.  I was able to apply what I learned last year, as far as a good gray foundation, while having fun designing slightly different hairstyles for the women.  Among other things, I got to use a couple of styles I didn’t use last year.  I really like how my version of this Bette Davis style turned out.  Better, I was able to find a good gray wig so I didn't need to dye one for Elvira.

As usual, I enjoyed the camaraderie in the dressing room.  This company does 4-week runs, so there was plenty of time for the ladies to cement their rapport.  This was obviously a cast who got along well and supported each other - no divas here.  One of the 2 gentlemen in the cast commented tonight that “this is obviously where the party is.”  Well, with only 2 in the men’s dressing room, it’s bound to be much quieter.

evanescent urticaria

My dermatologist got back to me with a plan for getting rid of these temporary rashes (evanescent urticaria - not nearly as pretty as any of these orchids) that have been plaguing me for weeks, consisting of 2 different OTC antihistamines.  He warned me this could take months (!) but it should work.  With any luck, things will be much better by the time I see him at the end of October.

My endocrinologist assured me this won't interfere with my thyroid med as long as I wait at least an hour after taking the thyroid med to take the antihistamine.

You’d think I’d have the hang of this by now.

So here I am, 5+ weeks post-op, and swallowing is still a problem at times.  It’s only with liquids and smoothies, but I still have to remember to take smaller sips than I used to, and to tuck my chin and turn my head before swallowing.  I don’t know why that tuck-and-turn trick works, but it does.

In other news, these temporary rashes, or “evanescent urticaria”, continue to plague me.  My dermatology appointment isn’t until the end of October but I’m on the waitlist in the event of a cancellation.  I plan to message my dermatologist, of course, but I’m really hoping and praying I can get in soon.

One med gone

Based on yesterday’s bloodwork, my endo tells me I can stop taking the medicine that filled in for my parathyroid while it was recovering from surgery.  Being able to retire one med is a good thing!  She wants me to go back for more bloodwork next week as we continue to monitor my progress.

5 weeks post-op

Because we’re still tweaking my synthroid, my day started with another visit to the lab for blood work.  I’m sure my endocrinologist will let me know if we’ll make any changes this week or “let it ride”.

The Chief and I followed that up with a trip to the toy store, aka Sur La Table, to look for a coffee maker to replace the one that died.  We’ve been making do with a little 4-cup pot, which has been sufficient (I haven’t been drinking coffee now that I have to wait 4 hours post-synthroid to have any calcium) but it doesn’t have an automatic shut-off.  He ended up treating himself to one that has a built-in bean grinder.  That’ll make the house smell wonderful every morning!

As luck would have it, there was a coffee shop across the street, where I had my first latte in ages, along with a very nice chocolate croissant (aka chocolatine, aka pain au chocolat).  And yes, we each got an extra pastry for tomorrow.  It was a beautiful day for it, too - cool enough that we actually needed jackets when we first left the house, and a near-cloudless sky.

I’m starting to regain some semblance of stamina at long last.  Yesterday I managed 15 minutes on the treadmill (variable incline) and today I opted for the stairs going back to the car after our retail adventures and wasn’t the least bit winded, though my thighs did notice the incline when we got into the parking garage.  Not that I haven’t been taking stairs, but this was the first time I didn’t notice them.

Weird post-op stuff

My system is definitely different since getting my thyroid yanked.  First of all, there’s all the weird breathing stuff because of that paralyzed vocal fold.  I have coughs that sound like sneezes, or occasionally like sobs, just for variety.  Then there are the little inhales that sometimes rumble in my chest and sound like snoring or growling.  And we can’t forget the gasping inhale, though those are becoming less common.  My speaking voice is still weird - high, in a cartoony way, or mid-range and glitchy.

In addition to the dizziness that just started today, I’ve been dealing with “evanescent urticaria” - the here-again-gone-again rashes I keep getting.  My energy level continues to be low, to the point that I told the director of my next show that I won’t be able to be part of the design team after all. 😢  I thought about that one long and hard, but in the end I just couldn’t justify staying on when I can’t guarantee whether I’ll be able to do good work.

On the other hand, my arthritis has been leaving me alone, even the arthritis in my neck, the MRI for which is what got me started on this adventure.

Dizzy

 Poor Chief.  I had a big dizzy hit so he had to drive me to the theater again today.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t a one-off;  I’ve had a few touches of dizziness, some while I was trying to wig someone.  Not enough that I fell over, but certainly enough to confirm that having him drive was the right decision.

Entering the next phase

Today was my first prednisone-free day in over a month, since the onset of that awful rash.  Hurray!

Today I also started my new, adjusted levothyroxine dose.  Not sure if it's the new med dosage or what, but I'm feeling a bit lightheaded again today.  The Chief and I are both hoping that fades, so that he doesn't have to drive me to the theater.  (Blithe Spirit has 4 performances this weekend.)

And I scheduled my Nuclear Medicine consult.  Don't know whether we'll schedule my radioactive iodine then, but at least things are moving along.