Rebecca and Rick: January 2006

Thyroid Nodule is Benign

Good news. My surgery was successful and the biopsy showed the growth to benign. The next step is to see if my right thyroid can produce enough hormones for my body. I get that tested in a couple of weeks.

I had some fun telling my 8th grade math class. A few minutes into telling my students that I was having part of my thyroid removed, one student asked if I would still be able to walk. This wasn’t the only class where I got the question.

In my Pre-AP class I was explaining how the thyroid controlled my body’s metabolism. One student asked what metabolism was and the whole class turned on him and said, “You don’t know what metabolism means?” The pre-AP is a tough class on their peers.

Thyroid Surgery Successful

After a nearly two-hour surgery, I am recovering very well. I went into surgery Monday at 10:00 am and was released from the hospital Tuesday at 4:30 pm. I had the left lobe of my thyroid removed after a nodule on the gland showed a growth that had more than doubled in size in the past year. Previously to last year, tests had shown that the nodule was non-cancerous and dormant.

The first day was quite painful with plenty of nausea. I was given morphine and a narcotic painkiller to control the pain. The painkillers worked well, but I didn't like the effects of the morphine. The morphine made my head spin and did little for my pain. I was given medicine that controlled my nausea very well.

After being released I have been able to relax comfortably by taking Advil every 4 to 6 hours. I never did get the stiff neck that was expected. I have regained my appetite, but yet I am very weak. I have taken advantage of this to watch the entire 3rd season of '24'. I should be teaching school on Monday. Rebecca and Sarah have been taking very good care of me.

Preliminary results show that the growth was non-cancerous. We expect the scaring to be minimal.