Preparing for Surgery

I have lots of news on the medical front......

My hysterectomy surgery is set for this coming Thursday, February 4 at 7:30am. Of course, I have to be there at 5:30am. Last Friday, I went to the hospital to register and have pre-op testing done. I'm going to Thompson Peak hospital in north Scottsdale off 101 & Scottsdale Rd. I was unfamiliar with the facility but am becoming very fond of it. It's part of the Scottsdale Health network and has only been open a couple years. It's beautiful and has a peaceful calm about it. The staff was pleasant, calm and happy to be there. Dare I say, it's almost spa-ish. There is a healing garden and a grand piano in the lobby. Needless to say, I feel good about the facility and the doctor performing the surgery. I expect all to go well on Thursday.

I found a new cardiologist and love him! I wasn't remotely satisfied with my first one. It was an unpleasant experience. My new dr is caring, personable and listens. So refreshing! I saw him last Thursday. In the office they did an EKG and ultrasound of my heart. Plus, he ordered some labs. I meet with him again tomorrow to get all the results. You may recall, we are closely monitoring my heart because Herceptin can cause damage to it.

Last Thursday, I received my 15th dose of Herceptin. I normally get it on Mondays, but I was at the bottom of the canyon. So I skipped my normal Monday dose and got it when I returned. I'll be off it for a few weeks while I recover from surgery. My next dose is planned to be on February 22.

You may have heard vitamin D is a hot topic in the news lately. Some experts say most Americans are deficient. I recently had mine checked via a blood test. About a year ago I suffered from bi-lateral tibia stress fractures while I was training for a half marathon. When I got back to running after chemo I had some nagging tibia pain again. I went back to my sports medicine doctor for a check. An MRI showed a slight fracture, but it could be residual from my last one. My doctor wanted to check my D levels to see if that was contributing to my stress fractures. Sure enough.....I am deficient. My level was 30 ng/mL. Anything less than 30 is considered deficient. Optimal levels are 50-70. I've increased my D3 supplement to 2000 iu per day to help get me to optimal levels. Vitamin D deficiency seems to be widespread and appears to be linked to many health concerns such as osteoporosis, depression, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, thyroid function, immune function and weight loss. Get yours checked at your next physical.

I heard a naturopathic doctor speak a couple weeks ago. I was impressed with her knowledge & background in nutrition. I plan to enlist the help of a naturopath to guide me through the management of hormones after my surgery. I have a couple more doctors to check out. I truly believe integrative health care is the way to go......at least, it fits me and my goals.

Overall, I'm feeling great. My hair is growing more everyday. It's getting wavy, too. Everyone asks me if I'm going to keep it short. It's so easy short. I think I might.....but how short remains to be answered.

Make it a great week! Eat healthy & be active! Live BIG and strong!!
Sending you my love, srb