Rites Updated 25 April 2015 · 12:31am Apr 26th, 2015
So, here’s what’s up.
For the past couple of weeks I was on a special iodine-depletion diet in order to get a special scan to look for any leftover thyroid cancer. No results yet. What they do is hit you with an Iodine 131 dose, and look for where you ‘glow’ with gamma radiation. (Fun fact, apparently I-131 actually decays mostly with beta radiation, but there is some gamma, and gamma penetrates better and is more visible to a sensor.)
But to make any cancer cells take up the iodine, I needed the radioactive stuff be the only iodine in my body. Hence, the diet. Which sucked. Have to make everything from scratch, no iodized or sea salt, no dairy, almost no meat, no seafood anything… When it was over I went to Wendy’s and got something drenched in cheese, covered in bacon, and filled with salt. Plus a donut. Then at night I went on a date with Violet to a fancy restaurant and got a big steak.
Tomorrow, though, I fly home, hopefully not making security suspicious as to why I’m slightly radioactive.
Thus, for the next couple weeks, things are going on hiatus. I’m going to be stateside visiting family, and likely not able to work on the story at all. I’ll be back mid-May. I’ll still be able to check FimFic, respond to comments, etc, but I won’t have as much time as normal. Probably.
I have a number of things I have to do there. It’s honestly likely to be rather stressful, but there are things that must be done. This is going to wind up being a month’s worth of pure stress. Two weeks of stressful cancer stuff, two weeks of stressful family stuff.
On top of that, my hands still aren’t better. Well, not enough, at any rate.
My left hand, the one that got the cortisone, has seen improvement in some small ways. I no longer have tightness in my shoulder at night on that side. On my right side, though, it’s still there. I’m starting to wonder if I have some minor carpal tunnel PLUS something else, making an already tricky diagnosis even trickier. I think when I get back I’ll run another typing test, see if it’s still my left hand that gives first. If the left hand doesn’t, then I can get a cortisone shot in the right, and at the same time I want to try the Cymbalta or something else to deal with the rest of the pain. Something to deal a one-two punch. Deal with the carpal tunnel that’s there, and then hit whatever else is going on. At least, that’s my thought, but the doctor can disagree and put a stop to it, as it’s his script pen. And that’s only right. I’m not a doctor. If the doc has a better idea, I’m inclined to listen.
As a backup plan, I’m going to be taking voice lessons if it looks like medicine won’t happen soon. I’ve never been able to use my voice much. I can do about two-thirds of a song before it’s too strained to keep going. Yet, there are people who can sing for hours, or speak for hours on end without much of an issue. The throat doctor said he didn’t see any damage, which means that it’s down to technique. What am I missing? I hope to find out. If I can get my voice to cooperate for longer than the 400-500 words it’s stuck on, I can at least write with my voice again.
Also, starting with the next mission I’m going to start up a new rule. I have to write the same amount I post. So if a chapter is 5,000 words, I have to write 5,000 new words before I can post it. That way, at least the backlog will stay a certain size. That’s still feasible with a posting speed of once every two or three weeks. Five hundred spoke words per day, five days a week, means 5,000 words every two weeks. Thus, it’s viable. Some chapters are larger, though, and will need more time. Hopefully the voice lessons will speed things up there, too.
Still, I pray I get something to deal with this pain. It’s been more than a year, and it’s dealing serious emotional blows at this point.
-Cv
(P.S. I'll be updating Patreon sometime tonight before I leave for the US.)
suddenly, Rites!
Hope that things go smoothly for you during the trip, Cv. Also hoping that you're on the right track finally with the pain. Hang in there!
Good luck with the test and the flying (I wonder if a doctor's note would help, just in case?).
Ooooo, what a well-timed Rites update, it'll be first on my list to listen to in the morning.
Good luck with everything.
Keep it up man, everything will get better. I know how you feel, and I got through it. You can too.
Hahaha yeeeeeessssssssss :DD
I'm glad to hear there's been some improvement, and while it's only tiny any good news is great news when you're dealing with chronic medical issues. They really do wear on you, in a way others who haven't experienced it just can't understand. It will certainly test whatever you've placed your hope in, that's for sure.
I hope you can find some good moments with your family amidst all the stress, CV, and thanks for keeping us updated. It's always good to hear from you. Safe travels!
Well, any progress is a good thing. Fingers are crossed for the cancer scan.
Progress! That's good. I'll continue to pray that further forays will yield more results. Don't lose hope. When you're at your lowest point, the only way it can go is up.
Huzzah!
Personally you might just not have very much practice with using your voice for extended periods. I don't know personally, but are you normally a quiet person? If so, then all you need is practice.
I'd suggest singing as much of one song as you can every day if so. (Or doing the 500 words.)
I'm glad you have the sense to listen to your certified medical practitioner; too many people think they know better than doctors simply because they haven't gotten the results they desired. They never take the time to realize that medicine is a very tricky thing.