Appointment Update!

Yesterday I had 2 appointments at MGH and Mass Eye and Ear. I saw ENT first at MEEI for my vocal cord dysfunction and my huge lingual tonsils. My favorite part of going to that office is the view - the windows face south west and you can see the entire city of Boston past the Charles River. The ENT was glad I haven't had any significant vocal cord issues and didn't even scope me! I hate those scopes - they go up my nose and down my throat and cause serious gagging. I don't have to go back to that office until October!

I spent some time in between appointments at Starbucks with a passion tea lemonade and a chocolate chip cookie, then headed back to MGH.

I saw the urologist next, to talk about kidney stones, parathyroid levels, and a 24 hr urine test. Everything checked out ok there, and unless I have any major issues, I will see her in a year after another renal ultrasound.

Overall, a good appointment day, minus the traffic in and out of Boston.

Which appointments do you dread? Doesn't it feel nice to cross specialties off the list until next year?

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Plastic Surgery

When I was 17, I thought about getting a breast reduction. I was still pretty thin at this point and it bothered me to by bigger clothes just to fit my bust. I had a hard time exercising and always had back pain and grooves in my shoulders where my bra straps sat. I had a few consults with different plastic surgeons and ended up scheduling surgery for the week before my high school graduation. I ended up "chickening out" because I didn't want the surgery to have any impact on my graduation, and I hadn't had any major surgeries before. I started gaining weight due to Cushing's shortly after, so it worked out for the best in the end.

Now, my breast size has gone way down since I've lost weight, and even though they are still bigger than average, they don't get in my way as much and are more proportional to my body. These days, my plastic surgery dream is to have a tummy tuck. I have a lot of excess skin on my body, especially on my belly, and in a drea…

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I think the reason I haven't written about it is because it's one of the hardest things to sit down and spend time on. It's painful, and of course, I can't help but wonder what my life might be like today if I was diagnosed sooner. Would I have needed an adrenalectomy? Or for that matter, a second pituitary surgery? Would I have as many health issues after Cushing's? It's ha…

Life with Chronic Illness

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