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<\/p>\nBut it’ll be a while before I join in the chorus. Or even talk much.<\/p>\n
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1\/1600, f\/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Four days ago at Farmington Bay WMA increasing numbers of male Red-winged Blackbirds were feeling their hormone-driven oats and singing on territory, typically from the tops of phragmites. A little later in the spring they’ll be “stickier” than they are now and a little easier to photograph but I’m always happy to get my first nice photos of them each year.<\/p>\n This one was bouncing up and down a little on the phrag head which meant the phrag at upper left was moving into and out of the part of the frame I had to crop from. At first I tried to pick an image to post that wouldn’t have a phrag up there but I liked this photo of the bird best and decided the phrag helped with the framing of the bird. Now I actually prefer having it there even though it isn’t tack sharp.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Surgery report.<\/strong> I’ll try to keep it as brief as possible but it won’t be short for reasons I’ll explain.<\/p>\n I’m now the proud owner of only a partial thyroid gland as the right lobe and a large “nodule” were removed two days ago. My surgeon described the surgery as “unusually complicated” because the nodule was large (4 1\/2 cm, but then he knew that going in), flattened and tucked behind the mass of the right lobe right next to my trachea and adjacent larynx.<\/p>\n The removed tissue has been sent off for another biopsy. The first needle biopsy apparently ruled out the possibility of the most aggressive types of thyroid cancer so If it’s benign I’m done with surgery. If it isn’t the most likely options will be:<\/p>\n No matter what options are recommended I’ll be taking thyroxin for the rest of my life but that’s no big deal. Even if I’m left with half of a thyroid gland I’ll still need thyroxin therapy because it will suppress my pituitary gland from signaling what’s left of my thyroid to double up on thyroxin production. When thyroid tissue is overstimulated like that it’s more likely to grow more nodules.<\/p>\n So at the moment I’m feeling both optimistic and extremely sore and sleep deprived. After a mostly sleepless night before surgery and a completely sleepless night from hell in the hospital (understatement) my circadian rhythm is really screwed up. I slept all yesterday afternoon and then got up at 1:20 this morning so my sleep cycle is seriously out of whack.<\/p>\n The worst part is an extremely sore throat which makes swallowing, coughing and talking very difficult, which is why the last part of this post is as detailed as it is. I’m sending the link to relatives and friends to reduce the amount of time I have to spend talking on the phone.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n PS – An interesting detail: <\/em><\/p>\n Prior to surgery my surgeon told me that one potential complication of this type of surgery is permanent hoarseness because the two nerves going to the larynx can be partially embedded in the thyroid and they’re very small and difficult to see and cut around. The last thing I said to my surgeon with a goofy smile on my face as I was going under anesthesia was “Be careful with those nerves!”.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n
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