GLP-1 Pause: Waiting for Even More Surgery

I recently wrote about my having to have cancer surgery while on GLP-s and what that entailed. Surgery was on March 3, 2025. After writing about my experience, I had another surgery to remove another three spots on April 22, 2025. I was off my Mounjaro for 23 out of 60 days… 38% of the time. 

I’ve been anticipating yet another surgery (more on that in a bit) and now it is May I was off Mounjaro for another 13 days before giving up waiting for a surgery date and took my shot. I hope to find out today if I will be staying off again because the next surgery might be soon. So, total, in three months, I’ve been off Mounjaro for 36 days out of 87… 41% of the time. That’s two out of five days in the last three months. (Thank you Claude, my A.I.maginary friend, for calculating all of that for me.) It’s an absolute miracle I have maintained my window of weight loss… weighing between 121 and 131, averaging 124 lbs. Today, May 22, 2025, I am 123 lbs.

Lymph Node Biopsy

I had this weird itch under both armpits and after a day or so, I thought I should check my lymph nodes there. Sure enough, they were swollen on both sides under my armpits. I felt 2-3 movable pea-sized shaped “things,” for lack of a better word. I kept thinking they felt like tiny marbles, but a tad softer, though not by much. I went to the doc first thing the next morning and was sent immediately for a stat mammogram and sonogram. The mammogram and sono showed “suspicious” issues under my left armpit that required a lymph node biopsy, also stat. Two days later, I was in the Imaging “surgery” room with my left arm stretched over my head as the doctor inserted a trocar through my skin, then put another tool called a “spring-loaded core biopsy needle” inside the trocar to take six biopsies of my lymph node. Each tissue sample was heralded by a snap as the spring sent the needle into the lymph node. He moved the biopsy needle around inside the trocar before each snap. When he was done, he left a “marker clip” in the main lymph node (hopefully, the sentinel lymph node) so the surgeon can see where the biopsies were done when he does his surgery. The clip can be seen on all imaging types like CT, MRI, and ultrasounds.

Feeling Around

After that experience, I thought I should poke around my other lymph node areas: inguinal (groin), neck, and back of my neck. I found swollen nodes in every place. I was at the Dermotologist’s yesterday for three more biopsies (wheee!) and had her feel what I felt, too. She is sending me for a stat sono on a group at the back of my neck. I’d shown a PCP the nodules before and he dismissed them saying they were lipomas, a small gathering of fat cells. If they turn out to be cancer, I am going to be one cranky woman. 

The dermatologist said to have my surgeon feel all of them today and see what he thought.

Staying Calm While in a Maelstrom

Yes, at this point, every single thing worries me. I’m meditating almost constantly trying to quell my worries. My psychological condition has been in an uproar and I saw my psychiatrist yesterday, too. I have Bipolar Disorder 1 and have been in a mixed state (“episode with mixed features”) ever since the second surgery in April. A mixed state is a bizarre combination of mania and depression at the same time. My body buzzes with energy, yet tears flow freely. Or the tears refuse to come out even when I am terribly upset and all I want to do is crawl under the covers. I am lost with a lot of things. I’ve been unable to write until I began writing this this morning. I am oblivious to too much going on around me. It’s frustrating and very scary.

My psych upped the dosage on one of my meds, an anti-anxiety medication. I do not take Benzos. They are too addictive. Same reason I don’t take opioids, even after surgeries. With opiates, I’ve been clean since 2014. (Yay me!)

Leaving for Surgeon Soon

I am heading out in 30 minutes and want to get this out before I go so if I have news when I come back, I can start a new post.

Forgive me if this is disjointed.

Sorry for no pics.