I survived becoming a human pincushion, also, TOMALITO!

The use of local anesthetic makes a biopsy significantly less painful. It still hurts like mad and I still cried and nearly broke poor Zack's hand I was squeezing it so hard...but it hurt less than last time (when they decided not to give me local anesthetic), and I wanted to do this...

www.nataliedee.com

okay, so I still wanted to...but, they numbed me up really good this time and that was pretty awesome. Now we wait for results...a week...

In other news, I am once again employed, which is pretty rad. I start sometime next week...its non-seasonal, base rate + commission, and not clothing retail...which is good enough for me!

Last night I finally attempted the Sweetcorn Tomalito as a side dish for Zack's fajitas that I've been meaning to get to ALL week. Though it took an hour and a half to bake, the results were tasty! A sort of fluffy sweetcorn pudding. A great compliment to Mexican dishes, since the standard beans and/or Spanish rice would leave me quite ill. Also, the leftovers are delicious at breakfast, warmed, with a little bit of maple syrup drizzled over the top. :)

Here's the recipe:

Sweetcorn Tomalito

Ingredients

• 5 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 1/4 cup masa (corn flour)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen, thawed
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. milk

Directions

1. In a small mixing bowl, mix the butter, masa, and sugar using an electirc mixer until light and fluffy. About 1 minute.
2. In a blender, blend half of the corn kernels with the water until smooth.
3. Combine this mixture with the butter mixture, stirring well.
4. Add the remaining corn kerrnels, corn meal, baking powder, salt and milk and mix well.
5. Pour the corn mixture into an 8 inch square baking pan. tightly cover with foil.
6. Preheat oven 250 degree F. Place covered dish in a larger roasting pan filled with so water is 3/4 of inch up side of baking dish. Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

So make some Tomalito, and if you happen to be in, near, or in the position to drive to Minneapolis tonight; board games and homemade cookies, our place, 8:00 PM! Hope to see you there! :)

Combatting the pre-biopsy blues...

Tomorrow, I go in for another thyroid biopsy to ensure if a newly present nodule is cancerous or not. If you have never heard of a thyroid nodule, you can read all about them HERE.

The biopsy is essentially this:

Once the patient is ready, a needle is inserted into the nodule. Most doctors do not use a local anesthetic.The patient holds his/her breath while the needle is rocked gently to obtain as much tissue as possible. The needle is then withdrawn and pressure is applied over the thyroid area to minimize bleeding. This procedure is usually repeated six to eight times to ensure that an adequate amount of tissue has been collected. After the procedure, pressure is applied over the neck area for 10 to 15 minutes to assure that the bleeding has stopped. The pressure also helps to reduce any swelling that may occur.

Anyone that knows me will tell you that I am not at all a fan of needles, so the idea of being a human pincushion for 45 minutes is not a particularly comforting one. Also, last time I had a thyroid biopsy, it HURT, not "stung", not "smarted", no, it straight up HURT. I was crying, I was scaring the crap out of the poor med student assigned to hold my hand and he was crying...oh, such fun.

So, in nervous anticipation of tomorrow, I've been a pretty major wreck the past few nights. Zack took tomorrow afternoon off so he can be there with me tomorrow (because he is perfect and wonderful :), and tonight we're going to get some take-out from my favorite Vietnamese place and curl up on the couch and watch television for a relaxing, low-key night...and hopefully I will manage to get SOME sleep. :/

I had a pretty successful interview this afternoon, and although they couldn't offer me the position until they completed all their interviews, they said that I'd be a great fit. I find out tomorrow...wish me luck!

I finished Christmas shopping for Zack today, so all that's left is picking up a few things for the extended family and the tickets for mum and dad. I feel a little bad for not getting them much they can actually open on Christmas morning, but they're really excited about the Gaelic Storm tickets, and I think they'll really enjoy themselves. :)

Well, I'm going to curl up with Sasha-poof and relax.

I hope you're all staying warm!