The full story and West Virginia

So here's the full story on the endo visit. I blogged earlier this week it "went well" with him as it has not in the past...at all. He increased my dose of Levoxyl from 125 to 137 immediately, even before checking my blood work. He initially said that my blood work looked fine, and I pointed out that's good but I still don't feel well. I had been at 125 since September and wanted an increase so that is good he actually listened.

What I'm still rolling around in my head...my thyroglobulin levels reveal that I still have thyroid tissue, which is a little surprising. I knew I had some post-surgery as the surgeon said that to us, but I thought the radioactive iodine treatment would get rid of that. Apparently it didn't. The endo said he will give me an order for an ultrasound at my next appointment to see what's left.

So...what's left? Random thyroid tissue? A friend suggested that maybe a lymph node was missed. Ugh. Endo suggested I might get another treatment of the radioactive iodine, which frankly I have read is not that unusual. I just don't want to have surgery again. It isn't even on the table, but it makes me think about it...and about still having cancer still in my thyroid and/or lymph nodes or for that matter other places.

Please send good thoughts and prayers my way that (a) I will find some peace with this and not roll it around in my head constantly that there might be more cancer (b) that whatever is there is not cancer.

We are off to West Virginia this weekend for a church youth retreat. We went last year and had a great time. Morgan gets to go with us this time (we went last year, and she stayed home) as she is what Jennifer is calling a "mini-youth." She loves the label! She is less than a year away from being in the youth group but still...officially, she is not supposed to go. Anyway, we are all looking forward to it!

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Quite a pay raise!

Today I received a press alert via email from my alma mater, Oklahoma State. Check out the first two paragraphs below: Following only the sixth nine-win regular season in school history, Oklahoma State University today announced a contract extension for head football coach Mike Gundy, giving him a new seven-year contract worth $15.7 million. The contract was announced following action by the OSU/A&M Board of Regents at its regular meeting in Miami. With the new contract, which is effective Jan. 1, 2009 and runs through December of 2015, Gundy’s average annual compensation will be more than $2.2 million. His current six-year contract paid him $1,053,000 this year. What the heck? That's quite a raise, and he didn't even beat OU, Texas, or Tech! Now, I went to OSU when Mike Gundy was the quarterback there. He was the quarterback during Barry Sanders' Heisman year. He seems like a nice guy and a great coach, but wow... In all fairness, I have to point out that I also read ...

More about batting a thousand...

Ah, I didn't really explain the "batting a thousand" reference in relationship to me when posting on the blog last night. Was still in a bit of a fog from the news I received from the ultrasound. A bit of history... Batting a thousand: 1. June 2008: ultrasound reveals suspicious nodules that should be biopsied. 2. July 2008: after biopsy confirms papillary carcinoma, neck ultrasound to look at lymph nodes finds suspicious lymph nodes. Post-surgery found out about the four positive lymph nodes, two of which were the size of small plums. 3. December 2008: Ultrasound post total thyroidectomy and neck dissection, small nodules found in the thyroid bed along with a suspicious lymph node. So in summary, every ultrasound I have had of my thyroid and neck this year has revealed something suspicious. Thus, I am batting 1,000 with the ultrasounds in 2008. Feeling rather bleh and crappy about it all today. It's Christmas...why do I have to deal with cancer again? Ugh.

On my soapbox about "the best cancer to have"

Those of you who follow me on Twitter know I was on my soapbox this morning after reading yet another article about the dreaded subject of how thyroid cancer is "the best cancer to have." Think about that...the best cancer? Why would someone say that? In an attempt to make you feel better about having thyroid cancer, some health care profesionals try to convince those of us who have or have had thyroid cancer that it is "the best cancer to have" because it has a high survival rate. An aside here, that high survival rate applies to papillary carcinoma, one of the three types of thyroid cancer out there. Survival rates are lower for medullary carcinoma and anaplastic carcinoma, the other two types of thyroid cancer. Back on topic...OK, so tell us that papillary carcinoma has a high survival rate. Truly, that is good news. But because of this "best cancer to have" statement, and the fact that I was told my thyroidectomy would most likely be just an easy, ove...

Charlcie

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