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And now for the results....

Dr. Pun's office called yesterday and said he wanted me to come to the office and discuss all of the test results from my thyroid cancer follow up in person since the information was so "detailed." As you can imagine, a thousand things ran through my head:
  • Detailed? What does that mean?
  • I'm a new patient, only seen him once, so he probably just wants to go over everything.
  • It's horrible news! Oh no...
  • It's nothing...he wants to celebrate with me!
At 8:15 AM this morning, Dr. Pun started the conversation this morning by saying we had a conundrum. He can't say I am cancer free, but there is not enough evidence to say I have a recurrence.

Thyroglobin blood test results were elevated, and that caused him some concern as this is the test that with thyroid cancer patients often indicates recurrence. However, whole body scan showed nothing (radioactivity based). PET scan (glucose based) showed some very small things/nodules on the left side of my neck (not necessarily cancer), but these didn't show up on the WBS or the ultrasound. Left side is surprising as all cancer has been on the right side to date.

The very good news: no cancer shown in chest or bones, the places where thyroid cancer metastasizes to if it is going to at all.

Dr. Pun advised waiting and watching. I'm going to have my blood drawn in 4-6 weeks to recheck that thyroglobin and will continue to have that blood work monitored. I will also have this same week-long battery of tests again at the end of the year/9 months.

I had hoped to hear "cancer free" but am OK with this result as well. I don't have to undergo surgery, and he advises against the radioactive treatment at least for now. Thyroid cancer is slow growing so I don't expect some dramatic change in six weeks or even six months.

This will be an exercise in controlling my anxiety and worry about the thyroid cancer. I have to move on and let this go mentally, knowing at the same time I need to stay on top of the follow up testing.

Overall, I am relieved....really!

Thanks for your support and prayers! Family, friends, and honestly even strangers have shown an outpouring of love towards me, and I thank you.

Comments

  1. DariaApril 8, 2009 at 8:17 PM

    It's important to celebrate what you can.

    No metastasizes ... that is great news.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Meg McCormickApril 8, 2009 at 8:42 PM

    Yep, you'll take what you can get and overall, there's much to be grateful for in that mixed bag of news, yes?

    Thanks for keeping us posted! Continued prayers for your health.

    ReplyDelete
  3. hollybfApril 9, 2009 at 1:20 PM

    That's right, focus on the positive! And go get a pedicure or something, by all means.

    ReplyDelete

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