Skip to main content

Dr. Pun Replaces The Doctor That I Don’t Like

I had my much anticipated appointment yesterday with the new endocrinologist. For those of you who are new here, an endocrinologist is the doctor who “quarterbacks” the treatment for thyroid cancer patients, much like an oncologist does for other types of cancer.

It went well! He listened! He gave details! After listening, he had a plan! He told bad punny jokes! All of this made me very happy. OK, maybe not the bad jokes, but at least it was entertaining.

I will have a series of follow up tests mid-March including a whole body scan, PET scan, ultrasound, and chest x-ray as well as the usual blood work. All of this is in an effort to make sure we stay on top of what is currently going on and any recurrence that might happen.

I feel like a load has been lifted from my shoulders. It is bad enough to have cancer…and then have more cancer…and then to not be able to trust or even like your doctor? That is the situation I have been in for the last six months. Not going to dwell on the past, just move forward...with Dr. Pun. :)

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 11, 2009 at 10:48 PM

    So the critical question....

    did he spell out cancer?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Meg McCormickFebruary 12, 2009 at 7:25 AM

    OH what a relief! You'll be better off with Dr. Pun. Hooray!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousFebruary 12, 2009 at 10:30 AM

    Hi there! Thanks for your tweet; this is my first time to your blog. It's good to hear that you're doing well, and I like how you talk about cancer.

    You might also want to check out our group blog for mothers with cancer ... feel free to come by anytime. It's MothersWithCancer.org. Y'know, just in case you ever feel alone with this beast.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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 ...
2 comments
Read more

Third time is a charm? Third time stinks.

So....unfortunately it seems my gut (and the thyroglobulin blood test) was right. Ultrasound showed two "metastatic" lymph nodes. Same right side of the neck where I had four cancerous lymph nodes in 2008. Radiologist said we could biopsy them but he showed me...."here is what a normal lymph node looks like. But here is what this one...and this one look like. Not normal....with metastatic characteristics." Third time is a charm? Third time stinks. First diagnosed in 2008, recurrence in 2009, and now a recurrence in 2012. About 30% of thyroid cancer survivor struggle with recurrence, and I am in that 30%. What's next? A procedural biopsy next week. Surgery next month. Those are the facts. I'm still sorting through the emotions of it all so more on that later. Thanks for your prayers and positive thoughts.
9 comments
Read more

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...
13 comments
Read more