Charlcie

In the excitement of learning my thyroglobulin level post-surgery was undectectable earlier this month, my cancerversary passed without fanfare or observance. July 15, 2008, is the date I was first told that I had papillary carcinoma, one of the four types of thyroid cancer. Since that day in 2008, I have: Had three surgeries Two scars on my neck Had two recurrences Had one radioactive iodine treatment Lost most of my ability to sleep like a normal person Yet realized that I want to sleep more than any human probably should Learned more about myself than I ever thought I could Figured out that I am strong Found out you can't rely on doctors to take care of you. Only you can take care of you. Learned alot about the people around me, both good and bad Have seen my anxiety level increase to new heights Have isolated myself more than I should because most days it feels like no one gets it Have trusted others in general less than I did before my diagnosis (which ...

This is the word in the letter I received from the endocrinologist that was unbelievable to me: UNDETECTABLE . "Your thyroglobulin is now undetectable at less than 0.5, indicating that Dr. Sanders performed an excellent surgery in removing the involved lymph nodes and we have reason to be somewhat more optimistic at this time." Out of frustration more with the situation of having thyroid cancer for the third time in four years than with my current endocrinologist, I sought out a second opinion on what to do next following surgery. I wanted someone to confirm what my current endocrinologist's plan was for moving forward. As a result, I met with Dr. Leonard Wartofsky at the Washington (DC) Hospital Center in June. Google him, and you will find that he is an endocrinologist specializing in thyroid cancer and that he has published many papers on thyroid cancer and radioactive iodine treatment. In fact, he only sees thyroid cancer patients. This is what I had been look...

It's been over three weeks since my surgery. I'm somewhere between post-surgery and back on my feet. Better than the alternative, I know. Still feeling pretty crappy in general. I've had some strange swelling above my incision for about a week. Let's backtrack...first week post-surgery, definite swelling. It went away week two and reappeared week three. And I understand the shooting pains in my neck and that they are good. That means the nerves are regenerating, coming back with a vengance. However, I have this strange achy feeling from my ear to my jaw where the swelling is. My endocrinologist noticed it on Monday, said I could ask my surgeon about it. I called the surgeon's office, and they worked me in to see him. He said it is not uncommon to see fluid collection when removing lymph nodes, to ice it as needed and use ibuprofen as needed. If it does not go away by July 1, I should go back to see him about possibly draining this or treating it with steroids....

Everyday, I am feeling better in terms of my neck. The sore, sometimes random pains have mainly shifted from my ear/jawline to the actual incision, which is to be expected. Example: last night, it felt like someone was pricking my incision with straight pins. This is good, as I understand, as it means that the feeling is gradually starting to return to the area. If the pain is too intense, now I just take a dose or two of ibuprofen throughout the day for pain instead of percocet. Swelling has mostly gone down, but I do notice a little still. Tomorrow is my post-op appointment with the surgeon. It has become a ritual of some sorts that my mom attends this appointment with me then, after Dr. Sanders takes off the last of the steri-strips remaining on the incision, they both curiously stare at the incision on my neck. This has happened with all three surgeries. In fact, my mom scheduled her flight back to Oklahoma on Saturday so she could attend the appointment with me and conduct sai...

Nothing much to see here...two of six lymph nodes positive for papillary carcinoma. Basically the two lymph nodes shot with dye got top billing. My first reaction: Dang, took those extra ones. Upon further review: Glad he took those extra ones as lymph nodes on the right side of my neck don't have a great track record. To date between two surgeries, six of 20 lymph nodes have been positive (there's that term again...) for cancer. Maybe those four extra he took would grow cancer cells in the coming years and he saved me another surgery? Who knows...glad he took them all as a preventative measure. I overdid it yesterday. Not as many naps and too much activity. I'm down for the count today. My mom says she is not taking me anywhere today and, in fact, I will have to walk if I have big plans. No big plans are made. I will not be walking the streets in my PJs, no worries.

The pain is subsiding. Here is the best way I have found to describe it....it feels like someone took a bottle brush and twirled it on the right side of my neck from my ear along my jawbone to under my chin to my clavicle. Make you wince? Yep, me too. The swelling is still there but markedly better. Sleep seems to still be the best medicine. When I get sleepy and tired, I feel like my body is saying, "hey, we need to do more healing. Get to sleep," and I haven't had too much trouble falling asleep at all since last Friday. I still don't know my pathology results. My surgeon and I keep playing phone tag. I do know he took a frozen section during the surgery of the two lymph nodes that were shot with blue dye, which confirmed the papillary carcinoma. So what should the pathology report show? That at least those two lymph nodes were positive (an ironic term for cancer, right? I digress...), but he also removed "a bunch" of other lymph nodes. I would like ...

My third thyroid cancer surgery was Friday, May 11, 2012. Before going to surgery, I paid a visit (along with my entourage, as they called themselves, of my husband, mother, and Aunt Freddie) to the radiologist so he could inject the two known cancerous lymph nodes with blue dye. This was done and then circled with a blue sharpie on the outside of my neck for good measure (and lots curious looks). After a one hour delay, surgery was underway. Surgeon said he was easily able to identify the offending lymph nodes and take them. Said he also took some others for good measure and/or he didn't like the way they looked. Said he could see my jaw from where he was in my neck. Super. Of note, he did have to make a new incision on my neck. This one starts on the right side of my neck about midline down from my chin and goes from there to close to my ear. A lovely addition to my growing collection of battle scars from thyroid cancer. In the hospital post-op, I was hungry but couldn't ...