Well...as most of you know my surgery date has been rescheduled. Last week my tooth started hurting very bad. I went to the dentist hoping I would have a cavity filled and that would be that. Of course not...come on...haven't we figured out by now if something can go wrong it is bound to go wrong lately. LOL! I had to have a root canal. So I call my surgeon and of course my root canal is scheduled the day before my surgery and the surgeon wants to wait 2 weeks after the root canal to do the surgery. I can totally understand why but it is frustrating to keep having it moved back. Today was the day of the root canal and after the initial few hours following the root canal (those were not fun) I am doing very well now. So thankful for my wonderful husband who let me crash for 3 hours today. I so needed that!
So what else has been going on in life you ask. Well, besides keeping the auto parts store in business (my husband's car broke down on Saturday) along with half the doctors in Ormond Beach, Palm Coast and St. Augustine in business not too much! Haha! The joy off all the medical bills starting to roll in is almost too much for me to stand. That is okay though because God is continually showing up to provide for us and I know He will continue to do so.
My pulmonologist appointment went very well last week. He highly doubts that the spot on my lung is cancerous. It is so so so small they can't even biopsy it and if they preformed surgery to take it out they wouldn't be able to find it. So what we are going to do is have another CT scan at 3 months and see if it has grown. If it hasn't then we'll repeat the CT scan at 6 months. If it still hasn't changed or grown then we'll do one more CT scan at 12 months. Now if my thyroid surgery comes back as cancer then he may do a Pet (PT) Scan but only if my thyroid comes back cancerous. This scan entails me having to have a nuclear substance in my body and be subject to high amounts of radiation on the scan to see if the spot is "active". Right now with the spot being so small it may not show up at all and then I've subjected myself to a lot of stuff unnecessarily. He did say just by looking at the CT scan he didn't think my thyroid would turn out to be cancer. Mind you he didn't have the biopsy results but it still gave me a measure of more hope.
A lot of people have been asking how I'm feeling lately and to tell you the truth beside my tooth hurting like crazy this past week I'm doing pretty well. I am a little tired and showing some other signs of the hypothyroidism but I really do feel healthy which is great! I think I'm going to try and start back at the gym tomorrow. I miss it so much and so does my body and the scale. I was loving seeing the scale move down so quickly and now that it has stalled I'm not so thrilled. :) On a good note though our entire household has changed our eating habits and we are eating so much healthier! A lot more fruits and we are working on getting the kids to eat their veggies more. We have also cut out almost all of the artificial sweeteners and processed foods. We aren't being drastic or going overboard by any means but the few small changes we have made are definitely paying off.
Okay...going to call it a night...it's getting late. My prayers would obviously be for complete healing as always. Those prayers are working let me tell you! Also for my tooth to keep feeling better. For God's financial provision for us through all these car repairs and medical bills. Finally a huge praise for all my friends and family who are still so helpful and supportive!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Surgery date set
We finally have a firm surgery date...March 18th. I feel better now because I have a little bit of time to work on childcare stuff. Also I have a pulmonologist appointment this coming Thursday to start the process of checking on that little spot on my lung. I'll update on that as we go along as well. I'm really thankful they were able to get me in so quickly. It also works out well now since my surgery is the 18th and not tomorrow.
Today has been a good day overall. I've had to fight through a lot of fatigue but seem to be okay other than that. Brian is on the mend thankfully from that stomach bug he had. That was definitely no fun for him. Tomorrow I'm heading out with a friend for the afternoon to hang out. So looking forward to that girl time. :)
I just want to say thank you to everyone that has helped us out and those that are still planning on doing things that will just make our lives a little easier until all this is over with. You have no idea how much I appreciate everything from the help with the kids to the meals. All of it has been such a blessing! I do believe God has blessed me with the best set of friends and family. I'm also very blessed to be part of a group of believers who call themselves epic and live it out. :) Love you all so much!
Today has been a good day overall. I've had to fight through a lot of fatigue but seem to be okay other than that. Brian is on the mend thankfully from that stomach bug he had. That was definitely no fun for him. Tomorrow I'm heading out with a friend for the afternoon to hang out. So looking forward to that girl time. :)
I just want to say thank you to everyone that has helped us out and those that are still planning on doing things that will just make our lives a little easier until all this is over with. You have no idea how much I appreciate everything from the help with the kids to the meals. All of it has been such a blessing! I do believe God has blessed me with the best set of friends and family. I'm also very blessed to be part of a group of believers who call themselves epic and live it out. :) Love you all so much!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Let the freaking out begin
Okay...it was only a matter of time right? You know...until I started freaking out. ARRRGGHH! Stupid me got on the internet and started looking up small spots on lungs...note to self...DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN! So first thing Monday morning we are calling my endocrinologist and getting a recommendation on who to see about the spot. Before you start freaking out along with me let me give a disclaimer...more than likely I'm way over reacting about absolutely nothing. I am only freaking out because I thought this is something we would have to have checked in say a year but I was wrong. Brian knew we would be on top of it quickly but figured I knew and didn't say anything. Okay...freak out session over.
Back to being calm and trusting in God. Sometimes I do forget that He is in control and will take care of me!
"Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases." Psalm 103:1-3
"Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. The Lord says, "I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation. Psalm 91:1-3, 14-16
Also just figured out that Tyler's little 24 hour bug is highly contagious. Poor Brian is sick sick sick right now. Please be praying this will not last long for him and that it will not spread to Eric or myself. That is about it for our day. Even though it is ending on a bad note we did begin it on a good one by going to a friend's birthday party. The boys had a blast and really enjoyed being outside so much. We are so looking forward to the nicer weather that is supposed to be happening this week.
Back to being calm and trusting in God. Sometimes I do forget that He is in control and will take care of me!
"Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases." Psalm 103:1-3
"Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. The Lord says, "I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation. Psalm 91:1-3, 14-16
Also just figured out that Tyler's little 24 hour bug is highly contagious. Poor Brian is sick sick sick right now. Please be praying this will not last long for him and that it will not spread to Eric or myself. That is about it for our day. Even though it is ending on a bad note we did begin it on a good one by going to a friend's birthday party. The boys had a blast and really enjoyed being outside so much. We are so looking forward to the nicer weather that is supposed to be happening this week.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Encouraging yet frustrating news
I was able to meet with my surgeon today. I really liked him. He was very friendly and seemed very knowledgeable. While thyroid surgeries are not his specialty (he is a general surgeon) this is the area he prefers to work on and during his residency most of his surgeries were thyroid related. After looking at the biopsy report he said that it is suspicious of cancer but doesn't actually confirm cancer. This is not what my endocrinologist said but I'll take it. If there is a chance I don't have cancer...great! Now obviously if the biopsy is suspicious of it then there is a good chance it is cancer so here is our new game plan. Our surgeon will remove the half of the thyroid with the nodule in it. This is called a partial lobectomy. He will have a pathologist present during the surgery who will test that part of the thyroid right then and there. If he says it is cancer then the surgeon will remove the rest of the thyroid. Even if he says he is 95% sure that it is cancer we will remove the rest. If he can't tell and isn't sure we will stop surgery at that point and wait for results from a pathology lab to come back. If it comes back clear then we are done but if it comes back cancerous we would have to go back for another surgery to remove the rest of the thyroid.
As of right now we have a firm surgery date of March 18th but there is a possibility that it will be this coming Tuesday. We are waiting to hear from the surgeon's office on if another patient received cardiac clearance or not for their surgery. We will find out Monday what the definite day is.
As for my CT scan results my lymph nodes all look fine. He did say there was a very tiny spot on my lungs but it was so tiny that if the CT report hadn't pointed it out he wouldn't have seen it. He reassured me it could be something as simple as scar tissue from bronchitis or pneumonia I had in the past. He did recommend I have it followed though to see if it grows. That will come after my thyroid stuff is taken care of. One thing at a time please.
Another interesting thing is he said the lump on my neck wasn't actually on my thyroid but just above it. So during surgery he will be checking that out and if it is something concerning that will come out as well for testing. It could be something very simple as some thyroid cartliage though. My parathyroid levels are elevated as well so I may have some of those removed if they look suspicious as well. Parathyroid glands control the calcium in your body. If they are damaged then it can cause some major issues. The good news is my calcium levels are normal so this makes the surgeon think that the parathyroid glands may be just fine.
So all in all it was a good appointment. I'm so glad there is a chance that I am cancer free but at the same time I am back in the waiting game not knowing what is wrong. I am a little nervous and freaked out about having the surgery but there isn't much I can do about that. It has to be done so that is what we will do. Also I am feeling so much better today than I did yesterday. I do believe the rest of the iodine has filtered out of my system. I'm really tired because we were up all night with Tyler but other than that I'm much better.
My prayer now is that this is not cancer at all...that there is no cancer anywhere in my body...but rather something that is much easier and simpler to take care of. Also praying for my nerves as we wait for the surgery date and the results of the pathology on my thyroid. Praying for wisdom for my surgeon and for God to guide his hands.
As of right now we have a firm surgery date of March 18th but there is a possibility that it will be this coming Tuesday. We are waiting to hear from the surgeon's office on if another patient received cardiac clearance or not for their surgery. We will find out Monday what the definite day is.
As for my CT scan results my lymph nodes all look fine. He did say there was a very tiny spot on my lungs but it was so tiny that if the CT report hadn't pointed it out he wouldn't have seen it. He reassured me it could be something as simple as scar tissue from bronchitis or pneumonia I had in the past. He did recommend I have it followed though to see if it grows. That will come after my thyroid stuff is taken care of. One thing at a time please.
Another interesting thing is he said the lump on my neck wasn't actually on my thyroid but just above it. So during surgery he will be checking that out and if it is something concerning that will come out as well for testing. It could be something very simple as some thyroid cartliage though. My parathyroid levels are elevated as well so I may have some of those removed if they look suspicious as well. Parathyroid glands control the calcium in your body. If they are damaged then it can cause some major issues. The good news is my calcium levels are normal so this makes the surgeon think that the parathyroid glands may be just fine.
So all in all it was a good appointment. I'm so glad there is a chance that I am cancer free but at the same time I am back in the waiting game not knowing what is wrong. I am a little nervous and freaked out about having the surgery but there isn't much I can do about that. It has to be done so that is what we will do. Also I am feeling so much better today than I did yesterday. I do believe the rest of the iodine has filtered out of my system. I'm really tired because we were up all night with Tyler but other than that I'm much better.
My prayer now is that this is not cancer at all...that there is no cancer anywhere in my body...but rather something that is much easier and simpler to take care of. Also praying for my nerves as we wait for the surgery date and the results of the pathology on my thyroid. Praying for wisdom for my surgeon and for God to guide his hands.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Short and sweet....maybe
Just a quick update. I was able to get my CT scan done today. I thought they were doing it without the iodine contrast but apparently I was wrong. I had to have the contrast done and it didn't seem to bother me to much until I picked Eric up from school. By the time I got him I was exhausted. I was able to get Tyler to nap and Eric to rest so I caught a little bit of sleep but got hit by nausea as well. Not fun but what can you do. Tonight within the past 1/2 hour I've notice my neck is pretty stiff again and my throat is hurting along with my ears. I'm praying that I'm not having another flare up. Hopefully it is just another reaction to the iodine dye and I'll feel better in the morning.
Funny story about my CT scan. After all the hoopla of getting approved (which finally happened thankfully) for my scan I show up for my appointment and there is no electricity. Great. This is all over that section of town and parts of the 2 neighboring towns as well. The lady at the imaging center said they were told it would be on by 12:30pm. My appointment was at 10am. I went ahead and signed in and made a few phone calls to let my babysitters know I would be late and then sat down to wait. I decided to pray. I figured maybe God needed a reminder that He was capable of turning the electricity back on for us early. Haha! So I'm praying for less then a minute asking Him to help get the electricity going. I get up to make a phone call and on comes the power! Yay! :)
The highlight of my day (besides Brian coming home from his trip) was getting to hang out with some friends tonight. I was really tired and in quite a bit of pain for it but it was so much fun! It was really nice to get out and act normal and do normal things. I've been doing normal things but everything has seemed like in a dream at this point so it was nice to do something that felt like reality. Thanks to my wonderful hubby who walked in the door tonight and just took over the kids. That was just incredible.
The plan for tomorrow is to go to the chiropractor (I look forward to that day every week), do some grocery shopping, go meet my surgeon and decide when my surgery will be, and finally but most importantly we are getting to have dinner with some new friends. Brian is going to cook so at least they will eat well. :) At my appointment tomorrow I'm hoping to get my CT scan results. If I do I'll be sure to post them.
My prayer for tonight as always is for complete healing. I'm also praying my scan results will come back good with no spread of the cancer. Also praying that my stiffness and pain is not another flare up. Another one is to just be able to enjoy dinner with our friends tomorrow night. Finally for God to continue using this to glorify Himself.
Funny story about my CT scan. After all the hoopla of getting approved (which finally happened thankfully) for my scan I show up for my appointment and there is no electricity. Great. This is all over that section of town and parts of the 2 neighboring towns as well. The lady at the imaging center said they were told it would be on by 12:30pm. My appointment was at 10am. I went ahead and signed in and made a few phone calls to let my babysitters know I would be late and then sat down to wait. I decided to pray. I figured maybe God needed a reminder that He was capable of turning the electricity back on for us early. Haha! So I'm praying for less then a minute asking Him to help get the electricity going. I get up to make a phone call and on comes the power! Yay! :)
The highlight of my day (besides Brian coming home from his trip) was getting to hang out with some friends tonight. I was really tired and in quite a bit of pain for it but it was so much fun! It was really nice to get out and act normal and do normal things. I've been doing normal things but everything has seemed like in a dream at this point so it was nice to do something that felt like reality. Thanks to my wonderful hubby who walked in the door tonight and just took over the kids. That was just incredible.
The plan for tomorrow is to go to the chiropractor (I look forward to that day every week), do some grocery shopping, go meet my surgeon and decide when my surgery will be, and finally but most importantly we are getting to have dinner with some new friends. Brian is going to cook so at least they will eat well. :) At my appointment tomorrow I'm hoping to get my CT scan results. If I do I'll be sure to post them.
My prayer for tonight as always is for complete healing. I'm also praying my scan results will come back good with no spread of the cancer. Also praying that my stiffness and pain is not another flare up. Another one is to just be able to enjoy dinner with our friends tomorrow night. Finally for God to continue using this to glorify Himself.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Wow....still in shock
Let me first start by explaining why I have chosen to blog about my journey. I have found in the past that writing or blogging is pretty therapeutic for me. I do not claim to be a good writer though so I apologize in advance for that. :) Second I want a place that I can keep my family and friends informed of what is going on.
In case you don't know my name is Stacy and I'm 30 years old. Gosh that age is weird to type. Haha! I am a wife to Brian, my wonderful husband, and a mommy to two very active and loving little boys. Eric is 4 years old and Tyler is 2 years old. I love them to pieces even if they drive me crazy at the same time. :) Besides being these things I am a sister, daughter, friend, and most importantly a child of God. Now if that isn't enough things to identify myself with I now have one more...thyroid cancer patient. If typing my age as 30 is weird typing cancer patient is even more so.
So to answer one question...why did you name your blog You're Not Shaken. Well...there is a song sung by Phil Stacey called You're Not Shaken that really speaks to me. When times are easy it is easy for us to know that God is with us but when things are not as you wish them to be that is when we need to realize that God is with us as well and He is not shaken by our circumstances. He is our rock and will not let go of us no matter what our situation.
Now to fill you in on the background surrounding my thyroid cancer diagnosis. About 3 years ago in 2007 I was pregnant with Tyler and happen to put on a necklace and feel a very small lump on my neck. So small I didn't think to much of it. At my next doctor's appointment though I decided to mention it to my primary care physician. He was surprised I even found it because it was so small. He did send me for an ultrasound though and the results came back as an adenoma. Not a big deal but he referred me to an endocrinologist so my thyroid could be monitored. My endocrinologist performed another ultrasound. He confirmed that it was an adenoma or thyroid nodule but since it didn't seem to be growing we would just monitor it and have bloodwork done every 6 months.
Fast forward 3 years and all is still well. I had noticed some fluctuations in the size of the lump but it always went back to normal so I attributed it to my hormones being a little out of wack after my pregnancy. On February 17 of this year I noticed a little stiffness in my neck and assumed I had pulled a muscle when working out the night before or that morning. I took some mortrin and went to bed. The next day I woke up in a ton of pain. I can handle pain pretty well so when I touched my neck and almost came out of my skin I knew something was not right. I could barely move my head or pick up my kids it hurt so bad. I noticed the pain was radiating up into my ears as well. When I touched my neck I also realized the lump on it was huge in comparison to what it usually is. I immediately called my endocrinologist but the first appointment they had available was March 1st. Not knowing what to do I went to the urgent care here in town. The attending P.A. was very concerned. She wanted me to have an ultrasound right away and decided to call my endocrinologist and see if she could get me in that day. I am so thankful she took the time to really listen to me and cared enough to do this. She called and my endo told me to come in right away.
After juggling my kids around since my hubby was out of town I made it down to the doctor's office. By the way...thanks for those wonderful people that watched my kids that day! It was great not having to worry if they were okay or not. Anyways...once I got to the endo's office they performed an ultrasound on my thyroid. After reviewing the ultrasound my endo wanted to do bloodwork and a biopsy. I've had a ton of bloodwork over the course of my life so that was not a big deal. The biopsy on the other hand had me a little freaked out. I found out after the fact that if you have it done at a hospital they numb you but they don't do that at the doctor's office and I had mine done in the office. I'll save you the gory details but it basically consists of a very thin needle being inserted in the thyroid to remove cells. It wasn't really painful but it was highly uncomfortable for sure. After that was all done it was then just a wait and see what the results would come back as.
My doctor explained to me that it could just be an infection from bronchitis I had earlier, a cyst that had started bleeding, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, or a tumor. He said even if it was a tumor that 95% of the time they are benign...only 5% of them are cancerous. After the biopsy I was pretty sore for a few days but by the end of my wait period I was feeling really good and didn't expect to hear anything serious.
When I went to see the doctor on March 1st and he told Brian & I that I had cancer I was just in shock. I still am really. It is only 2 days since I was diagnosed and everything is very surreal at this point. Right now we are waiting to get a CT scan done of my neck and chest to see if the cancer may have spread to my lymph nodes. Friday I meet with a surgeon to schedule a complete thyroidectomy. On a side note everyone I talk to about this surgeon just loves him. Besides being a very good surgeon he is also a very strong Christian which is an added bonus in my opinion. Basically he will remove my entire thyroid. The biopsy definitely showed cancer of the thyroid but it wasn't able to tell us what kind so once the thyroid is out it can then be tested to tell us what kind we are dealing with. Following the surgery I will at some point undergo radioactive iodine treatment. This involves taking a pill that will kill the rest of the thyroid tissue that may be left over after the surgery. This treatment will cause me to have to be away from my kids for a short time period. Not sure how long yet but we'll find out more when we meet with my endo again. I will then be placed on thyroid medication to take the rest of my life.
Whew...that is quite a lot to explain. Just to let you know the prognosis for thyroid cancer patients is very good...especially for someone of my age apparently. The doctor and everyone else I know has been telling me if I had to get cancer then this would be the one to get. While I appreciate that it is still freaky to hear your name and cancer in the same sentence. My preference is not to have to deal with this at all. However, it's not all about me and sometimes we have to deal with things like this in order to mold us and make us stronger.
So onto the next popular question...how am I feeling and how is Brian doing with it all. Well, I'm feeling pretty well. I am very tired and wear out really easy. This is due to my thyroid levels being low...hypothyroidism...caused by the cancer. Once it is removed and I'm on medication this should get better. I still have pain in my ears sometimes but not bad. My neck is stiff sometimes but not bad at all. The fact that this flared up the way it did is such a blessing because I never would have thought to have it checked. Emotionally I'm doing okay. I'm in shock still and it is strange to tell people that I have cancer. Just typing it is weird. Brian is doing okay. He too is in the surreal mode. He is also worried about me and for me to have to undergo all these things. He is also a little angry at the situation which I can totally understand. All I have to say is I have the best husband in the world and couldn't ask for a better guy to walk this journey with.
Obviously one of my main prayers is for complete healing along with prayers for my kids, husband and family to have peace and to feel God's grace surround them. Another prayer I have is for this to be used to help others; whether it be someone that is going through this as well or if it helps bring glory to God in some other way that is fine with me.
Thank you all so much for all your love and support. The outpouring of encouragement and support has been overwhelming in a good way. All your prayers are so appreciated! I can feel God's love and comfort surrounding me all the time now. :)
In case you don't know my name is Stacy and I'm 30 years old. Gosh that age is weird to type. Haha! I am a wife to Brian, my wonderful husband, and a mommy to two very active and loving little boys. Eric is 4 years old and Tyler is 2 years old. I love them to pieces even if they drive me crazy at the same time. :) Besides being these things I am a sister, daughter, friend, and most importantly a child of God. Now if that isn't enough things to identify myself with I now have one more...thyroid cancer patient. If typing my age as 30 is weird typing cancer patient is even more so.
So to answer one question...why did you name your blog You're Not Shaken. Well...there is a song sung by Phil Stacey called You're Not Shaken that really speaks to me. When times are easy it is easy for us to know that God is with us but when things are not as you wish them to be that is when we need to realize that God is with us as well and He is not shaken by our circumstances. He is our rock and will not let go of us no matter what our situation.
Now to fill you in on the background surrounding my thyroid cancer diagnosis. About 3 years ago in 2007 I was pregnant with Tyler and happen to put on a necklace and feel a very small lump on my neck. So small I didn't think to much of it. At my next doctor's appointment though I decided to mention it to my primary care physician. He was surprised I even found it because it was so small. He did send me for an ultrasound though and the results came back as an adenoma. Not a big deal but he referred me to an endocrinologist so my thyroid could be monitored. My endocrinologist performed another ultrasound. He confirmed that it was an adenoma or thyroid nodule but since it didn't seem to be growing we would just monitor it and have bloodwork done every 6 months.
Fast forward 3 years and all is still well. I had noticed some fluctuations in the size of the lump but it always went back to normal so I attributed it to my hormones being a little out of wack after my pregnancy. On February 17 of this year I noticed a little stiffness in my neck and assumed I had pulled a muscle when working out the night before or that morning. I took some mortrin and went to bed. The next day I woke up in a ton of pain. I can handle pain pretty well so when I touched my neck and almost came out of my skin I knew something was not right. I could barely move my head or pick up my kids it hurt so bad. I noticed the pain was radiating up into my ears as well. When I touched my neck I also realized the lump on it was huge in comparison to what it usually is. I immediately called my endocrinologist but the first appointment they had available was March 1st. Not knowing what to do I went to the urgent care here in town. The attending P.A. was very concerned. She wanted me to have an ultrasound right away and decided to call my endocrinologist and see if she could get me in that day. I am so thankful she took the time to really listen to me and cared enough to do this. She called and my endo told me to come in right away.
After juggling my kids around since my hubby was out of town I made it down to the doctor's office. By the way...thanks for those wonderful people that watched my kids that day! It was great not having to worry if they were okay or not. Anyways...once I got to the endo's office they performed an ultrasound on my thyroid. After reviewing the ultrasound my endo wanted to do bloodwork and a biopsy. I've had a ton of bloodwork over the course of my life so that was not a big deal. The biopsy on the other hand had me a little freaked out. I found out after the fact that if you have it done at a hospital they numb you but they don't do that at the doctor's office and I had mine done in the office. I'll save you the gory details but it basically consists of a very thin needle being inserted in the thyroid to remove cells. It wasn't really painful but it was highly uncomfortable for sure. After that was all done it was then just a wait and see what the results would come back as.
My doctor explained to me that it could just be an infection from bronchitis I had earlier, a cyst that had started bleeding, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, or a tumor. He said even if it was a tumor that 95% of the time they are benign...only 5% of them are cancerous. After the biopsy I was pretty sore for a few days but by the end of my wait period I was feeling really good and didn't expect to hear anything serious.
When I went to see the doctor on March 1st and he told Brian & I that I had cancer I was just in shock. I still am really. It is only 2 days since I was diagnosed and everything is very surreal at this point. Right now we are waiting to get a CT scan done of my neck and chest to see if the cancer may have spread to my lymph nodes. Friday I meet with a surgeon to schedule a complete thyroidectomy. On a side note everyone I talk to about this surgeon just loves him. Besides being a very good surgeon he is also a very strong Christian which is an added bonus in my opinion. Basically he will remove my entire thyroid. The biopsy definitely showed cancer of the thyroid but it wasn't able to tell us what kind so once the thyroid is out it can then be tested to tell us what kind we are dealing with. Following the surgery I will at some point undergo radioactive iodine treatment. This involves taking a pill that will kill the rest of the thyroid tissue that may be left over after the surgery. This treatment will cause me to have to be away from my kids for a short time period. Not sure how long yet but we'll find out more when we meet with my endo again. I will then be placed on thyroid medication to take the rest of my life.
Whew...that is quite a lot to explain. Just to let you know the prognosis for thyroid cancer patients is very good...especially for someone of my age apparently. The doctor and everyone else I know has been telling me if I had to get cancer then this would be the one to get. While I appreciate that it is still freaky to hear your name and cancer in the same sentence. My preference is not to have to deal with this at all. However, it's not all about me and sometimes we have to deal with things like this in order to mold us and make us stronger.
So onto the next popular question...how am I feeling and how is Brian doing with it all. Well, I'm feeling pretty well. I am very tired and wear out really easy. This is due to my thyroid levels being low...hypothyroidism...caused by the cancer. Once it is removed and I'm on medication this should get better. I still have pain in my ears sometimes but not bad. My neck is stiff sometimes but not bad at all. The fact that this flared up the way it did is such a blessing because I never would have thought to have it checked. Emotionally I'm doing okay. I'm in shock still and it is strange to tell people that I have cancer. Just typing it is weird. Brian is doing okay. He too is in the surreal mode. He is also worried about me and for me to have to undergo all these things. He is also a little angry at the situation which I can totally understand. All I have to say is I have the best husband in the world and couldn't ask for a better guy to walk this journey with.
Obviously one of my main prayers is for complete healing along with prayers for my kids, husband and family to have peace and to feel God's grace surround them. Another prayer I have is for this to be used to help others; whether it be someone that is going through this as well or if it helps bring glory to God in some other way that is fine with me.
Thank you all so much for all your love and support. The outpouring of encouragement and support has been overwhelming in a good way. All your prayers are so appreciated! I can feel God's love and comfort surrounding me all the time now. :)
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