So what's next, doc?

It's been a few days since I have posted. I did intend to write earlier this week, but wanted to wait until today as I had my follow up appointment with the surgeon. Not long after updating the photos of pre- and post- operation photos on Tuesday, I was updated by the surgeon on the pathology report. I'll get to that in a minute. After surgery as I was waking up in my room, and slipping in and out of consciousness waiting on my wonderful cup of jello, I overheard conversations from family and friends about the surgery and the surgeon's impression of the cancer. I caught bits and pieces of statements like, 'Thyroid looked good', 'it didn't look cancerous', and others very similar. Even as the doctor checked on me right before I left the hospital, I think he said the thyroid looked healthy. For some reason, I took that to mean that the nodule on the thyroid was cancerous and there was a strong possibility that the thyroid was not cancerous. I was feeling pretty good that surgery took care of everything! Well, that got squashed on Tuesday evening. The surgeon called and gave me the findings of the pathology report. The thyroid was cancerous, and I will need to take a radioactive iodine cocktail to kill off any remaining thyroid cells in my body. That was not the news I was looking for. I was pretty bummed! Fortunately, my good friends Andi and Adam were available for a nice dinner to encourage me after that news. I was hoping to not have to have radiation of any kind. The doc also commented that I would need to start my care under an endocrinologist, so he and my personal doctor set me up with a new doc. For some reason as I started to think about this, I started to feel like a football. I felt like I was being passed from doctor to doctor, or quarterback to running back with a lateral to the receiver, etc. Anybody else felt that way about your medical care???

Anyway, today I met with the surgeon, and he checked the incision site to see how it was healing, and he said it looked good. I promise, it's not very pretty, so it doesn't look good to me, but at least it doesn't hurt to swallow now! After checking the site, I started to bombard him with questions. What stage is it in? Has it spread? What about the body scan? What about this radioactive stuff? He was very gracious to answer all my questions! Spreading is a possibility, but they cannot tell at this point as it would be on the microscopic level. Body scan would be something my new doctor would do. The radiation bit would be a cocktail of radioactive iodine that, in his words, 'is like a smart-bomb.' Thyroid cells are the only cells that process iodine, so this cocktail would only kill thyroid cells and does not affect other cells or systems of the body. Boy was that a relief to hear!

Overall, I feel pretty good. My energy level feels similar to pre-op levels. I even want to start exercising again. I will start back to the office next week. That's all for this post. Thank you again for all of your prayers during this time! I definitely still need them, so please keep 'em coming! Love you all!

J