To the Operating Room I go....

I just worked my last day at work before going out on disability. I go to the OR TOMORROW... and of course there are updates!!

As you have read I have biopsy confirmed Papillary Carcinoma of the Thyroid- well as I said before I had some "angry-looking" lymph nodes in my neck... for those that dont know

Lymph Nodes

• Lymph nodes, also known as lymph glands, are small (<2cm), bean-shaped organs of the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system circulates the fluid called lymph to the body cells and tissues. It also collects waste substances from the bloodstream. Lymph contains white blood cells (WBCs) -- soldiers of the immune system designed to fight infection. 
• There are about 300 lymph nodes in the neck called cervical lymph node

So I had about 4 total lymph nodes in the neck that were enlarged ("angry") and my surgical oncologist recommended getting the two largest one biopsied.  This procedure was VERY similar to the biopsy of the thyroid itself.  It hurt a little bit more- mainly because lymph nodes are very tiny and move around a bit more than the solid thyroid which is fixed to the trachea in the neck.  I found out today that both nodes that were biopsied on last friday also came back positive for papillary carcinoma....

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?!?!?!

• It means that my surgery will be a little bit longer.  They have to do a neck dissection and try to get as many lymph nodes out as they can.  The risks of the procedure are all the same and obviously the benefits of this are really good as the more lymph nodes he gets the better chance for cure... AND what he misses, the radiation will hopefully take care of... 
• I will have a slightly longer recovery time due to the larger incision
• I may go home with a drain in my neck for a few days, totally standard

THE FUTURE??
I will likely stay just one night and go home friday afternoon.  I will start a short acting medicine that will replenish the hormone i will now be missing.  I will take that medicine for 2 weeks, then no medicines and thats when i ll start to feel bad... without the thyroid hormone i will have NO metabolism (slower heart rate, breathing, way way tired, weight gain)... all in all crummy BUT AGAIN it is not nearly as bad as so many thousands of people undergo with all the evil cancers out there ... About 4 weeks out from surgery i ll have the radiation pill (see future update)... and that will take care of ANY residual tissue... then after being radioactive for about 5-7 days... i ll start my synthroid (long acting hormone)  and about two weeks after that my level will come back high enough that i ll feel better... I am as of today out on disability for the next 6 weeks... we will play it by ear and see how things go and how i feel...

SO...
Here it is... sorry this update is a bit delayed... it was more due to the preparation to pick up my mom and the happy and surprising news that my Aunt took a last minute flight and will be here to support me!!  We are so close and I am grateful that she took this long journey all by herself in terrible weather to show love and support for me in my time of need.  My mother and husband and I are so happy to have her here.. I knew when i moved way out here it would be hard to be so far from family but my family really does stick together and come through for me!!!

I AM SO THANKFUL for all the support and love and prayers. GOD HAS A PLAN FOR ME ... and i am surrounded by love and family --- there is no greater good!!  I am scared but I HAVE FAITH and I look forward to getting this all behind me and using this as a wake up call to take better care of myself!!

Thank you all for your prayers and support and understanding...

Lindsey =)

So as some of you may have heard I was recently diagnosed with Papillary Carcinoma of the Thyroid gland.  I posted this blog as a way of sharing my story and keeping all my friends and family educated and updated about my progress.  

Lets start at a little background 

The Thyroid gland is the largest gland in the neck sitting just above the clavicle.  It makes and stores hormones that help regulate the heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and the rate at which food is converted into energy.  The function of the thyroid, therefore, is to regulate the body's metabolism.

*So there I was with a coworker learning about the thyroid and he offered to demonstrate on me  how to do a proper neck exam... It didnt take much before he stopped and said you realize you have a HUGE right nodule??  I said well no not really -- my neck had always felt this way... 

**ok back up to PA school where yes one of my professors had mentioned that they felt something on the right side of my neck and yes they said I should get it checked out, but like most of our patients I felt like i was 25 and in good health and really stressed with school and with lack of good insurance might as well wait til i get a good job and sort it out later... which turned into ignoring the issue entirely!!**

He said I should get it checked out right away.  I had an ultrasound the following day which showed a decent sized mass in my neck with several prominent lymph nodes associated with it.  I then had a fine needle aspiration biopsy which came back positive for... 

Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

It is now ranked as the 8th most common cancer in women in the United States, and the most common cancer in women under the age of 25 years. Being diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer can be very scary at first, however papillary thyroid cancers are most often slow growing tumors, and most can be removed surgically. Although slow-growing, papillary thyroid cancer can sometimes spread to the lymph nodes in the neck. Unlike some other tumors, positive lymph nodes do not usually worsen the generally excellent prognosis for the involved lymph nodes can be surgically removed along with the thyroid. Most people diagnosed with PTC will not die from it.

*They still dont really know what causes this cancer.  Mostly it is related to exposure to lots of radiation in the neck as a child (which used to be a treatment for acne etc)... I did not have any such thing... so this is just one of those random instances where DNA's failsafe went wrong.  

Papillary cancer is the most common, and most treatable, type of thyroid cancer. Most people with papillary thyroid cancer can be completely cured with surgery. There are more than 20,000 new cases of papillary thyroid cancer diagnosed in the United States every year. In fact, papillary cancer comprises at least 85% of all diagnosed thyroid cancers. Most people develop papillary thyroid cancer before age 40, and it is much more common in women than in men (about 3 to 1 ratio), although the reason for this is not understood.  The majority of people with papillary thyroid cancers do not even know they have the disease until a doctor notices a painless thyroid lump. 

*So I met with an oncology (cancer) surgeon later in the week and he scheduled me for a total thyroidectomy (removing all of the thyroid gland) and a central node dissection (removal of the central lymph nodes of the neck) on March 1st.  It will mean I will have to be on a synthetic hormone pill the rest of my life, but that really isn't a large sacrifice to make when it comes to cancer.  

I will say to think of cancer at any age is rough, but a week ago i had no medical problems.  I was a wife and planning for the future.  Although if you are to have a cancer- thyroid isnt the worst one out there.  IT IS VERY TREATABLE... and even CURABLE with surgery. Even if it is in my lymph nodes, I WILL BE FINE.  I will likely  need iodine radiation treatment as well (about a month after the operation).  Although that is for another blog.  

The purpose of this was to say THANK GOD... SERIOUSLY THANK GOD I am where and I and surrounded by such great people.  If I was still in CA i would have never known... and even then the cancer is S L O W growing and may never have caused a problem.  In the span of one week, I got more information and help than most people do in a year with this diagnosis.  That is a blessing!  I have so much to be grateful for.  At least this way I have my husband, my coworkers and now all my doctors who are there to see me through this.  I wont lie- I am very scared of surgery.  For those that know me, I have never even so much as broke a bone.  Definitely never been hospitalized.  And the stigma of cancer hurts no matter what the type.

One thing is for sure, I need to get myself healthy.  James and I have joined the YMCA, where I am swimming twice a week and despite my knee problems, working out in the gym as well.  This is a wake up call to put value on myself and get healthy for the future.  My plans are all still there, but sadly will have to be put on hold for just awhile longer.  

Thank you all for your prayers, support and concerns- I am coming to terms with it all and proud to have so many people in my life to count on when I need it most.  

Next time i ll go more into the actual surgery...