Tag: thyroid cancer

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Activities Cancer Health

American Cancer Society Blogger Advisory Council

I am excited to announce that the American Cancer Society formed a new blogger advisory council in September.  Their purpose from the press release: 

The Council members will work with the Society to determine how best to use social media to galvanize the movement for more birthdays in the virtual world by encouraging women to take an active role in fighting cancer. The Society’s movement for more birthdays seeks to save lives from cancer by helping people stay well, helping people get well, by finding cures and fighting back against the disease. 

I am very pleased to let my readers know I am the newest member of the Council!  I am beyond thrilled for this opportunity!  I am looking forward to working with the other Council members, and providing additional ways to help all cancer patients fight their cancers.

I obviously have a keen desire in raising awareness on some of the issues around thyroid cancer, many which I have written about on my blog.  I feel working with the American Cancer Society on this new council will maximize and build awareness for thyroid cancer.  

To all my blog readers with cancer who have shared your stories, your fears, your struggles, your triumphs, and comments with me, thank you.   Hearing your stories helped me understand I wasn’t the only one experiencing many of the feelings and issues I had when fighting thyroid cancer.  These stories, and my own experience has made me realize how much more support thyroid cancer patients need. 

I am honored to be able to serve on this new council, and I plan to make sure our experiences with thyroid cancer will raise awareness and provide help and support for all cancer patients and their loved ones. 

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Activities Cancer Health Me Running

Ready to Run!

Last month I ran in my first ever running race, The Denver Koman Race for the Cure, supporting breast cancer.  At the end of that post, I mentioned my running journey was going to be continued.  

On Saturday, I will run in my second race.  It is the Denver’s Veteran’s 5K race, before the Veteran’s Day Parade in downtown Denver.   One big difference in this race from the Race for the Cure, is this race will be timed.  I will have an official finishing time and ranking at the end of the race.  I’m curious to see where I end up for my age group.

I have been running three to four times a week, and doing some yoga stretches and breathing on the days I don’t run.  I have been reading up on some suggestions on how to improve speed, and after a few trial and errors, I think I found a method that works for me.  Part of what I have included in my training, is I have been trying to run up more hills once a week to strengthen my legs.  I have also been devoting one run to half the distance of a 5K (1.6 miles) but running at a faster pace.  After another run, I will sprint about 400 yards, and then walk 400 yards a few times.

This seems to be working.  Before the Race for the Cure, my time averaged around 38 minutes.  Last week I had my best 5K run time ever- exactly 30 minutes.  I’m pretty happy in less than a month, I’ve been able to drop eight minutes off my time.  On Friday I went on a run, and more than half the path was icy and snow packed.  I adjusted my running to run on the snow, and I ran 3.4 miles in 31 minutes. Running in the snow was a good work-out for my legs as well.  I’ll admit it though- I have a bit of a competitive streak in me.  Running seems to bring that out, in that I want to keep getting faster.  My goal for the race on Saturday is to finish under 30 minutes.

Part of what I enjoy about running are the challenges.  Obviously there is the physical aspect, but I also like the mental challenge.  I have learned (and am still learning) how to really zero in on what my body is doing, and it forces me to stay focused. I have never been a great breather- I am finding in order to do so, I really have to concentrate on it. For me, that is the key to a good run-proper breathing. 

The elements are another challenge.  The weather has been cold, and it is totally different running in 20 degree weather than 40 degree weather.  I went on a run today dressed warmly, but ten minutes into it, I was way too hot.  I didn’t want to stop, so I shed some layers, tying them around my waist while running and kept on. I don’t want to be shedding layers during the race and be carrying extra clothing, so every time something like this happens, I learn something from it and learn how to make the adjustment. 

I also have a “secret weapon” for this race, which I didn’t have in the last race.  I’m not quite ready to reveal it yet, but I think part of me getting faster can be attributed to these!  For the rest this week, I am going to do another 5K run on Tuesday, followed by some sprinting, a 1.6 mile run on Thursday, and I should be rested and ready for Saturday.  Like last month, I’m excited and so happy that I’m healthy enough to do this! 

The race last month was a good way to get back into an exercise program while taking it at a comfortable pace.  I’m going to push myself more in this race and see how far I can go- I’m ready to run!

If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now.  Don’t spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it.  ~ Priscilla Welch 

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Cancer Cole Family & Friends Health Me Ryan

Good-Bye to Cancer

Two weeks ago, I had a follow up appointment with the surgeon who performed my thyroidectomy and neck dissection, Dr. S.  He said the incision site on the side of my neck was still swollen some, and is healing.  That side of my neck is pretty numb- I get a “pins and needles” sensation when I touch it, but it doesn’t bother me.  Dr. S. said the entire incision is healing perfectly, and just as it should.  He examined my neck and throat area and said everything felt just like it should- translation: no new enlarged lymph nodes or nodules.

I informed him I had not had my thyroglobulin level tested since I completed radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy in August.  Dr. S. ordered the blood work and I left with the perscription in my hand for the test.  I was very happy everything seemed to be on track, but I knew the results of thyroglobulin test would be the true indicator if I was cancer free.

The type of thyroid cancer I had, papillary, produces elevated levels of thyroglobulin.  Before my surgery, Dr. S. told me a person with no cancer thyroglobulin’s level would be zero.  Mine before surgery, was 38!  Dr. S., said that was very high, and he had never seen a person my age with that high of a thyroglobulin level.  Before my RAI treatment in August, the endocrinologist measured my thyroglobulin level, and they were amazed to see it was down to 4!  They said it was very rare- almost impossible to get the thyroglobulin level that low, with just surgery.  They said a reading around 13-20 is more common.  This confirmed Dr. S., did an outstanding job on my surgery. 

I had no reason to feel anything but optimistic, assuming the RAI would have killed off any remaining cancer cells. Still, I couldn’t help but worry a little bit.  All those thoughts crept into my mind…all the what-if’s?  It didn’t help that I had to wait a week for the results- for some reason the lab was really slow in getting the bloodwork back. 

But last Thursday, on my 37th birthday, Dr. S’s office called with the results.  My thyroglobulin level was undetectable and surpressed.  The levels were perfect, and I am officially cancer free! 

I was beyond thrilled and happy!  As it sunk in, I got very emotional.  It had been six months from my first diagnosis to this news, but it has seemed at times, the longest journey of my life, and like I would never reach this point, or if I did reach it, I would never be quite the same again.  I thought back to when Dr. S. called me on a Saturday in April to tell me he was sorry, but the biopsy showed I had thyroid cancer, and how the second I hung up with him I cried, and didn’t stop for hours. 

That seemed like a lifetime ago.  Everything I have experienced- the tests, the cancer diagnosis, the uncertainty, the fear, finding out the cancer had spread,  the surgery, the time I lost with my children, the incision, the numbness in my neck, the medical mistakes that were made, the diet, the severe hypothyroidism, the medication, the days I could barely function- all of those things, brought me full circle and I am healthy again. 

I couldn’t wait to share the happy news with my family and friends- all those people who have been there for me through all of this.  And most of all, I couldn’t wait to tell the boys.  Ryan smiled and hugged me when I told him- he understands all of it- probably even more than I care to admit.  Cole does too, but he asked if that meant the doctor didn’t have to cut my neck open again. 🙂

It has occurred to me sometime in the past few days, that this is the end.  My cancer journey is over.  There will still be routine check-up’s to monitor my levels, but thankfully papillary cancer has a very high cure rate, and reoccurrence is very rare.  

I have shared my experience with thyroid cancer in part, because it was very hard for me to find real-life information on it when I was researching it.  Most of the medical information describes it as no big deal, more or less.  While that is true from a medical standpoint, this experience has been anything but “no big deal.”  I have categorized every time I have written about my cancer, under the Cancer topic (35 posts in all), and I hope what I have experienced, will help others in their research. 

I am amazed and touched by the e-mails I receive daily from other thyroid cancer patients and survivors- in every stage.   I’m shocked that so many people tell me they have learned more about thyroid cancer from my blog than from their doctors. So many of the patients are afraid- just like I was.  I hope the cancer posts will continue to help and inform.  I will try to continue to answer as many of the personal e-mails that I can.  I am brainstorming some ways I can offer more assistance personally, and locally to thyroid cancer patients. 

This is where my experience ends.  It has been a journey that has been one of the hardest for me, but also one that has taught me so much about myself and others, and one that will never leave me.   But for now, it is time for me to say good-bye to my cancer.

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Activities Cancer Cole Family & Friends Health Ryan

Attitude & Medication

On Saturday, I took Ryan and Cole to the North Pole (a Christmas themed amusement park for kids), which is about 100 miles from my home.  We spent the night at my dad’s house in Denver, and then drove the rest of the way outside Colorado Springs on Saturday.  My sister, her daughter, my sister-in-law, and my dad came too.  The weather was perfect, and the kids had the best time.  Watching the kids having so much fun made the day for the adults.

The only negative aspect of the trip for me, was while I was unpacking at my dad’s house on Friday night, I discovered I had forgotten to bring my Synthroid (thyroid replacement medication) with me.  The medication has to be taken every day in the morning, and we were staying until Sunday, so that meant two days without it. 

I was wondering how I was going to feel by Sunday night.  I wondered if I had enough built up in my system that I would hardly notice it, or if I would immediately start feeling tired, and out of energy. 

On Saturday evening, after walking around the North Pole all day, I felt pretty much the same. I felt a little more tired than usual, but nothing I couldn’t handle.  While my dad and the boys were enjoying a marshmallow roast in the backyard, I decided to go for a run; unsure if I would have enough energy for my usual Sunday run.  I only planned to run until I got tired, but I was able to do 3.2 miles. 

I had some plans with a friend for later on Saturday night, but I canceled- I decided it was more important to get a really good night’s rest.  I woke up on Sunday, and I could tell right away I had missed the dose of Synthroid the previous day.  I felt tired, and sluggish.  I ate some protein for breakfast, hoping that would give me a boost, and my dad had a vitamin drink he gave me.

It was another beautiful Indian Summer day on Sunday, and the boys and I walked to a neighborhood park and played. After running around with the boys, walking, carrying Cole for part of the way home, and making lunch for them, I was out of energy.  They boys played in the back yard, while I sat on the patio and watched them, and I felt like I was having a flashback to the summer.  They played, and I sat and watched because that was all I could do.

It has been almost three months I have been on Synthroid, and I have never missed a dose. I also have felt wonderful since the day I started taking it.  I absolutely hated sitting in that chair, feeling fatigued again, and knowing  if I don’t take that tiny pill every day- the result is I end up out of energy- no matter what I do.    

I let myself feel sad for a few minutes.  Then I came to the final terms with not having a thyroid anymore and being on medication.  It isn’t my first choice.  I hate feeling like I am dependant on a medication in order to feel well.  However, I am sure it will not be the only time in my life I will forget a dose.    

As I watched my boys play, I knew it all comes down to my attitude and it always will.  Other than canceling my plans on Saturday night, I did everything I had planned to do for the weekend- Synthroid or no Synthroid.  I could have gotten a cold, or the flu, and felt even worse.

Living life to the fullest, after an illness takes some adjustments, but they are worth making, worth getting through.  If not you give up.  There isn’t anything that I can’t do for myself, or for my boys that I couldn’t do before my illness.  If taking medication allows me to this, it is a small price to pay, and one I am happy to pay- over and over again. 

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Cole, Maelin, & Ryan Flying010

The Motorcycle Gang

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Row of Fall Maple Trees in Denver

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Activities Cancer Family & Friends Health Me Mothering

Cancer’s Unexpected Blessings

“…experience will convince us that those things which at the time they happened we regarded as our greatest misfortunes have provided our greatest blessings.” ~ George Mason

Finding out you have cancer, or a health ailment is shocking.  It is like having a tornado rip your life apart.  It seems as if the foundation that your life is built on- your health- has been demolished.  It is one of the biggest trials a person can face.  In the initial stages, there are far more questions than answers.  You go into “survival mode,” doing what you need to do to get to the next day. 

While I was in this stage, I thought about almost everything- from surviving to dying.  One thought that did not cross my mind was the blessings that I would discover existed in my life. 

I have written in previous posts the overwhelming support I received from family and friends starting the day I found out I had cancer.  That has, and continues to be a source of strength and encouragement for me. 

Over the Fourth of July weekend, I received an e-mail from someone I didn’t know, and had never met, but who had been directed to my blog.  Her name was Jessica, and she told me we had a lot in common.  My first thought was it was a marketer trying to pitch something.  As I kept reading, Jessica told me she too, had thyroid cancer and she had surgery to remove her thyroid on the exact same day I did.  She shared her experience with her cancer and surgery with me.  She told me she lived in a town about 60 miles from me. Jessica has a three-year old daughter, who is about six months older than Cole. 

After I read Jessica’s e-mail, I remember sitting down, and feeling something switch in me.  I felt really happy.  Not because Jessica had cancer, but because there was someone else that felt the same way I did about cancer, and was going through almost the exact same thing I was.  Jessica had a great support system, as did I, but now we had each had someone else who was experiencing the same thing.  We didn’t have to explain anything to each other- we just knew.   

 We e-mailed each other during the next month to stay in touch.  When I was extremely hypothyroid, Jessica confirmed what had happened to me was not right, and she had been receiving Synthroid (the thyroid replacement hormone) since three days after her surgery. 

We discovered we were both scheduled for our radioactive iodine treatments (RAI) within days of each other.  Jessica started hers on a Friday, and I started mine the following Tuesday.  We both hated being quarantined and being away from our children for so long.  We told each other when we were both finally recovered and better we were going to meet and celebrate.

Jessica had some awful side effects from the RAI that lasted for a while.  One of which was her taste was completely gone for a month.  We both had our full body scans (to determine if the cancer had been contained) within days of each other in August.  We both received the news in the same week that we were cancer free!  

We will continue to have our six month check-ups at the same time, forever. We both did what we had to do to get healthy, but having Jessica’s support and friendship during this time was a blessing I never anticipated.  How many people are able to have a friend like this, at the exact time when they are needed?   Jessica is my cancer fighting partner in crime!  We were finally able to meet each other in person on Saturday.  

  hj1

Jessica and I

Cancer has taught me there are always unexpected blessings in life, no matter how bad, or shocking, or dire the situation is.  I thought cancer had shattered my health, my foundation.  Cancer and diseases can destroy health, and take away almost everything.  But they will never destroy fortitude, and the love that family and friends provide, and this is the real foundation in my life.

Blessings can be found in the most unexpected places, from the least expected sources.  They are there waiting to be found, sometimes hidden beneath the seemingly broken pieces.  It all depends on where you look.