Cancer is Such a Big Word

So I had a really harsh pain in my neck and my chiropractor sent me to get an MRI. The MRI returned nothing surprising about my neck - I have some old injuries that have not magically gone away and not gotten too much worse. However the MRI people did see something suspicious on my thyroid and asked me to return for an Ultrasound and needle biopsy. Chiropractor wrote up the order and called my regular Doctor to set me up with him since Thyroid is not her field of course. (She is really quite good at making sure one gets all the right tests and care one needs and that one's insurance does not balk at it!) My regular Doc agreed and off I went.

I'll tell you right now needle biopsies of Thyroid bits are not fun! Especially with a sore neck....

Anyway while in San Francisco on Vacation last week (Had great time, enjoyed fog and 70 degrees while Seattle was 103!) I got a call from my Doctor. You know that when the Doctor calls you himself and first chats (Presumably to make sure you had not answered the phone while climbing a mountain or something and so won't fall to your death when he gives you his news.) that it is not going to be great news. Turns out I have Papillary Thyroid Cancer. (Cancer is such a big word isn't it?) Not the worst Cancer in the world to have if one must have it - very treatable and not something that spreads fast or easily. My Doctor referred me to a Thyroid specialist surgeon and I went to an endocrinologist and got a bunch of tests done yesterday. She said that they would be taking both lobes of the thyroid out as I have suspicious nodules in both sides and confirmed cancer in at least 1 of the nodules. None of the Nodules are huge. They would not have found them if not for the MRI. They do not know if it has gone anywhere else. It is not a high probability. If the cancer goes anywhere else it tends to Lymph, Lung and bones I think more or less in that order. Again not a high probability. About 97% of cases have full recovery after treatment. Treatment MAY include my taking a radioactive substance and then staying away from people for a couple days cause I will be glowing in the dark but I would not know whether they will do that until after surgery. Not sure how that works either - Do I have to take my bed to the nuclear waste site afterwards or what??

The Endocrinologist (thank god for spell check- I have not gotten that one spelled right once yet. ) said there was no need to rush the Surgery.

I am fine - no symptoms other than my usual bitchiness which is probably unrelated. Seems Thyroid issues might run in my family. The endocrinologist also said I should not neglect my Mammograms since there seems to be a slightly higher incidence of breast cancer in those with Thyroid Cancer. There is a higher incident of Thyroid problems in those who lived near Hanford, WA (I have not) but the Doctor was not aware of any correlation with the Trident base which I did grow up next to. I also was over on the black sea in Trabzon after Chernobyl - brought back some radioactive hazelnuts. Who knows....

Life gets TeeJus Don't it!?