I really have not written much in the past few weeks.
I have needed a long break from EVERY THING except work cause I am the primary bread winner in this family.
I was also pretty stressed out.
It has been 10 years since Nick the (thyroid) Nodule was found and I had my thyroid removed. Yes, it was cancer but we caught it really early. After the surgery I had a radioactive iodine treatment. Trust me, that was the worst part of it all only cause you feel so crappy leading up to the actual treatment.
Every 6 months I have blood work done to check my Thyroglobulin (Tg) and Tg Antibody markers. The doctor will also do an ultrasound of my neck to make sure there is nothing growing. Well earlier this year he noticed a small spot. Was it a benign nodule; my thyroid growing back due some cells left behind from the surgery; or the cancer was back, again from some cells left behind?? This is despite all my blood levels being normal
It was small only a millimeter or two. Too small to biopsy. So it was wait 6 months and check again. That check up rolled around in July and I had another neck scan. It was bigger; it was now about 3-4 millimeters and still to small to get at with a biopsy needle. So now what??
The doctor suggested a new test - Thyrogen Injection which COULD help determine if the cancer has returned. It would be two shots and then a blood test. The answer was yes to having the test. It took a week to get the approvals from the insurance (zero cost to me) and then getting the serum sent to the doctor.
Two weeks ago I had the shots and last week I waited for the results to be sent to the doctor. Yesterday I got the results. My blood levels were OK. So, for now it appears that the cancer has not returned.
But in 6 months I have to go back and if the nodule has grown more, we will then explore the options to watch it longer or take it out.
So once again, I have a nodule named NICK!
I have needed a long break from EVERY THING except work cause I am the primary bread winner in this family.
I was also pretty stressed out.
It has been 10 years since Nick the (thyroid) Nodule was found and I had my thyroid removed. Yes, it was cancer but we caught it really early. After the surgery I had a radioactive iodine treatment. Trust me, that was the worst part of it all only cause you feel so crappy leading up to the actual treatment.
Every 6 months I have blood work done to check my Thyroglobulin (Tg) and Tg Antibody markers. The doctor will also do an ultrasound of my neck to make sure there is nothing growing. Well earlier this year he noticed a small spot. Was it a benign nodule; my thyroid growing back due some cells left behind from the surgery; or the cancer was back, again from some cells left behind?? This is despite all my blood levels being normal
It was small only a millimeter or two. Too small to biopsy. So it was wait 6 months and check again. That check up rolled around in July and I had another neck scan. It was bigger; it was now about 3-4 millimeters and still to small to get at with a biopsy needle. So now what??
The doctor suggested a new test - Thyrogen Injection which COULD help determine if the cancer has returned. It would be two shots and then a blood test. The answer was yes to having the test. It took a week to get the approvals from the insurance (zero cost to me) and then getting the serum sent to the doctor.
Two weeks ago I had the shots and last week I waited for the results to be sent to the doctor. Yesterday I got the results. My blood levels were OK. So, for now it appears that the cancer has not returned.
But in 6 months I have to go back and if the nodule has grown more, we will then explore the options to watch it longer or take it out.
So once again, I have a nodule named NICK!
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