It has been 12 days since my thyroid and lymph node cancer surgery, and the recovery has been slow. Thanks to my friend, Amy, who has posted a few updates, most of you know the basic details, and I am really exhausted tonight to write a lot.
The best news by far was the cancer had not spread into my lymph nodes as much as my surgeon, Dr. S., had thought. During the surgery he had sent for some of the pathology reports, and none of the lymph nodes on the right side of my neck were showing cancer.
This basically saved the right side of my neck from having to be dissected. The left side of my neck had more cancer in the lymph nodes and he did have to do the dissection, but he was able to save more nerves than he had thought as well. I have complete feeling on the right side of my neck, but as Dr. S., warned me prior to surgery, my left side of my neck from my earlobe to my collarbone is numb.
I was recovering really well in the hospital, but after I got out of ICU, I ran into some problems with my medications, that am still trying to bounce back from.
I saw Dr. S., on Friday for him to take out some stitches and he had my full pathology report. He removed 66 lymph nodes and my thyroid. My thyroid was positive for cancer but out of those lymph nodes, only 7 had cancer. It seems almost like a miracle, and I am so happy at that good news.
Dr. S., credited my nurse practitioner with early detection for my case not being as critical as originally thought. As you can imagine, I am going to write a lot more about this in the future. But start now at your annual exams having your health care provider check for any abnormalities in your thyroid and get it checked as soon as you can.
I am fighting through some pain in my shoulders, and I had the boys for a few days, before their dad has them for some vacation time. My family and friends have been nothing less than wonderful, and I am so lucky to have so many people that have taken such excellent care of me. I will never be able to repay them- but their loving gifts of time and help are precious to me.
Now a lot of it is up to me. I am going to start walking more every day (per doctor’s orders) and try to eat more, even though I do not feel like it. I am going to rest more and and not push myself like I usually do.
Dr. S., told me sometimes a drain has to stay in for up to two weeks to catch the fluid, but I had the last of my four drains out the night before I left the hospital. He also said I was somewhat of a medical miracle in that my calcium levels barely dropped at all, once my thyroid was out. It is very common for the calcium to take huge drops. If the calcium drops too low, you can go into cardiac arrest. Dr. S., said he had never had a patient whose calcium hardly dropped at all like mine did.
This has been a very hard, painful cancer, and surgery to cope with, but as I hope to document, the recovery is coming along well, and I feel very optimistic. This will be a life-long issue for me from this point. My life will never be quite the same, but I have been cancer free now for 12 days, there is no more cancer in my body, so this is a new start for my family, friends, and I.
The picture below is a picture of me on June 12th, just after my surgery. I am sharing it to show that thyroid cancer is still cancer- it shouldn’t be ignored. It is a big deal.
The next pictures I share on my blog of me post-surgery will be much better. Cancer can be beaten, but insist your provider checks your thyroid at your exams, and hopefully you will never have to have a picture of yourself like I do after a thyroidectomy.
I will continue to keep you all updated, and once again thanks for the prayers and well wishes. I am not a huge “God” person, but I know He has looked out for me, and has taken care of me through this experience. All the prayers, healing energy, and positive thoughts, have helped-and I thank you again for all of these you have sent to me.
I read before my surgery that cancer is a word-not a sentence, and it was all of you who helped me remember that. I love you all.
Thyroidectomy & lymph node surgery removal June 12, 2009
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mel says:
thank you for the update i have been praying!!!
June 24th, 2009 at 8:19 am
Lisa says:
I’m so grateful that it hadn’t spread as much as thought!! I’m praying you have a very speedy recovery!
June 24th, 2009 at 9:37 am
crunchy domestic goddess (amy) says:
i’m sorry i didn’t get a chance to write more updates.
thank you for sharing all of this with us. i hope you continue to make a little progress every day. keep at it, h. you are doing great.
June 25th, 2009 at 9:26 am
Linda says:
Hello, I too just had the sugery for thyroid cancer. I live in CA. My scar is only 3 inches. I was wondering, yours looks longer & wanted to know why? They also removed cancerous lymph nodes in my surgery. I hope you too are feeling better.
Thank you, Linda
August 2nd, 2009 at 8:06 pm
A Mama's Blog says:
Hi Linda,
I had some really enlarged lymph nodes up past my ear- so that is why my scar is longer. My surgeon had to cut more of my neck to get those out. He told me originally I would have a U shaped incision. It turned out that only the enlarged lymph nodes on my left side had cancer, so he didn’t have to take so many on the right side. I had a lymph node that was almost 4 cm under my right ear, and he was able to get it out without cutting my neck to get to it. So I am very grateful for that- turns out it was not cancerous. Very rare for a lymph node to be that enlarged with no cancer.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
August 2nd, 2009 at 10:43 pm
Grace says:
Hello. Im happy to hear you are doing so well. I am 6 days post-op, total thyroidectomy due to papillary cancer. I was wondering how you are feeling now two months out and how your scar is healing. I am exhausted all the time and still very sore. I also have started gaining weight (5 lbs in 6 days !).
Also, have you had the iodine radiation? If so, how was that? I see the Dr. next week and dont know if I will need that yet.
Sorry for all the questions, dont mean to sound like a firing squad – just sitting here still nervous and wondering what to expect next !
Thanks and wishing you a safe and speedy recovery.
August 11th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
A Mama's Blog says:
Hi Grace,
I am feeling so much better, energy wise, just one week being on synthroid. I am still having a few memory issues because I was so hypothyroid. The doctors told me it could take weeks for everything to be “back to normal,” but I am so happy I don’t feel 100 years old anymore.
My scar is healing very well. I will be posting some updated pictures soon. I have been keeping it covered when out in the sun, per my doctor’s suggestion- he said scars are very prone to burning, and I have a fair complexion too.
I was barely eating anything and I gained 5 pounds. I am not sure when the switch started, but I weighed myself today and I have now lost 10 lbs- I weigh less now than I did before I had kids! I think my body is still adjusting and I would like to gain some weight back.
I had the radioactive iodine last week. It went OK, but I notice one of my salivary glands is still sore. That is an expected side affect. I never got nauseous, nor got a metallic taste in my mouth. The hardest part was not being able to see my boys for 7 days. I have the body scan on Friday to see how much thyroid tissue is left in my body.
Take care, and keep me posted on your progress.
August 12th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Grace says:
Hi Heather -
Thanks for your quick reply. That energy must be returning – Im so happy for you! I cant wait to get there myself. I sleep 10-12 hrs a day and find that I am still exhausted after being up for 2 hours.
I cry for my old life (I say old even though it was only a week ago, but it feels like years). Im a 38 year old mom of three girls with a full time job. I used to get up a 6AM and not hit the pillow again till 11PM. Now I feel like a blob in bed that sighs at the thought of taking a shower and making a sandwich. Like you, I feel incredibly guilty. The girls just look at me in confusion. They cant possibly understand the level of exhaustion I am feeling – I dont think anyone possibly can unless they have gone through this themselves.
Your updates give me much hope and encouragement. I cant wait to start feeling like my old self again. I was on synthroid for a year for hypothyroidism before the cancer appeared. It was a wonder drug and I want it back !! I came home from the hospital with cytomel – I cant imagine not having any thyroid replacement !! I agree with your friend, it is negligence what they have put you through.
By the way my surgeon is a Dr. S also(traveled to Orlando for him). Wonder if its the same surgeon you had?
I will keep you updated after I see the Dr. next week for follow up. Thrilled to hear that the radiation went well for you(except of course for missing your boys). Please keep blogging – you are an inspiration.
Grace
August 12th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
PAULA says:
HELLO. I ALSO HAD THYROID CANCER. MY ENTIRE THYROID AND TEN LYMPTH NODES HAD CANCER. I HAD IODINE RADIATION WHICH REALLY MADE ME SICK. I LOST 12 POUNDS AND WAS WEAKER THAN WEAK. I HAVE DRY MOUTH,LOST MY PERIOD AND THAT HAS NOT COME BACK MY JAW CRACKS AND NOW I AM GOING FOR SURGERY FOR BLOCKED EYE DUCTS WHICH THEY TELL ME IS FROM RADIATION.MY EYES DRIP AND DRIP AND FEEL UP WITH PUSS AND BACTERIAL INFECTIONS. I FEEL BLESSED NOT TO HAVE HAD A DEATH SENTENCE BUT I DO NOT FEEL THE SAME ANYMORE. I AM DIFFERENT. I CANT SLEEP I AM DEPRESSED AND NOW ON EFFEXOR AND JUST DIFFERENT. BESIDES RADIATION THROWING ME INTO PREMATURE MENAPAUSE IT GAVE ME SOME PROBLEMS.I DEAL WITH IT BUT ITS FRUSTRATING. I HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER AND ITS GOOD TO HAVE SUPPORT… STAY WELL.. PAULA IN NY I HAD SURGERY DEC 2007 ,RADIATION JAN,2008 AND A LITTLE MORE IN APRIL 2009……
October 2nd, 2009 at 12:21 am
Earth Mama Angel Baby Giveaway- C-Mama Healing Salve (Scar Healing) | A Mama's Blog says:
[...] have posted pictures of my surgery scars, including some right after the surgery, in previous blog posts, so I am not going to post those again in this post. But you can click on [...]
November 4th, 2009 at 12:30 am
Barbara says:
My sister in law will be having a thyroidectomy and at this point we don’t know what else she will have to undergo. I was wondering what/how the best way is to help her- what she will need after the surgery. How long will she have to stay in hospital and afterward what she might need? She and her son both have Muscular Distrophy so she has a hard time exercising and my nephew needs a lot of care. I live overseas but am willing to go back to Canada to help her for the period of time she might need me – any suggestions or comments would be hugely appreciated.
November 15th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
A Mama's Blog says:
Hi Barbara,
How nice of you to offer your support for your sister in law! Some of the suggestions I have are, if she ends up with only having a thyroidectomy, she will probably be in the hospital from 24-48 hours. If she ends up having any lymph nodes removed, she could be in the hospital 1-4 days.
One thing that my family did for me, which I loved, but would never have asked, was they made sure someone stayed overnight with me each night I was in the hospital. My sisters and sister-in-law took turns. Since I had a neck dissection, I was in the hospital for 5 nights. It was very helpful to have someone call the nurse for me, or get me some water, help me find a comfortable position to sleep, make sure I was getting the pain medication on time, etc., and just having a familiar person around made the experience less traumatic.
Afterwards, I did not have any problem eating food that I normally do. I think it would be very helpful when she comes home, if some meals could be prepared ahead of time for her- then either she or someone else could just reheat the food.
One other issue I ran into was showering right after the surgery while in the hospital. Because of the extent of my surgery, it was hard for me to reach things, and my balance was a bit off. One of my sisters stayed outside of the shower stall and if I needed help, she was there. She just thought of this on her own; I probably would have never have asked, so perhaps you could offer your assistance to her in this way.
I hope that helps- good luck to her, and please let me know how her surgery goes.
Heather
November 15th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Denise says:
Did you have radiation treatment? My daughter has the same thing and now must have radiation pills. Not long term but, just a couple of days but its frightening.
December 8th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
A Mama's Blog says:
Denise,
I had radioactive iodine treatment. It was only one dose, or one pill. I took it at the hospital and then went home and had to stay out of the general population for 4 days.
The hardest part was not seeing my kids for 7 days. I had some slight nausea 8 hours after I took the dose- I felt car sick. My neck was swollen & tender though for 2 days- that is a common side effect. Advil helped.
Good luck to your daughter.
December 8th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Lizamae says:
Can I ask if RAI is really necessary even if the nodule is just less than 1 cm?..I’ll undergo the same by next month and I’m afraid if I’ll get overdose by it, or is there any such thing?
Thanks
February 12th, 2010 at 2:00 am
A Mama's Blog says:
Lizamae, I would say yes, RAI is necessary. How it was explained to me was, by the time a nodule is 1 cm, or more, or even slightly below that, there are other cancer cells in your body that are microscopic. They won’t be able to detect them until they are over 1 cm. The RAI will kill off any of these microscopic cells.
That being said, I would think the dosage they give you should be low. I had lymph nodes that were 3 and 4 cm, and I received 100 mcg of RAI. I was able to stay at home, out of the population for 3 days, and not around my kids for 7 days. I was a little surprised to read you were going to have to be in the hospital for 4 days. That seems to indicate you will be receiving a very large dosage of RAI.
If nothing else, you might want a second opinion, or ask them if you can stay at home. Ask them to clarify exactly why they think you need to receive the treatment in the hospital. Find out what kind of dosage of RAI they are thinking you are going to have. At my consultation they said between 75 and 100mcg.’s. Once my labs came back, that is when they decided on the 100 mcg’s.
Let me know what you find out.
February 12th, 2010 at 10:50 am
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June 29th, 2010 at 7:01 am