Life as I Once Knew it...

Life as I once knew it...well, it is over.  On June 14, 2011, Hubby and I sat in the quiet, white exam room of the surgeon who had just removed half of my thyroid one month earlier.  The surgery was due to a nodule found the right side of my lymph node.  The fine needle aspiration biopsy I had on September 30, 2011 showed the nodule to be benign.  Post-operative testing of the tissue, however, showed suspicion for cancer.  The sample was sent to the Mayo Clinic for a consultation, and...the results were in. 



I am very Internet and computer savvy, so I had done my research.  I knew the best and worst case possibilities and felt as prepared as one can be in this type of situation.  I mean, why worry?  The surgeon told me after surgery that every thing "looked good," adding that he saw no reason for concern and expected this to be the end of my thyroid troubles.

I might add that I have always been good at picking up on body language and other cues...when the surgeon came into the room where Hubby and I sat, I knew he was about to tell me something I did not want to hear.  "The samples are back from Mayo Clinic and as you knew, we were looking for any cancerous tissues..." (like I need to know all this, I just wanted a good or bad).  He then told me I have what is called follicular variant of papillary thyroid cancer.  From my research, I knew that thyroid cancer is said to be the "best type of cancer to get" due to it being slow growing and the easiest to treat, in most cases.

The surgeon continued by stating that I would need to have a second surgery to removed the rest of my thyroid and I would likely need to have iodine radiation to kill any remaining thyroid tissue he was unable to remove in surgery.  He told me that I would receive a call from scheduling in a few days to set up the date for the completion thyroidectomy and that, this time, it would be an overnight stay in the hospital.  Quietly, and barely even breathing, Hubby and I left the office and headed home.  Without saying the words, we both knew that life as we once knew it was over.

Due to my love of writing, as well as it's therapeutic purposes, I have decided to start a blog to chronicle my journey.  I will share my cancer experiences, as well as my struggles with fibromyalgia, which I was diagnosed with April 2010.  I will also share how I juggle my illnesses while parenting 6 kids, 5 pets, and Hubby!  It is my desire to use this blog to inform family and friends, help others who are newly diagnosed or struggling, and help myself to keep my sanity through all of this!  Of course, my mom always said, "you can't lose something you didn't have to begin with!"  Hee hee!  More will follow, including a history of journey up until this point, resources, and other tid-bits.  Please be patient while I add to the blog and consider it a work in progress.