Thyroid II: Son of Anna's Thyroid

[annathepiper]

So my endocrinologist finally called me back with the word on my thyroid biopsy. The good news: no cancer. The bad news: she says it's "complicated" and wants to discuss it with me rather than just leaving a convoluted message on my answering machine. Which means I'll have to try to call her back tomorrow from work--calling doctors is always an adventure for me at work, too, since I don't have a phone of my own so I can't tell them to call me directly, I have to call them.

But given that she wants to go ahead and talk about these results, this has got "impending surgery" written all over it. Don't get me wrong--I'm pleased it's not cancerous. But given that we already know that my thyroid's been wacky for the last couple of years and that I have a direct history of cancer in my family, I'll be really surprised if Dr. Marshall doesn't give me a medical recommendation to go ahead and have the rest of the thyroid out.

We'll see what happens, though. She may just want to put me on synthroid, just to try to stabilize the stupid thing.

More as I get it.

Comments

[shikyrie.livejournal.com]

{{{hugs}}} hope it isn't serious

[annathepiper]

Well, in the grand medical scheme of things, a broken thyroid honestly isn't actually that serious in general. And it wouldn't be even if it were cancerous. Three different doctors have advised me that thyroid cancer is pretty much the easiest cancer to treat--and even if I did have any cancer in my thyroid right now, the answer to this would be "take it out". And that's about it.

But as I mentioned in the post, there are reasons that would make it likely that they'll want to take the rest of my thyroid out anyway. So at this point it's going to be mostly a question of "are they going to remove the rest of it, and either way, am I going to have to go on synthroid?"

Not terribly serious either way. "Annoying", perhaps, would be a better word. :)

[brightbeak.livejournal.com]

*wings crossed* that it is just a complicated discussion of medication & dosing & testing & whatnot, and the word surgery is used in the past tense!

[annathepiper]

Thanks, hon! Now that I've gone through one thyroid surgery I know I can handle it, it's no big deal--but it'd still be annoying to have to lose that week to a week and a half of recovery time. Especially since this'd be time off of work, and I'd have to make all the right arrangements and such and it'd just be a general pain in the neck.

So yeah, I'm all about not doing that again if I can avoid it.

[shikyrie.livejournal.com]

{{{{hugs}}} anyway... will be thinking bout you

[brightbeak.livejournal.com]

i can see how one would wish to avoid that whenever possible, but know one could cope if need be...

btw - was that pun intended? ;)

[casirafics.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Hope all goes well and as incident-less as possible. (I have a slightly wacky thyroid myself... I think we need to file a joint lawsuit about bad design practices. *grin*)

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

The most common (85%) thyroid cancer (which is what I'm dealing with) is eminently curable. The stuff Mr. Justice Rhenquist has... isn't. But it's also rare.

If you do have to have it out, odds are they'll want to run you through radioiodine ablation as well.... but given how early they're catching yours (as opposed to mine, which is Stage III) it'll likely be doable outpatient... we hope.

Oh, if you do get put on Synthroid, insist on the generic. According to wenchita, the quality control problems on the name brand product are... legendary. (And she works for a hospital and is in a position to know...)

May it be as un-annoying as possible.

[gerimaple.livejournal.com]

well, here's hoping surgery can be completely avoided, or at least stalled until the end of your current contract if unavoidable.

bleargh *hugs you*

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

Well, the good news is, Synthroid (or the generic equivalent) is the cheapest medication I take! I hope you don't have to have surgery, though.

[annathepiper]

Yeah, I'd be okay with having to take the stuff--I got the story on it being plenty cheap and all that. We'll see what the doctor has to say when I call her tomorrow. Mrf.

[annathepiper]

Ah ha, another member of the Funky Thyroid Sisterhood, then? (We have a cats' auxiliary, you know. 'Cause my CAT has thyroid issues, too!)

And yes, I'd like a word with whoever wrote the specs on this thing and let mine get out the door in this state. I mean, geez, talk about shipping your defective products...!

[annathepiper]

Given our current insurance situation, or so Dara informs me this evening, it'd actually be better to do the surgery before September if I have to have one. Bleah.

*hugs back* Thanks, though!

[casirafics.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a band name. ;) Either that or the next entry in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series.

What with all the things wrong with my hormonal balances, I really think SOMEONE ought to be held responsible... fneh. (The female chemical system: proof positive that God is NOT a woman. ;)

[annathepiper]

You've got actual thyroid cancer though, right? If I have anything at all, it seems like it'd be in a pre-cancerous stage, so I'm not sure where that'd fall on your scale?

Thanks for the tip about the generic vs. name brand stuff, though. And thanks for the good wishes in general!

[mamishka.livejournal.com]

Guh. Here's to the problem being a)simple to solve and b)done with after this.

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

and it'd just be a general pain in the neck.

So to speak. :) *hugs*!

[gerimaple.livejournal.com]

well, here's hoping you can make the cookies crumble in the least inconvenient way possible (as defined by you and/or solarbird

[gerimaple.livejournal.com]

and i'll second that :)

[annathepiper]

Um, er. No. *^_^*

[annathepiper]

Thanks! Also, mmmmmm cookies.

[annathepiper]

Pun wasn't intentional! Honest! Glah! :) *hugs Kit back*

[annathepiper]

I'll drink to that! (Well, I would if I had anything to drink right now.)

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

If yours turned into something nasty it would be Stage I at this point. Stage IV is big evil nasty get your will in order now kind of thing because it's all over the place. Mine... wiggled its way into a lymph node or three, which they excised along with everything else. The fact that it moved (and was so big in the first place) makes it Stage III. On the other hand, so far as we know, it was confined to the neck area and the surgeon got everything he could see. There are more than likely some microscopic bits left in there, which is what we're about to (quite literally) nuke (only with much more of a whimper than any kind of a kaboom).

So at this point you're sort of a Stage 0.5, pending reassessment...

And you're welcome...

[otoselkie.livejournal.com]

*le CyberHug* Here's to you, here's hoping it's not serious, here's hoping that it's over and done with quick. I'll be thinking of you.