The Good Cancer: The Beginning

Thank you everyone for your well wishes.  By the grace of God, I am doing great. I didn't really want to talk about this because (in the beginning) it was too emotionally draining.  But I have been through treatment and everything is going amazing.  I thought it was important to share this part of my life with everyone in the hopes of helping others.  Another PSA (public service announcement) to all my blogger buddies.

Even saying the word cancer is scary to me.  However the reason i am entitling these entries The Good Cancer is because apparently if you are going to get any form of cancer, thyroid is the good one because it is usually treatable.

The beginning was when i went for a routine annual physical in November 2010.  My regular doctor was on maternity leave so i was seen by a new physician.  I liked her immediately because we were talking about weddings and how exciting married life is.  She had recently completed her wedding.  We had completed all regular check ups and she was checking around my neck.  After all, doctors do that all the time.  I had been to the doctors for a cold several months earlier and she checked my neck and said nothing.

But this physician (for whatever reason) checked my neck and noticed that "there was a nodule"on my thyroid.  Nodule is another word for lump.  She assured me that everyone has "nodules" on their thyroid and that "it is probably benign."  Of course i remembered the word "benign" from some course in school and was hopeful that the nodule is benign.  The physician suggested that i should get an ultrasound just to make sure that everything is fine.  And off i went (still in wedding planning mode) for the ultrasound.

I went in for my first  ultrasound ever.  For some reason, I thought that my first ultrasound would be when i was pregnant with Baby Pancakes.  Nevertheless, i went in for the ultrasound.  Several days later, i received a call from my doctor who informed me that "the nodule/lump looked suspicious" and she would like for me to see a ENT (Ear Nose Throat Specialist) for a FNA (Fine Needle Aspiration) Biopsy. I know all these acronyms!

The FNA Biopsy is the most effective way to determine whether the nodule is indeed cancerous.  I remember asking my physician if i could wait for the appointment because i had so wedding related things to take care of.  I spoke with Mr. Pancakes and of course he said i should go and get the FNAB completed.

So off i went and completed the biopsy.  At the appointment, Dr. B, who i found to be a little too rough and not very engaging, placed a fine needle into my thyroid and extracted cells from my thyroid.  It felt like ten thousand little needles sucking stuff out of my neck, it hurt so bad! But i knew it was definitely needed for me to know the truth.  

I went home thinking that everything is going to be fine.  It was the end of January 2011 and i had a wedding to plan for April 23rd, 2011.  I mean why would i think that i have cancerous lumps in my thyroid?  

A few weeks ago, i didn't even really know where my thyroid was and here I was about to find out whether i had cancer or not.

To be Continued...what's the use of a thyroid anyway?