krcole
Hi!
So another update…
So I saw the endo today. He had done some consulting with one of the oncologist in town (who I know) and they had gotten a plan together by the time I arrived this afternoon.
So we are going to watch this for a few weeks/months or so. They did draw tumor markers today (it is a very sensitive blood test that will detect signs of cancer through how the blood is processed/reacts). These markers will be positive due to just having cancer removed and you can stir up “stuff” to make it positive even though the cancer has been supposedly all removed. This positive will be our baseline. Then in 6 weeks when the hormones have started to work (hopefully) they will draw another set of tumor markers at that point. Then compare the two. The expectation is that the positive will turn to a negative…because they believe that they got it…all…no promises but they are confident. If it stays positive at the same rate, we will wait another month and draw again…continuing that process for some time if they just stay the same while seeking out an oncologist to watch instead of just the endo. If it goes up we will immediately talk RAI to kill off the thyroid cancer that might have spread or been missed in taking out the thyroid.
So we have a plan. I am comfortable with it due to the statistic of growth speed, that thyroid ca is less agressive than any other ca, and that with all of the other health issues I have…RAI right after surgery would trash my body and make it really hard to recover/normalize. The MD also shared that people with Grave’s Disase and have their thyroid removed have a 1 in 100 chance of finding cancer when the thyroid is sent to pathology. Get that 1 out of 100. Those are insane odds. These people would have never known (like me) that they had cancer and he said would have lived a long life and it would most likely never have bothered them…due to such slow growth and the nonexistance of mets with most thyroid ca.
I will keep you posted. Thanks for your uplifting virtual hugs and comments today. There were quite a few tears at our house last night and today…and having ya’ll was such a relief. Also thank you for the resources for more support for the ca side.
I guess I never realized until today is I will always have “Grave’s” even though my thyroid was removed. Wow. I am just starting the path on this portion of the journey.
Again, thank you.
Blessings and Peace,
Katie