Too Much on Our Plait: Like Daughter

Like Daughter - 43

It has been forever, loves, but there is finally an update on the Cancer Clan. Janina has bravely endured 3 weeks on her low-iodine diet, and has her nuclear scan tomorrow. This scan will determine one of three things: 1) if she is clear of thyroid cancer, 2) if not, she undergoes more radioactive iodine, or 3) she undergoes another surgery. Of course, we'd all prefer #1, but if that isn't the case, then I'd much rather her go through #2 than #3. I don't think I could handle seeing her go through a second surgery. She would take it well, though, knowing her. She's braver than any woman I know. But, let's not dwell on all that, shall we?

Mom is due for her scan soon. She's going to have it on a day she's off work, so I can go with her. She told me the other day that she has to brace herself for a nap. "It's too long of a scan," she said. The scan is an hour long, and it hovers about an inch away from your face/body, and it sloooowly moves down and up your entire body.

I've had about four of those scans. They all took place in the first, oh, year and a half of my treatment, so I was pretty used to them. If I had one now I'd probably just shrug and say, "OK!" By the time my last treatment came up, I knew everyone in the nuclear medicine facility by name. They were fantastic people, minus the woman who did the faulty Geiger test on me in my previous post. And, no, I'll never forgive her for that. ;-)

Anyway, during these scans, I would be nervous, of course. They pretty much determined what my next six months, or year, would consist of. To help this nauseousness subside, I would sing soundtracks/CDs in my head. For example, during one of my scans, I went through the entire Rent soundtrack/Rent movie in my head. By the end of the scan, I had pretty much gone through the whole film. During another scan, I "listened" to the whole Wicked soundtrack. It took all I could not to smile during the scan, and it comforted me.

These kinds of things kept me going during my entire journey. Sure, I had my family, friends, and then-boyfriend, but when they couldn't be by my side during the scans and treatments and surgeries, I had my memories, my songs, my slideshows. I thought of anything and everything about these people in my life and the other things that made me happy. I would instantly come alive at the thought of any of these things, and it reminded me that, no matter what, this too would pass.

As always, sweeties, I wish you all love, happiness, and -- most importantly -- good health.

Read More 1 Comment | Posted by Adelina and Dori |

1 Comment

Omniscient on November 29, 2011 at 12:28 PM

Thanks for a great blog
Papillary types of Thyroid cancer

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Like Daughter, Like Mother: Our Thyroid Cancer Journey

Behind the Blog

Adelina is a full-time wife, mother, practice manager, and medical transcriptionist. After receiving an ultrasound and countless biopsies, she was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer on December 11, 2009. She successfully underwent surgery on December 29, 2009, and had her first radioactive iodine treatment in February 2010. Following treatment, Adelina now sees her doctor once a year for follow-up. She has been doing well, and refuses to let cancer slow her down.

Dori is 26 years old. She was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer at the age of 17 on June 1, 2006, just three days prior to her high school graduation. Dori endured two radioactive iodine treatments and two surgeries to remove her complete thyroid and 39 total lymph nodes from her neck. She is now under close watch by her doctors, and only time will tell if the cancer stays at bay.