Too Much on Our Plait

Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry, it's been pretty stagnant in the Cancer Clan. We're all doing fine for the most part. Mom and Janina are doing well. They both are still on 6-month follow-ups, but their scans showed up normal as did their blood work. Aunt Rea, Aunt Gracie, and Melissa are all well, also. They didn't need any radioactive iodine, so they are on yearly follow-ups. Aunt Gracie is the most recent addition to the Clan, so she's probably having more follow-ups, just to check her scar. I did see her at my cousin's 10th birthday, and, let me tell you, her scar is barely there! It looks wonderful, as does she. I do want to let you all know that Mom and I will be on The Stupid Cancer Show on Monday, May 2. The 'Stupid Cancer' Show is a radio show hosted by Matthew Zachary, CEO and Founder of the I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation , and Lisa Bernhard, Executive VP and Media Development for the Foundation. The show is entit...

We got my Aunt Gracie's results from her thyroid surgery. Turns out she does indeed have papillary thyroid cancer. This makes her our 6th member of the PTC Clan. Fabulous. Mom texted me with the news while I was at work. Of course, my phone was off, so I didn't get the message. I did, however, get a call from her with the news before I could even check my messages. To be honest, I couldn't help but laugh. Does this make me inhuman? I don't really like how I've been reacting since my aunt and cousin were diagnosed, but to be honest, isn't it just second nature now? It's sad to think that way, since this is one of the worst things to consider an everyday occurrence. At the rate this is going, though, it almost looks like it. Let's put it in timeline perspective: Me: June 2006 (outlier) Mom: December 2009 Janina: January 2010 Aunt Rea: February 2010 Melissa: February 2010 Aunt Gracie: November 2010 This is absurd. Do you not agree? I hate f...

I totally should be taking a shower right now, but I realized I haven't blogged in so long, and there's a lot to cover. So, I passed on my shower (for now, relax ;-] ) to update all of you in webland. Last post, I mentioned that my Aunt Gracie (my mom's youngest sibling) was having biopsies of nodules in her thyroid. Well, those biopsies came back inconclusive, so she went in for surgery to remove her entire thyroid yesterday morning. Her (well, the family's, except me) endocrinologist stated that, considering our family history (which sucks at this rate), she should get her thyroid out. When we were on the phone after her appointment with him pertaining to her results, she said, "Dori, to be honest with you, I'm relieved. I want it out. Just take it. I'm already on Synthroid as it is." I agreed with her. I'm so proud of her attitude. We find out within the week if her thyroid tests positive for papillary thyroid cancer, or another type. That woul...

Another update on the Cancer Clan. My Aunt Gracie (a non-member) is getting biopsies done of nodules in her thyroid on Monday. From what I recall, she has a goiter, but her endocrinologist (same as my mom, sister, aunt, and cousin) decided she should have biopsies just to check. If any of this information is faulty, I'll change it immediately. So, we'll see how that goes. I'll keep you folks posted. I was looking through my Cancer Timeline, as I call it, recently. Today, I decided to glance through to see if there are any significant dates in September. I stopped around September, and I found this: September 19, 2007 -- Thyroglobulin results betray that there may be more cancer. I feel kind of sad that I didn't see this until today. This post would have been much more effective yesterday, but ah well. At any rate, here are my thoughts about this. The back story to this event is that I had my usual scan on September 5 along with bloodwork. My endocrinologist gave me...

JANINA'S SCAN CAME BACK CLEAR!!!! Sorry, I just had to blurt that out. Totally couldn't control it. I mean, can you people blame me? :-) Mom is up next. Truthfully, I'm pretty worried about her scan. We were told she had no spread during her surgery, but then the scan following her treatment showed some uptake (RAI cling-age) in the right side of her neck. So, I really don't know what this scan will say. Let's just hope this treatment does the trick. Unfortunately, she does have to go through the low-iodine diet in order to prep for the scan. Oh, yay. Looks like I'll be doing some baking/cooking for her when that time comes around. I know by experience that stuff sucks. To top off this fun entry, I have my 6 month follow up with my endocrinologist mid-October. Woohoo. While I do love seeing my endo, I don't really like having the waiting game. All she does is ultrasound me (while making comments and pointing at things, all of which I despise), feel ...

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 surge ry. 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 move...

"Bringing Sexy Out of the Thyloset" For My Friends at, and the Fans of " Dear Thyroid "   What kind of thyroid cancer were you diagnosed with?   In December of 2009, I was diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma.   Not even a year has passed since my diagnosis.   What does Thyroid Cancer Awareness mean to me in terms of importance, and spreading awareness? As for all cancers, Be Aware and Beware …it could be you.   Thyroid cancer, in particular, can lurk in one’s body rather silently for many years, yet as Dori’s endocrinologist once remarked “You can die from it”.   And that’s the harsh truth.   I spread awareness by being open and forthcoming about my cancer.   And I love the way people subtly touch their necks, silently examining themselves for lumps, when I tell my story.   (Be honest…Are you feeling your neck right now?).   It would be difficult for a layperson to detect thyroid enlargement muc...