On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 10:36 AM, I wrote:

Rocking it. It is healing well and shrinking. I hope the end result is fabulous!

Here is an update as promised:

I have the pathology report back. It is three pages of stuff that we already knew and more information. On the 6th of September, 2011, Dr. Fyfe did a thyroidectomy and central neck dissection to remove all the cancer. This means he removed my whole thyroid and the lymph nodes in the center of my neck that were attached to the thyroid. The pathology report does confirm that I did have a nodule with papillary cancer. It also states that I had two more areas with cancer in the deep tissue of my central lymph nodes that were also removed. The cancer found there is metastatic cancer – this means that the tumor was able to arise and has spread from surrounding tissue. Yes, it was removed, but this means it was already spreading. It also means I do have to go through the radiation treatment. I knew there was a big chance of this anyway, just confirmed for sure with the results. I will see Dr. Shaw on the 28th to start talking about the next steps.
Let’s do this! I think what gets me the most is to see all this on paper.

It was not a nightmare.
It is real.
I have to keep going.
I have to deal with it.
I will be ok.
What is next?
I will be strong.
I am allowed to be scared.
It’s ok to cry.
I have amazing support.
I am blessed regardless of the cancer.
This too shall pass.

I appreciate all the prayers and good vibes. :)


Elda

Email to my girls

Hi ladies,

So here is something that I have to share.

OK, so before my FL trip in July, I went to a regular Dr. check up with all the fun stuff included (pap. blood work, etc.) My new Dr. (old one sucked and you'll see why a couple of lines down) I had my pressure checked - good. I had a breast exam - good too. Then she put her fingers on my throat and asked me to swallow (I had forgotten about this test, my most recent Doctor had not done it in 3-4 years) and she made a face and said "huh, do that again", so I did and she said: " that seems tight, you'll need an ultrasound to check your thyroid for nodules" my heart skipped a few beats and I started my confusion on what was going on in my neck. I was sent to the place where they do that kind of testing and sure enough I have two nodules. I immediately asked the tech doing the ultrasound to tell me what she saw. The one in the center part of the thyroid (remember that the thyroid looks like a bow tie) is 1.7 cm and the one on the right (left is your are looking at me) is 1.1 cm. :-( I go back to my Dr a few days later and she tells me that I need to go to an Endocrinologist. This is where I find Dr. Shaw http://www.texasdiabetes.com/staff/ss.html. She is amazing, she explained all the possibilities and consoled me with my minor breakdown in her office. She told me that the odds where in my favor - 5% of all nodules in the thyroid are cancerous. So we set a date to do my biopsy because my nodule was hypoechoic (means that it is less dense than the tissue around it) and this is one of the things that can be a tell-tell of malignancy. My biopsy was scheduled on the 15th of August - cancelled with option to go to another Dr, but I refused; got rescheduled for the 19th. She told me that there was nothing to worry about - just ruling out any possibilities. I get a call on the 26th and she leaves a message to call her as soon as possible. **this is where I know I need to panic** I call her back and get her VM; I realize I have her cell phone number **more panic** She calls me back around 6pm on Friday the 26th (Alan has a big game a 7:30 and I just helped feed all the HS kids and am almost home) she tells me that I have thyroid cancer. I know we talked for about 20 minutes and honestly I do not remember most of it. I managed to write down some information about the ENT Cancer specialists and the website that is going to educate me on my condition http://www.thyca.org/ . I don't know any details on what stage it is or if is is anywhere else in my body. I am in the beginning stages of moving towards a solution. I am getting the nodule removed as soon as I get my appointment set. I just wanted to share this with you all. I know that if I called I would totally break down.

FYI: They do say that this is the "best kind of cancer" to have because it is very treatable. I will give updates when I have them. You are all welcome to comment, text or call or whatever your heart desires. I am not posting on FB anything about it and only my immediate family and coworkers and now you ladies know. Thanks for being amazing friends. I love you all: Wanda, Cyn, Sarah, Laura, Marissa and June. <3

XO