So I got the call and the results from the I-131 scan done on 12/12/11 and guess what....I AM CANCER FREE! Yes, I kicked that cancer out of my body. This is a TRUE reason to be joyous and to truly celebrate life! I am unbelievably relieved and happy. The heavy feeling on my shoulders is gone. My family is completely HAPPY. My body was confused when it decided to welcome the bad cells but just as easily we kicked them the heck out. :)
One thing I cannot help but think of is all the people that don't get the good news. I truly do continue to pray for the ones that have lost the battle and the ones that fight for their lives everyday. I am thankful for my fortune and have decided to do more for those that cannot live a normal life because of cancer - especially the children. I know that one little thing may seems senseless or silly but for a cancer patient it can mean the world.
I am blessed beyond words. I have the best Doctors, family, friends and coworkers. Life is good and I am glad it chose me. I now know the value of MY life.
XO
Elda
Friday, December 23, 2011
Spidey Senses?
From December 7, 2011
I got my dose today. 100 picocuries of radioiodine - picocuries is a measurement used in the field. The dose was administered via a capsule, which was a blue capsule a bit bigger than a regular tylenol.
I have been going to the Radiation center (ARA) since Monday 12/05/2011 preparing for the dose. I received on shot of Thyrogen on Monday and a second dose on Tuesday. Today the pill was ordered as soon as I checked in. When it got there, the delivery guy showed up with a weird box with RADIOACTIVE stickers and warning signs all over it. :-/ He was escorted by some other guy and took it to the room where the radioactive materials are delivered.... the Nuclear Medicine guy (Dave) had to sign for it. I sat and signed papers before it was delivered and even had to check out before I was given the dose; this would lessen the chances of contaminating anyone there. The pill itself was in two other containers inside that big gray box, the Radiologist handed it to me in a cylinder (like a prescription bottle) wearing gloves and holding it with tongs. I had to put it in my mouth and put the cylinder in the red bin. He said it was radioactive and he could not touch the container. HA.
So I did that and had to wait 20 minutes to allow for any crazy symptoms or allergic reactions to show - if they were going to.... So can I say that I went to the restroom and turned the lights out... I needed to see if I was glowing, I know - don't judge me! Just so you know, I was NOT glowing (bummer). AND to answer all the questions from my smartie pants friends: I am not growing and extra set of arms, can't fly, not turning green and I can't climb walls - yet. I will keep you posted if that changes.... I am going to enjoy my 5 days of isolation and have me a no chocolate-one-person party. Woot.
One thing that I did notice today, is that today, I chose to drive slow. I took in EVERY image in front of me on my drive home. I drove down a back road from Round Rock to Cedar Park down Brushy Creek Road. I took time to watch the leaves falling from the trees (the ones that do change with the seasons in Austin). I saw a few deer at the end of the woods. I saw a couple of birds taking off from the creek. I also saw an old couple walking and the two of them enjoying the sun shining on them.
Things changed for me and I refuse to take anything for granted. I am lucky to have what I do and I am thankful for all good, bad and indiffererent in my life. I am who I am because of the obstacles, lessons, blessings, and all things that have been in my path. My friends are amazing and are in my life for good reasons. Friends new and old have a place in my heart and I am so thankful for each and everyone of you. My family is the greatest. Morgan, Carla, Sean, Alan, Meche and my parents are my pilars. I don't think I would have the strength to face THIS without their encouragement and support.
Ah, I am going to be alright. I think that this is just a little bump in the road, a reminder that we are all so fragile.
See y'all later!
XO - Elda
Saturday, September 24, 2011
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
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
Monday, May 23, 2011
Getting Old
I notice as days go by that things have definitely changed. I cannot drink all night and pop up like a freshly watered perky daisy. I cannot workout and NOT feel my knees and shoulders screaming at me for the extra torture. I cannot give a care for silly nonsense that used to mean a lot more a few years ago. I let people vent and not roll my eyes. I stop and take a good look at things I used to fly by. I know that things are always changing, but I never imagined that I could change as well. I still feel like I am the same person I was 20 years ago..... how is it that now I am in my mid 30's? Where does time go? I know that the older generations are slowly leaving us and that, to me, is the biggest loss we can experience. I know that I wish I would have asked more questions and learned more from my great grandparents. They have been gone for a while now, 20 years almost. I still have one set of grandparents and every time I see them I enjoy just letting them tell me about their past...it just never is enough. A whole lifetime of different experiences gone with the person. I wish we all kept journals or some kind of diary that logged eventful days, experiences or anything that is significant. I guess I am a little nostalgic when I hear of a family loss. I know we are not going to be around forever....
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Dead Terrorist
I know that it is wrong to be happy after the news of a death, but I believe that this is absolutely justifiable. I am not a violent person or applaud anything of this nature. I truly agree with the comments that this world will be a better place without this monster. I have no personal friend or family loss in the twin towers tragedies; but to ME, it should be taken as a personal attack to every single citizen of this country. Any attack to us is an attack to our children and loved ones. I know that peace on earth would be ideal - but come on....that is never going to happen with people that have no limits and no conscience about anyone. Terrorist suck. Glad that the most wanted man in the world is gone. Bin Laden totally created sadness and chaos in and to our country. Now to make sure that nobody else can get to us like he did....
I thank each and every person serving our country for keeping us safe. Eric my cousin is on the top of my list. I have the utmost respect for him. :-)
Eldahg
I thank each and every person serving our country for keeping us safe. Eric my cousin is on the top of my list. I have the utmost respect for him. :-)
Eldahg
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