Friday, September 16, 2011

It's Baaaa......aaaack!

*This post is personal and detailed for my records, since this blog is my journal. Just in case you were wondering why I am sharing all these specifics.*

I went in and met with my cancer Dr. 1 month after delivery, just for a follow up/check up.

And we found out some very bad news :(

On August 17th my Thyroglobulin (cancer counter) went from .6 in March, up to 13.6! Meaning cancer was growing again. That number had gradually been going down since radiation 2 years ago, and now it went up.

That's bad!

So he ordered a neck ultrasound to check for any lumps.

On August 18th I had an Ultrasound done. They found one very small lump and decided to biopsy it. Which included me getting into a gown, getting painted with an alcoholic solution, laying on a table freaking out, as they stuck a needle through my jugular vein and across my carotid artery 6 times to get sample of the bump. I couldn't move, speak or swallow during the procedure.  It was so freaky! I was afraid they were going to hit my artery and I was going to die. But alas, I survived it.

The biopsy came back inconclusive if it was cancerous or not. It is just irregular tissue. Still not good. A woman with a history of neck cancer shouldn't have weired tissues growing in her neck.

On August 23 we met with my surgeon to discuss removing said bump. He decided to get another test done to see if we could find where this cancer was for sure growing.

On August 30th I had a PET Ct Scan done. It is a scan that is supposed to show metabolic active areas in your body, pretty much cancer growing anywhere.  This included me getting into scrubs, being injected with a radioactive glucose solution, having to lie still in a reclining chair in a bathroom sized room all alone for 45 minutes as the solution traveled through my body. Then I went into the machine and it scanned me for 20 minutes. As I was still radioactive for about 10 hours, I could not hold Ivy or get too close to my kids.  REALLY BAD DAY! It is a miracle that my mother had come up the day before to stay with us, because I have no idea what we would have done with Ivy! It was so hard to watch someone else try to calm her down when she was screaming (which is what she does ;)

The PET scan came back negative, meaning there were no huge spots of cancer growing, A REALLY GOOD THING! Only problem was that we still didn't know for sure what was causing my blood count to go up. We decided to take out the lump and see if it was causing the problem.

We scheduled for surgery September 15th. I also met with an eye Dr. to get my tear ducts fixed at the same time, you know, while I am asleep why not get everything fixed.  If only they would let a plastic surgeon in to fix a few things too if you know what I mean. But no, that will have to wait :)

Two days before surgery I get cold feet.  We had decided to run my blood test one more time just too see if things had changed.  Sure enough, after 2 different lab errors in trying to get the test, the Thyroglobulin had gone down to .4! I figure it was a miracle and I didn't need surgery!  WRONG! 
My sister Liz had her baby that day, and my mom was a little busy down in Utah, so we cancelled the surgery.

My cancer Dr. referred me to a specialist in SLC since I was so nervous about everything, and after speaking to the SLC Doc over the phone, we decided that I still need surgery. Now we just need to decide where to have it done, and who is going to do it.

Option #1  Do it here in Idaho with my Surgeon who did it all 2 years ago. I love him, and he is wonderful.  It would be so much easier to have it done here for a variety of reasons.  Especially getting my eyes done at the same time.

Option #2 Have it done by one of the #5 Thyroid Specialist's in the world, in Utah. Not knowing what to expect, but having the best of all do it.  It would be a lot harder to have it done down there, especially for follow ups.

My cancer Dr. says that he thinks there is no reason that I NEED to have the specialist do it. My Dr. here is fabulous and would have no problems doing it.

Now I just have to make a decision, get it scheduled, and enjoy having another scare going up the other side of my neck.

Yippee.

9 comments:

Kasha said...

Oh Angie. I am so sorry, that is terrible news. You are in my thoughts and prayers. If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to call. *HUGS*

Megan said...

Angie, I am so sorry you are having to go through this again! I will keep you in my prayers. You are amazing! Hang in there.

Karla said...

You know what they say, "matchie-matchie" will look great on your neck!

Chris and Cindy said...

I love your mom! Way to be optimistic Karla!!! Anyway, I am glad that your numbers have come down... let me know what you decide on the surgery... We are thinking of you!

Denise said...

Oh man! I am at a loss for words. Maybe it won't be bad at all. Maybe all of this is happening for a reason! I will keep you in my prayers.

Nichole said...

Angie,
I am so sorry for all the stress you have been under. I can't even imagine going through all of this with a new baby, which is hard enough! Loves and Hugs to you, I'm so sorry.

tonyandalli said...

If there was ever any girl who could have cancer and beat it TWICE... it's you. I truly believe that.

Marcie said...

So sorry. What a yucky thing to keep messing with your emotions like that. Thinking of you.

Alicia said...

Angie - we'll be thinking of you. So sorry this thing is being so persistent, that is just so frustrating! I'm glad the numbers have gone back down, but good luck making decisions all the same.

Wish I lived closer and could bring you some dinners or something!