I hope you are all staying safe and well these days all things considered. 2020 has been quite the year so far, here is my update.
To start with I had surgery to have a cyst removed from my neck in January. I was excited to finally have this lump gone and although nervous, I was keen to have a less lumpy neck! It was thought to be a harmless branchial cyst but upon further inspection the surgeon noticed something was amiss. A 30 minute surgery became a 95 minute surgery and I was sore quite far up under my chin. I found that strange since the cyst was nowhere near my chin. I also discovered my body doesn't like anesthetic very much, the night after the surgery I woke up at 3am and fainted in the bathroom and threw up. What a night! The next day I was discharged and with a stiff neck, home I went. In the weeks that followed I had a lingering feeling that I wasn't finished yet.
Three weeks after surgery I was told that it was not a branchial cyst as they had previously diagnosed but that it was not a tumor...which was true. True but not the whole story. One week after that I was asked to come back into the hospital, the doctor said 'it's not what we thought it was, come back and we will have a plan for you'... hmm. I was on the alert at this stage and sure enough when I went to the hospital I was told that I have thyroid cancer. Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma. The cyst was caused by a lymph node that was infected with the cancer and so the node was removed along with the cyst, hence the chin pain. I knew going to the hospital that I was probably going to be told I have cancer but it was still a surreal experience. The room suddenly felt far away for a few seconds and then I launched into info gathering mode, asking every question I could think of. I was told that even with lymph node spread it's still a curable cancer which was great news but still, the big C is a scary club to be in.
A week and a half later I had my thyroid fully removed and I had some more lymph nodes removed from my neck. I had a total thyroidectomy and neck dissection. Surgery was about 4 hours and I woke up to the nurses in the recovery room worried because my leg had swollen up and my neck was also quite swollen. I was too drugged up to do much but hearing that was scary. The surgeon came to shake my hand and I managed to babble a thank you to him! After some poking and prodding I was cleared to be wheeled back up to my ward and within a few hours I was walking around. I felt surprisingly great at first. The pain was limited but emotionally everything hit me in the next few days, I was overwhelmed. My voice was weak after surgery and I struggled to achieve volume but I could breathe and swallow just fine. Having an organ removed is not something you can fully prepare for, it's major surgery and it definitely took me down for a while.
I am now 7 weeks post surgery and adjusting to life without a thyroid! My voice is slowwwwly returning although singing is still a no go. I am hopeful my singing voice will return, it can take 6-12 moths after this surgery. My moods and energy levels have been concerning me and it's been difficult to get a hold of my endocrinologist with the Covid 19 crisis. I had success reaching the office last week and I am awaiting a call back at this point. My fatigue is starting to interfere with my daily routine and I am noticing things like dry skin and foggy thinking. These are potentially signs of hypothyroidism so I will be sure to emphasize these developments when I speak to my specialist as I may need my medication reviewed. Without a thyroid I am dependent on medication and getting the correct dose can take some fine tuning. I am also due a radiation treatment which has been delayed for the foreseeable future so I am halfway through my treatment. I feel stuck in limbo in that regard but I am happy I got surgery before all elective surgeries were cancelled.
Looking at the big picture I feel positive and I am confident I will achieve long term improvements.
Looking at the big picture I feel positive and I am confident I will achieve long term improvements.
When things are in swing and a new normal has been found I am looking forward to two things:
1) Finishing my cancer treatment
2) Coffee and cake with the husband in a local cafe
2) Coffee and cake with the husband in a local cafe
How have things been in your neck of the woods? I'd love to hear from you.
Until next time!
Rebeca
